DIONYSUS (Bacchus)

DIONYSUS (Bacchus).

Dionysus, also called Bacchus (from bacca, berry), was the god
of wine, and the personification of the blessings of Nature in
general.

The worship of this divinity, which is supposed to have been
introduced into Greece from Asia (in all probability from India), first
took root in Thrace, whence it gradually spread into other parts of
Greece.

Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele, and was snatched by Zeus from
the devouring flames in which his mother perished, when he appeared to
her in all the splendour of his divine glory. The motherless child was
intrusted to the charge of Hermes, who conveyed him to Semele’s sister,
Ino. But Hera, still implacable in her vengeance, visited Athamas, the
husband of Ino, with madness, [125]and the child’s life being no longer safe,
he was transferred to the fostering care of the nymphs of Mount Nysa. An
aged satyr named Silenus, the son of Pan, took upon himself the office of
guardian and preceptor to the young god, who, in his turn, became much
attached to his kind tutor; hence we see Silenus always figuring as one
of the chief personages in the various expeditions of the wine-god.

Dionysus passed an innocent and uneventful childhood, roaming through
the woods and forests, surrounded by nymphs, satyrs, and shepherds.
During one of these rambles, he found a fruit growing wild, of a most
refreshing and cooling nature. This was the vine, from which he
subsequently learnt to extract a juice which formed a most exhilarating
beverage. After his companions had partaken freely of it, they felt their
whole being pervaded by an unwonted sense of pleasurable excitement, and
gave full vent to their overflowing exuberance, by shouting, singing, and
dancing. Their numbers were soon swelled by a crowd, eager to taste a
beverage productive of such extraordinary results, and anxious to join in
the worship of a divinity to whom they were indebted for this new
enjoyment. Dionysus, on his part, seeing how agreeably his discovery had
affected his immediate followers, resolved to extend the boon to mankind
in general. He saw that wine, used in moderation, would enable man to
enjoy a happier, and more sociable existence, and that, under its
invigorating influence, the sorrowful might, for a while, forget their
grief and the sick their pain. He accordingly gathered round him his
zealous followers, and they set forth on their travels, planting the vine
and teaching its cultivation wherever they went.

We now behold Dionysus at the head of a large army composed of men,
women, fauns, and satyrs, all bearing in their hands the Thyrsus (a staff
entwined with vine-branches surmounted by a fir-cone), and clashing
together cymbals and other musical instruments. Seated in a chariot drawn
by panthers, and accompanied by thousands of enthusiastic followers,
Dionysus made a triumphal [126]progress through Syria, Egypt, Arabia,
India, &c., conquering all before him, founding cities, and
establishing on every side a more civilized and sociable mode of life
among the inhabitants of the various countries through which he
passed.

When Dionysus returned to Greece from his Eastern expedition, he
encountered great opposition from Lycurgus, king of Thrace, and Pentheus,
king of Thebes. The former, highly disapproving of the wild revels which
attended the worship of the wine-god, drove away his attendants, the
nymphs of Nysa, from that sacred mountain, and so effectually intimidated
Dionysus, that he precipitated himself into the sea, where he was
received into the arms of the ocean-nymph, Thetis. But the impious king
bitterly expiated his sacrilegious conduct. He was punished with the loss
of his reason, and, during one of his mad paroxysms, killed his own son
Dryas, whom he mistook for a vine.

Pentheus, king of Thebes, seeing his subjects so completely infatuated
by the riotous worship of this new divinity, and fearing the demoralizing
effects of the unseemly nocturnal orgies held in honour of the wine-god,
strictly prohibited his people from taking any part in the wild
Bacchanalian revels. Anxious to save him from the consequences of his
impiety, Dionysus appeared to him under the form of a youth in the king’s
train, and earnestly warned him to desist from his denunciations. But the
well-meant admonition failed in its purpose, for Pentheus only became
more incensed at this interference, and, commanding Dionysus to be cast
into prison, caused the most cruel preparations to be made for his
immediate execution. But the god soon freed himself from his ignoble
confinement, for scarcely had his jailers departed, ere the prison-doors
opened of themselves, and, bursting asunder his iron chains, he escaped
to rejoin his devoted followers.

Meanwhile, the mother of the king and her sisters, inspired with
Bacchanalian fury, had repaired to Mount Cithæron, in order to join the
worshippers of the [127]wine-god in those dreadful orgies which
were solemnized exclusively by women, and at which no man was allowed to
be present. Enraged at finding his commands thus openly disregarded by
the members of his own family, Pentheus resolved to witness for himself
the excesses of which he had heard such terrible reports, and for this
purpose, concealed himself behind a tree on Mount Cithæron; but his
hiding-place being discovered, he was dragged out by the half-maddened
crew of Bacchantes and, horrible to relate, he was torn in pieces by his
own mother Agave and her two sisters.

