Message about the god Dionysus. Dionysus - Greek god of winemaking

Dionysus (Διώνυσος) - God of wine and fun, son of Zeus.

In Greek mythology, Dionysus was born from his father's thigh, his mother Semele was the daughter of the king of Thebes, Cadmus. Dionysus is the funniest of the gods, he visited many countries and cities to teach people how to cultivate the vine and make wine from the fruits. And, of course, as the god of joy and fun, he did not travel alone. He was always accompanied by a noisy crowd of maenads, satyrs, centaurs and sileni.
The fine wine that Dionysus treated to cheered up people, they forgot hardships, a smile appeared on their faces. Where Dionysus appeared with his retinue, a feast began to the cheerful sounds of musical instruments, accompanied by dances and cheerful songs.

Birth of Dionysus or "twice-born"

Having learned about the new love affair of Zeus, Hera thought about it and decided that only by cunning could she return her husband, Semele was very beautiful and young. Blinded by jealousy and wanting revenge, Hera decided to take on the appearance of an old woman, Semele's nurse, in order to be closer to her husband's pregnant mistress and gain confidence in her.

Hera made Semele doubt that it was Zeus who was spending the night with her and advised him to show all his robes of the Thunder God. The main god of Olympus had no choice but to dispel doubts and appear before the girl with all the attributes - thunder, lightning. But the palace of Cadmus immediately caught fire from lightning, Semele died in the fire, having had time to be born.

The baby was so small that Zeus had to wear it himself. With the help of Hermes, they sew the boy into his thigh. Three months later, Dionysus is safely born a second time, from his father's thigh.

When Hera found out about the existence of the child, her anger shifted to the newborn. The father had to give the baby to be raised by Semele's sister and her husband. To hide the baby from the eyes of the jealous woman, they dressed him in the clothes of a girl, and even his father turns him into a kid (that's why Dionysus is often depicted with horns). But Hera overtook the baby here too, instilling madness in Semele's sister and husband. Then the baby was sent to the nymphs, to Mount Nisa, to the ends of the earth, where Dionysus grew up. Soon he married the daughter of the Cretan king, Ariadne (the one who helped Theseus out of the labyrinth).

Dionysus is considered the patron of wanderers, male power, plants, theater.

Attributes of Dionysus: thyrsus, vine, cup, ivy, mask, bull, snake, dolphin.

Dionysus - patron of the theater

Jolly Dionysius was loved by the ancient Greeks, his cult spread throughout Hellas. In autumn and spring, large official festivities are established throughout the Greek world, in the depths of which the main form of Greek art, the theater, is born. Greek poems take the form of theatrical plays that are played in places dedicated to Dionysus. They talk about the life and exploits of the god Dionysus and about other heroes accompanying the god. At the same time, people change clothes, put on masks and drink wine. The festivities were called - Great Dionysia.

History of creation

The Greek god of viticulture took his own place in the pantheon of gods rather late compared to the rest of the famous characters. The cult of Dionysus came to Greece from the Thracian or Asia Minor territory. The first mention of an unusual god dates back to the 14th century BC - the name of Dionysus is imprinted on the tablets of the Cretan script.

For a long time, Greek mythology belittled the status of the patron saint of winemakers and fruit trees. The cult developed only in the 7th century AD. Initially relaxed and uninhibited worship of Dionysus turned into a frenzy. wrote:

"At first he was simple but cheerful, but later his festivities became more and more noisy and unbridled."

Night holidays, which the inhabitants of Greece dedicated to the charming god, turned into awesome spectacles. In small towns, priestesses of the cult dressed in animal skins and ate raw meat, glorifying the name of Dionysus.

The cultural centers of Greece have kept the original message of the festivities. The Feasts of the Great Dionysius took place at the end of March. Singers and actors chosen by the people dressed in goatskins and acted out dramatic and comedic skits. For such events, special theaters of Dionysus were built. One of these architectural wonders is still located on the southeastern slope of the Acropolis.

