In
classical mythology,
Dionysus or
Dionysos (
Greek Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; IPA:
/ˌdaɪəˈnaɪsəs/), is the
god of
wine, the inspirer of ritual madness and
ecstasy, and a major figure of
Greek mythology, and one of the twelve Olympians, among whom
Greek mythology treated Dionysus as a late arrival. The geographical origins of his cult were unknown to the classical Greeks, but almost all myths depicted him as having "foreign" origins: typical of the god of the epiphany, "the god that comes".
He was also known as
Bacchus[1] and the frenzy he induces,
bakkheia. He is the patron deity of
agriculture and the
theatre. He was also known as the Liberator (
Eleutherios), freeing one from one's normal self, by madness, ecstasy, or wine.
[2] The divine mission of Dionysus was to mingle the music of the
aulos and to bring an end to care and worry.
[3] Scholars have discussed Dionysus' relationship to the "cult of the souls" and his ability to preside over communication between the living and the dead.
[4]
In Greek mythology, Dionysus is made to be a son of
Zeus and
Semele; other versions of the
myth contend that he is a son of Zeus and
Persephone.
He is described as being womanly or "man-womanish".[5]