An incident which occurred to Dionysus on one of his travels has been
a favourite subject with the classic poets. One day, as some Tyrrhenian
pirates approached the shores of Greece, they beheld Dionysus, in the
form of a beautiful youth, attired in radiant garments. Thinking to
secure a rich prize, they seized him, bound him, and conveyed him on
board their vessel, resolved to carry him with them to Asia and there
sell him as a slave. But the fetters dropped from his limbs, and the
pilot, who was the first to perceive the miracle, called upon his
companions to restore the youth carefully to the spot whence they had
taken him, assuring them that he was a god, and that adverse winds and
storms would, in all probability, result from their impious conduct. But,
refusing to part with their prisoner, they set sail for the open sea.
Suddenly, to the alarm of all on board, the ship stood still, masts and
sails were covered with clustering vines and wreaths of ivy-leaves,
streams of fragrant wine inundated the vessel, and heavenly strains of
music were heard around. The terrified crew, too late repentant, crowded
round the pilot for protection, and entreated him to steer for the shore.
But the hour of retribution had arrived. Dionysus assumed the form of a
lion, whilst beside him appeared a bear, which, with a terrific roar,
rushed upon the captain and tore him in pieces; the sailors, in an agony
of terror, leaped overboard, and were changed into dolphins. The discreet
and pious steersman was alone permitted to escape the fate of his
companions, [128]and to him Dionysus, who had resumed his
true form, addressed words of kind and affectionate encouragement, and
announced his name and dignity. They now set sail, and Dionysus desired
the pilot to land him at the island of Naxos, where he found the lovely
Ariadne, daughter of Minos, king of Crete. She had been abandoned by
Theseus on this lonely spot, and, when Dionysus now beheld her, was lying
fast asleep on a rock, worn out with sorrow and weeping. Wrapt in
admiration, the god stood gazing at the beautiful vision before him, and
when she at length unclosed her eyes, he revealed himself to her, and, in
gentle tones, sought to banish her grief. Grateful for his kind sympathy,
coming as it did at a moment when she had deemed herself forsaken and
friendless, she gradually regained her former serenity, and, yielding to
his entreaties, consented to become his wife.

Dionysus, having established his worship in various parts of the
world, descended to the realm of shades in search of his ill-fated
mother, whom he conducted to Olympus, where, under the name of Thyone,
she was admitted into the assembly of the immortal gods.

Among the most noted worshippers of Dionysus was Midas,^[46] the wealthy king of
Phrygia, the same who, as already related, gave judgment against Apollo.
Upon one occasion Silenus, the preceptor and friend of Dionysus, being in
an intoxicated condition, strayed into the rose-gardens of this monarch,
where he was found by some of the king’s attendants, who bound him with
roses and conducted him to the presence of their royal master. Midas
treated the aged satyr with the greatest consideration, and, after
entertaining him hospitably for ten days, led him back to Dionysus, who
was so grateful for the kind attention shown to his old friend, that he
offered to grant Midas any favour he chose to demand; whereupon the
avaricious monarch, not content with his boundless wealth, and still
thirsting for more, desired that everything he touched might turn to
gold. The request was [129]complied with in so literal a sense, that
the now wretched Midas bitterly repented his folly and cupidity, for,
when the pangs of hunger assailed him, and he essayed to appease his
cravings, the food became gold ere he could swallow it; as he raised the
cup of wine to his parched lips, the sparkling draught was changed into
the metal he had so coveted, and when at length, wearied and faint, he
stretched his aching frame on his hitherto luxurious couch, this also was
transformed into the substance which had now become the curse of his
existence. The despairing king at last implored the god to take back the
fatal gift, and Dionysus, pitying his unhappy plight, desired him to
bathe in the river Pactolus, a small stream in Lydia, in order to lose
the power which had become the bane of his life. Midas joyfully obeying
the injunction, was at once freed from the consequences of his avaricious
demand, and from this time forth the sands of the river Pactolus have
ever contained grains of gold.

Representations of Dionysus are of two kinds. According to the
earliest conceptions, he appears as a grave and dignified man in the
prime of life; his countenance is earnest, thoughtful, and benevolent; he
wears a full beard, and is draped from head to foot in the garb of an
Eastern monarch. But the sculptors of a later period represent him as a
youth of singular beauty, though of somewhat effeminate appearance; the
expression of the countenance is gentle and winning; the limbs are supple
and gracefully moulded; and the hair, which is adorned by a wreath of
vine or ivy leaves, falls over the shoulders in long curls. In one hand
he bears the Thyrsus, and in the other a drinking-cup with two handles,
these being his distinguishing attributes. He is often represented riding
on a panther, or seated in a chariot drawn by lions, tigers, panthers, or
lynxes.

Being the god of wine, which is calculated to promote sociability, he
rarely appears alone, but is usually accompanied by Bacchantes, satyrs,
and mountain-nymphs.

The finest modern representation of Ariadne is that by Danneker, at
Frankfort-on-the-Maine. In this statue she [130]appears riding on a
panther; the beautiful upturned face inclines slightly over the left
shoulder; the features are regular and finely cut, and a wreath of
ivy-leaves encircles the well-shaped head. With her right hand she
gracefully clasps the folds of drapery which fall away negligently from
her rounded form, whilst the other rests lightly and caressingly on the
head of the animal.

Dionysus was regarded as the patron of the drama, and at the state
festival of the Dionysia, which was celebrated with great pomp in the
city of Athens, dramatic entertainments took place in his honour, for
which all the renowned Greek dramatists of antiquity composed their
immortal tragedies and comedies.

He was also a prophetic divinity, and possessed oracles, the principal
of which was that on Mount Rhodope in Thrace.

The tiger, lynx, panther, dolphin, serpent, and ass were sacred to
this god. His favourite plants were the vine, ivy, laurel, and asphodel.
His sacrifices consisted of goats, probably on account of their being
destructive to vineyards.

BACCHUS OR LIBER.

The Romans had a divinity called Liber who presided over vegetation,
and was, on this account, identified with the Greek Dionysus, and
worshipped under the name of Bacchus.

The festival of Liber, called the Liberalia, was celebrated on the
17th of March.