The Greeks believed that the gift of Dionysus, called wine, gives inspiration to creative people. Therefore, artists often painted portraits and genre scenes in which God participated. The patron of vegetation was depicted as a young and attractive young man, surrounded by satyrs and priestesses of the cult. At least Dionysus was painted as an adult man with a thick beard and luxurious curls. But in any case, the god of winemaking is accompanied by a cheerful crowd.

Dionysus in mythology

The birth of Dionysus is shrouded in mystery and speculation. The parents of a handsome young man are Zeus and the daughter of the king of Thebes, Semele. The Lord of Olympus, once again captivated by the beauty of a young girl, often visited the princess. A new hobby did not hide from the wife of the Thunderer.

The insidious appeared before her mistress and invited Semele to find out what Zeus really looks like. The interested girl persuaded her beloved to appear before her in his true form. The majestic god did not refuse. As a result, the chambers of Semele caught fire, and the princess began premature birth. To save the weak newborn, Zeus sewed his son into his own thigh. After a couple of months, Dionysus got stronger and was born a second time.

This outcome did not suit Hera. A jealous woman pursued the boy, wanting to get rid of the baby. But, knowing the nature of his wife, Zeus assigned to Dionysus, who always managed to save the child. In the end, the son of the Thunderer was given to be raised by the goddess Cybele, who was not inferior in power to Hera (according to other sources, God gave the child to the nymphs).

A little matured boy, unexpectedly for his relatives, made friends with a satyr named Ampelius. The old bully often talked with the little god and spent a lot of time playing with the bored Dionysus. Such an unusual friendship ended sadly - Ampelius died from the horns of a bull. Young Dionysus tried to resurrect his friend, but all the measures taken did not help. The body of the satyr turned into a vine, the frustrated young man squeezed the juice from the fruit, and called the resulting liquid wine.

The young and carefree god went on a journey around the world. Wherever Dionysus came, grapes ripened around him. The journey of the youngest son of Zeus lasted three years. God even visited India and descended into the Kingdom of the Dead, from where he took his own mother.

True, such a procession caused a lot of trouble for the inhabitants of Greece. Together with wine, Dionysus gave people madness. Being in a drunken delirium, the inhabitants of the cities committed massacres. Those who did not recognize the god in the young man, Dionysus killed with his own hands. Many women were torn to pieces by worshipers and subordinate deities.

The young man often walked the Earth, accompanied by friends, his retinue is numerous. Dionysus is surrounded by satyrs (goat-legged demons of fertility) and maenads (priestesses and worshipers of God). With great pleasure, Silenus, the teacher of Dionysus, accompanies his ward.

During one of these walks, an attractive young man was noticed by sea robbers. While the retinue of the young god was resting, the villains stole Dionysus and delivered the young man to the ship. One of the crew members, seeing that the chains with which the robbers bound the prey, did not hold on to the hands of the young man, was frightened. The man asked to let the stranger go, claiming that God was in front of them.

The robbers did not believe their brother in arms. And Dionysus, turning into a lion, tore the captain of the ship to pieces. The young man turned the remaining members of the team into dolphins. The only one who did not suffer was a shrewd bandit who stood up for the young god.

The beauty could not resist the charm of the patron saint of winemakers. The woman for some time was in a secret love affair with a cheerful deity. The fruit of love was the god of fields and gardens Priapus.

Prior to his marriage, Dionysus often entered into relationships with specific women. In the love victories of God, Avra is listed. The daughter of a titan gave birth to twins from a man, one of which she ate. The second, fortunately, was saved.

Despite the windiness and love of fun, Dionysus turned out to be a good husband. She became the wife of the god of winemaking, famous for her skein of thread. After parting with her lover, the girl suffered from grief. Passing by, Dionysus lost his head from the beauty of the princess of Crete. The young god immediately took possession of a new acquaintance, and a little later he married a girl.

