Dionysus- The Ancient Greek God

Dionysus - the ancient Greek god of wine, merry making, and madness. Dionysus is included in some lists of the twelve Olympians of Ancient Greek religion. Dionysus was the last god to be accepted into Mt. Olympus. He was the also youngest Olympian, and the only one to have a mortal mother. The Dionysia was a large festival held in ancient Athens in honor of Dionysus. During the festival, numerous theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies and comedies were preformed while people would eat and drink, especially wine. Dionysus, a major figure in ancient Greek religion, represents more than just wine and partying. He is a symbol of man's flaws when it came to his social life, and the madness that would come of it. Dionysus personifies the effects of drinking wine throughout his myths. He could act calm at one moment, and then insane the next. This is much like the feelings that arise when drinking wine. If wine is consumed reasonably, the results could be pleasant; one would become relaxed, and calm. However, if one consume too much and becomes drunk, the effects become negative, one would be unruly and unpredictable and sometimes violent.

Because of Dionysus’ strange birth, and his mortal mother, he stood out from the other Olympians. Dionysus' mother was a mortal woman named Semele, the daughter of king Cadmus of Thebes. Dionysus' father was Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. Zeus' wife, Hera, discovered Zeus' affair with Semele while Semele was pregnant. Hera disguised herself as a nurse and confronted Semele, who confirmed to Hera that Zeus was the father of the baby in her womb. Hera pretended not to believe Semele, and made Semele question if she was really impregnated by Zeus. Zeus told Semele that she could ask him for on...

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...ne gets after drinking too much wine, and becomes drunk.

Dionysus, a major figure in ancient Greece's religion, primarily symbolized and personified the nature of wine. When used reasonably it can be pleasant, however, if misused it can provoke evident negative effects. This is proven through Dionysus' double sided personality. In ancient Greece, Dionysus was a symbol of the enjoyment that one gains from partying, and his personality sometimes mirrored the calming effects of drinking wine. But Dionysus was also a warning to do both in moderation, because the repercussions of doing both with excess could be dreadful.

Works Cited

Encyclopedia Mythica: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/d/dionysus.html Encyclopedia Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/380839/Midas Princeton.edu: http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Pentheus.html