Dionysus

**__Dionysus__** by Makani Dionysus had a dual personality, calm and wild. His parents were a god and a mortal making him a demigod. In modern days, he is still kept “alive”. Today’s society makes references to him in books, songs, and games. Dionysus is a fun god ancient Greeks worshiped. He is a mysterious god with much to learn about! Dionysus came into the world in an odd manner. His mother was a mortal. Her name is Semele. His father is Zeus. Hera (Zeus's real wife) caught wind of Zeus and Semele. She disguised herself and went to Semele and convinced her to ask Zeus to grant her one wish. Zeus did not show himself to her, so her wish was for him to show his true form. As soon as he showed himself, she was burned to crisp by his glory. Zeus managed to get Dionysus and attached him to his leg to grow. This caused Dionysus to also be known as "Twice-born". **< Greekmythology>** Dionysus is not only the god of wine and festivities, he is also considered the god of rebirth. After he was born, Hera wanted him killed. She wanted him killed because he was the son of Zeus's lover. She had the Titans attack him. He was torn to pieces, but was resurrected by the god Rhea. Zeus then had him guarded by the wood nymphs. Dionysus can also bring people back from the dead (underworld). In another story, he went to the underworld in search of his mother, Semele. After he found her, he had to defeat Thanatos, the Greek god of death. He then brought her to Mount Olympus. **** Since Dionysus is the god of wine, his festivities start when the grapes grow. That usually happens in Spring. The festivals are focused on theater and there are many plays. In ancient Greece, he was worshiped in the Dionysian Mysteries. They are focused around fire walking, drumming, dancing, and running in the woods. They would also have animal sacrifices. Female followers were known as maenads. These practices are thought to be linked to early Christianity. **** Dionysus's personality was odd. It was very similar to nature’s weather patterns. Nature has a nice peaceful side to it, but then there is also the crazy side. The peaceful side is like a hill with a rolling breeze. The wild side is like a storm or natural disaster that occurs. As nature, Dionysus also had a calm and wild side. He is often depicted as calm in most of the paintings there are of him. One of the most famous one is called "Sick Bacchus". Bacchus is what the Romans called him, but he was still the god of wine. In this picture he is sitting down in a pose with some grapes around him. His wild side is why the Greeks also made him the god of festivities. Parties can be very wild and that fits his personality perfectly! He usually is wearing a grape vine on his head with a leopard skin on his back. He is also wearing a toga. **< S.D>** Dionysus is still somewhat "alive" in today's culture. Some rock groups and many plays involve him. Jim Morrison from The Doors, thought of himself as Dionysus. The band Rush made a song about Dionysus. Even in Aristophanes’ play, he is the main character. There are plenty of books on Dionysus. They can range from historically accurate to novels based on him. He is also mentioned in the Disney movie, Hercules. The most surprising to me, was that he is even supposedly mentioned in the online game, Runescape. There is a piece of paper that you read that talks about Dionysus. Then the character that you talk to (Wise Old Man) signs a piece of paper with the letter D. Dionysus has stayed with us even though ancient Greece is gone. **** Dionysus was a party god. He had his own share of parental problems and has some stories to tell. He is celebrated when the vines grow, and he is still kept alive in today’s society. His personality was a tad bit odd, but it mimicked nature. Dionysus, the fun Greek god.

__Work Cited__

< “ Dionysus.” Greekmythology.com. 2000-2005. [] > < “Dionysus.” Crystalinks. [] > < S.D. “Dionysus.” Sfds. 2007-2008. [] >