Rumor has it that Theseus did not plan to leave his beloved. But at night, the brave hero dreamed of Dionysus, who ordered the young man to leave the girl, since Ariadne should go to God. Married to Dionysus, the girl gave birth to a son, Foant. After the daughter of the king of Crete became immortal - such a gift was made by Zeus to his beloved son.

The meaning of the name of the deity is consecrated by the god. In ancient Roman mythology, the god is called Vachus (or Bacchus). And the nickname of Dionysus is the god with bull horns (the man liked to transform into a bull).
Myths claim that among the love victories of Dionysus, Hermaphrodite is also listed - the son of Hermes and Aphrodite.
The most recognizable and famous image of the deity is a sculpture called "Bacchus". The monument depicts a drunk god of winemaking accompanied by a satyr.

"Bacchus"

Dionysus Dionysus , Bacchus or Bacchus

(Dionysus, Bacchus, Διόνυσος, Βάκχος). God of wine and winemaking, son of Zeus and Semele, daughter of Cadmus. Shortly before his birth, jealous Hera advised Semele to beg Zeus to come to her in all his greatness; Zeus really appeared to her with lightning and thunder, but she, like a mere mortal, could not bear his contemplation and died, prematurely giving birth to a baby. Zeus sewed the child into his thigh, where he carried it to its due date. Accompanied by a crowd of his servants, maenads and bacchantes, as well as sileni and satyrs with rods (Firsi) entwined with grapes, Dionysus went through Hellas, Syria and Asia to India itself and returned to Europe through Thrace. On his way, he everywhere taught people winemaking and the first rudiments of civilization. Ariadne, abandoned by Theseus on the island of Naxos, was considered the wife of Dionysus. The cult of Dionysus, which at first had a cheerful character, gradually became more and more intemperate and turned into violent orgies, or bacchanalia. Hence the name of Dionysus - Bacchus, i.e. noisy. A special role in these festivities was played by the priestesses of Dionysus - frenzied women known as maenads, bacchantes, etc. Grapes, ivy, panther, lynx, tiger, donkey, dolphin and goat were dedicated to Dionysus. The Greek Dionysus corresponded to the Roman god Bacchus.

(Source: "A Brief Dictionary of Mythology and Antiquities." M. Korsh. St. Petersburg, edition of A. S. Suvorin, 1894.)

