WORSHIP

From the evidence of Linear B, Dionysos was known since Mycenaean times, although at least some of his characteristics can be traced to Asia Minor. As worshipped on the mainland of Greece, he was a god of wine, fertility, and excess. His frenzied devotees -- primarily women (known as Maenads or Bacchantes) -- were prone to the dismemberment of animals and, perhaps, the occasional hapless human. Such was the fate of Pentheus (in Euripides' Bacchantes) in the best known of numerous myths about the fruitlessness of attempting to suppress Dionysiac worship.

BIRTH

By Classical times, the most common version of his myth is as follows:

Zeus impregnates Persephone with the child Zagreus (=Dionysos). The ever-vengeful Hera inspires the Titans to dismember him and consume his corpse. Zeus strikes down the Titans and from the dust man is created (hence his dual nature: the evil of the Titans and the pure goodness of Zagreus/Dionysos).

Athena has saved the heart of Zagreus and gives it to Zeus. He consumes it and passes it to Semele, but in an accidental "power leakage" she is consumed by his lightning bolt. Zeus brings the child to term in his thigh and gives birth to the god Dionysos.

ORIGINS

The origins of Dionysos lie to the north of Greece in Thrace (Trakia). The name of Dionysos' mother, Semele, is rooted in Thracian "Earth" (Slavic zemlja). The Thracian form of Dionysos is Sabazios, "self-being" in the sense of "free;" a Latin name for Dionysos was Liber, "free." Also, Greek tradition reports that Dionysos came from Thrace (or, alternatively, Phrygia or Lydia in Anatolia, places that had close ties with Thrace). Finally, the myth of Dionysos is tied to the mystery religion known as Orphism, and Orpheus is consistently associated with Thrace.

ORPHEUS

The origins of Orpheus are shrouded in mystery. Most traditions associate him with Thrace, and one school of thought holds him to be an historical figure. His myth begins with the death of his wife, Eurydice. He goes to the otherworld in an attempt to retrieve her. A master musician -- his music was said to move rocks -- his playing results in Hades allowing Eurydice to leave -- under one condition. Orpheus must not look back at her until both are back among the living. His passion for his wife is so great that he cannot resist looking back, and so he loses her forever. (His death varies widely with different versions.)

Traditionally, Orpheus was either the originator or major diseminator of the religion known as Orphism.

ORPHISM

Similar to the Eleusinian Mysteries, the mystery religion known as Orphism was rooted in a concept of reincarnation. (And so the myth of Orpheus, who returned from the dead, is a propo.) In spite of its name, the religion centers on Dionysos and his rebirth. According to one of the tenets of Orphism each individual must live three consecutive "moral" lives (both in the land of the living and the land of the dead) to break the cycle of reincarnation.

Orphism (and some other mystery religions) have certain ideas in common with Judaism, Christianity, or both: "original sin," rewards and punishments in the afterlife, etc. Some concepts of the Christian Hell can be traced to Orphic roots.

WORSHIP From the evidence of Linear B, Dionysos was known since Mycenaean times, although at least some of his characteristics can be traced to Asia Minor. As worshipped on the mainland of Greece, he was a god of wine, fertility, and excess. His frenzied devotees -- primarily women (known as *Maenads* or *Bacchantes) -- were prone to the dismemberment of animals and, perhaps, the occasional hapless human. Such was the fate of Pentheus (in Euripides' Bacchantes*) in the best known of numerous myths about the fruitlessness of attempting to suppress Dionysiac worship.	BIRTH By Classical times, the most common version of his myth is as follows: Zeus impregnates Persephone with the child Zagreus (=Dionysos). The ever-vengeful Hera inspires the Titans to dismember him and consume his corpse. Zeus strikes down the Titans and from the dust man is created (hence his dual nature: the evil of the Titans and the pure goodness of Zagreus/Dionysos). Athena has saved the heart of Zagreus and gives it to Zeus. He consumes it and passes it to Semele, but in an accidental "power leakage" she is consumed by his lightning bolt. Zeus brings the child to term in his thigh and gives birth to the god Dionysos.
ORIGINS The origins of Dionysos lie to the north of Greece in Thrace (Trakia). The name of Dionysos' mother, Semele, is rooted in Thracian "Earth" (Slavic zemlja). The Thracian form of Dionysos is *Sabazios, "self-being" in the sense of "free;" a Latin name for Dionysos was Liber, "free." Also, Greek tradition reports that Dionysos came from Thrace (or, alternatively, Phrygia or Lydia in Anatolia, places that had close ties with Thrace). Finally, the myth of Dionysos is tied to the mystery religion* known as Orphism, and Orpheus is consistently associated with Thrace.	ORPHEUS The origins of Orpheus are shrouded in mystery. Most traditions associate him with Thrace, and one school of thought holds him to be an historical figure. His myth begins with the death of his wife, Eurydice. He goes to the otherworld in an attempt to retrieve her. A master musician -- his music was said to move rocks -- his playing results in Hades allowing Eurydice to leave -- under one condition. Orpheus must not look back at her until both are back among the living. His passion for his wife is so great that he cannot resist looking back, and so he loses her forever. (His death varies widely with different versions.) Traditionally, Orpheus was either the originator or major diseminator of the religion known as Orphism.
ORPHISM Similar to the Eleusinian Mysteries, the mystery religion known as Orphism was rooted in a concept of reincarnation. (And so the myth of Orpheus, who returned from the dead, is a propo.) In spite of its name, the religion centers on Dionysos and his rebirth. According to one of the tenets of Orphism each individual must live three consecutive "moral" lives (both in the land of the living and the land of the dead) to break the cycle of reincarnation. Orphism (and some other mystery religions) have certain ideas in common with Judaism, Christianity, or both: "original sin," rewards and punishments in the afterlife, etc. Some concepts of the Christian Hell can be traced to Orphic roots.