DIONYSUS

(Διόνυσος), Bacchus, Bacchus, in Greek mythology, the god of the fruitful forces of the earth, vegetation, viticulture, winemaking. A deity of eastern (Thracian and Lydian-Phrygian) origin, which spread in Greece relatively late and established itself there with great difficulty. Although the name D. is found on the tablets of the Cretan linear letter "B" as early as the 14th century. BC e., the spread and establishment of the cult of D. in Greece dates back to the 8th-7th centuries. BC e. and is associated with the growth of city-states (policies) and the development of polis democracy. During this period, the cult of D. began to supplant the cults of local gods and heroes. D. as a deity of the agricultural circle, associated with the elemental forces of the earth, was constantly opposed Apollo - as, above all, the deity of the tribal aristocracy. The folk basis of the cult of D. was reflected in the myths about the illegitimate birth of a god, his struggle for the right to enter the number of Olympic gods and for the widespread establishment of his cult.
There are myths about various ancient incarnations of D., as if preparing for his arrival. Archaic incarnations of D. are known: Zagreus son of Zeus of Crete and Persephone; Iacchus, associated with the Eleusinian mysteries; D. is the son of Zeus and Demeter (Diod. Ill 62, 2-28). According to the main myth, D. is the son of Zeus and the daughter of the Theban king Cadmus Semele. At the instigation of the jealous Hera, Semele asked Zeus to appear to her in all his greatness, and he, appearing in a flash of lightning, incinerated the mortal Semele and her towers with fire. Zeus snatched out of the flame D., who was born prematurely, and sewed him into his thigh. In due time, Zeus gave birth to D., dissolving the seams on the thigh (Hes. Theog. 940-942; Eur. Bacch. 1-9, 88-98, 286-297), and then gave D. through Hermes to be raised by the Nisean nymphs ( Eur. Bacch. 556-559) or Semele's sister Ino (Apollod. III 4, 3). D. found a vine. Hera instilled madness in him, and he, wandering through Egypt and Syria, came to Phrygia, where the goddess Cybele - Rhea healed him and introduced him to her orgiastic mysteries. After that, D. went through Thrace to India (Apollod. III 5, 1). From the eastern lands (from India or from Lydia and Phrygia) he returns to Greece, to Thebes. During the voyage from the island of Ikaria to the island of Naxos, D. is kidnapped by Tyrrhenian sea robbers (Apollod. III 5, 3). The robbers are horrified at the sight of the amazing transformations of D. They chained D. in chains to sell into slavery, but the shackles themselves fell from D.'s hands; braiding the mast and sails of the ship with vines and ivy, D. appeared in the form of a bear and a lion. The pirates themselves, throwing themselves into the sea out of fear, turned into dolphins (Hymn. Hom. VII). This myth reflected the archaic plant-zoomorphic origin of D. The plant past of this god is confirmed by his epithets: Evius (“ivy”, “ivy”), “bunch of grapes”, etc. (Eur. Bacch. 105, 534, 566, 608). D.'s zoomorphic past is reflected in his werewolves and ideas about D. the bull (618, 920-923) and D. the goat. The symbol of D. as the god of the fruitful forces of the earth was the phallus.
On the island of Naxos, D. met his beloved Ariadne abandoned by Theseus, kidnapped her and married her on the island of Lemnos; from him she gave birth to Enopion, Foant, and others (Apollod. epit. I 9). Wherever D. appears, he establishes his cult; everywhere on his way he teaches people viticulture and winemaking. The procession of D., which was of an ecstatic nature, was attended by Bacchantes, satyrs, maenads or bassarids (one of D.'s nicknames is Bassari) with thyrsus (rods) entwined with ivy. Girded with snakes, they crushed everything in their path, seized by sacred madness. With cries of "Bacchus, Evoe" they praised D.-Bromius ("stormy", "noisy"), they beat tympanums, drinking in the blood of torn wild animals, carving honey and milk from the ground with their thyrsae, uprooting trees and dragging them along crowds of women and men (Eur. Bacch. 135-167, 680-770). D. is famous as Liei (“liberator”), he frees people from worldly worries, removes the fetters of a measured life from them, breaks the shackles with which his enemies are trying to entangle, and crushes the walls (616-626). He sends madness on enemies and punishes them terribly; so he did with his cousin the Theban king Pentheus, who wanted to ban Bacchic rampages. Pentheus was torn to pieces by Bacchantes led by his mother agaves, who, in a state of ecstasy, mistook her son for an animal (Apollod. III 5, 2; Eur. Bacch. 1061-1152). On Lycurgus, the son of the king of the Edons, who opposed the cult of D., God sent madness, and then Lycurgus was torn to pieces by his own horses (Apollod. III 5, 1).
D. entered the number of 12 Olympic gods late. In Delphi, he began to be revered along with Apollo. On Parnassus every two years, orgies were held in honor of D., in which fiads - Bacchantes from Attica participated (Paus. X 4, 3). In Athens, solemn processions were held in honor of D. and the sacred marriage of the god with the wife of the archon basileus was played out (Aristot. Rep. Athen. III 3). Ancient Greek tragedy arose from religious rituals dedicated to D. (Greek tragodia, lit. “song of a goat” or “song of goats,” that is, goat-footed satyrs who were D.’s companions). In Attica, the Great, or City Dionysia, were dedicated to Dionisia, which included solemn processions in honor of the god, competitions of tragic and comic poets, and also choirs that performed dithyrambs (held in March - April); Leney, which included the performance of new comedies (in January - February); Small, or Rural, Dionisia, which preserved the remnants of agrarian magic (in December - January), when dramas already played in the city were repeated.
In Hellenistic times, the cult of D. merges with the cult of the Phrygian god Sabaziya(Sabaziy became D.'s permanent nickname). In Rome, D. was revered under the name of Bacchus (hence the Bacchantes, Bacchanalia) or Bacchus. Identified with Osiris, Serapis, Mithra, Adonis, Amon, Liber.
Lit.: Losev A.F., Ancient mythology in its historical development, M., 1957, p. 142-82; Nietzsche F., The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music, Poln. coll. soch., v. 1, [M.], 1912; Otto W.P., Dionysos. Mythos und Kultus, 2 Aufl.. Fr./M.. 1939; Junger F.G., Griechische Götter. Apollon, Pan, Dionysos. Fr./M., 1943; Meautis G., Dionysos ou Ie pouvoir de fascination, in his book: Mythes inconnus de la Grèce antique. P., , p.33-63; Jeanmaire N., Dionysos. Histoire du culte de Bacchus, P., 1951.
A. F. Losev.

Many monuments of ancient art have been preserved that embodied the image of D. and the plots of myths about him (D.'s love for Ariadne, etc.) in plastic (statues and reliefs) and vase paintings. Widespread were (especially in vase painting) scenes of the procession of D. and his companions, bacchanalia; these stories are reflected in the reliefs of sarcophagi. D. was depicted among the Olympians (reliefs of the eastern frieze of the Parthenon) and in scenes of gigantomachy, as well as sailing on the sea (kylik Exekia "D. in the boat", etc.) and fighting with the Tyrrhenians (relief of the monument to Lysicrates in Athens, c. 335 BC . e.). In medieval book illustrations, D. was usually depicted as the personification of autumn - the time of harvest (sometimes only October). In the Renaissance, the theme of D. in art is associated with the affirmation of the joy of being; have become widespread since the 15th century. scenes of bacchanalia (A. Mantegna laid the foundation for their depiction; A. Dürer, A. Altdorfer, X. Baldung Green, Titian, Giulio Romano, Pietro da Cortona, Annibale Carracci, P. P. Rubens, J. Jordans, N . Poussin). The same symbolism is permeated with the plots "Bacchus, Venus and Ceres" and "Bacchus and Ceres" (see article Demeter), especially popular in Baroque painting. In the 15-18 centuries. scenes depicting the meeting of D. and Ariadne, their wedding and triumphal procession were popular in painting. Among the works of plastic arts are the reliefs "Bacchus turns the Tyrrhenians into dolphins" by A. Filarete (on the bronze doors of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome), "The Meeting of Bacchus and Ariadne" by Donatello, the statues of "Bacchus" by Michelangelo, J. Sansovino and others. D. occupies a special place among other ancient characters in the baroque garden sculpture. The most significant works of 18 - early. 19th century - statues of "Bacchus" by J. G. Dannecker and B. Thor-Waldsen. Among the musical works of the 19-20 centuries. on the plots of the myth: A. S. Dargomyzhsky's opera-ballet "The Triumph of Bacchus", C. Debussy's divertissement "The Triumph of Bacchus" and his own opera "D.", J. Massenet's opera "Bacchus", etc.

(Source: "Myths of the peoples of the world".)

Dionysus

(Bacchus, Bacchus) - the god of viticulture and winemaking, the son of Zeus and Hera (according to other sources, Zeus and the Theban princess and goddess Semele, according to other sources, Zeus and Persephone). In honor of Dionysus, festivities were celebrated - Dionysia and Bacchanalia.

// Adolphe-William BUGREAU: Childhood of Bacchus // Nicolas POUSSIN: Midas and Bacchus // Franz von STUCK: Boy Bacchus riding a panther // TITIAN: Bacchus and Ariadne // Apollo Nikolaevich MAIKOV: Bacchus // Konstantinos CAVAPHIS: Retinue of Dionysus / / Dmitry OLERON: Heraion. Hermes and Bacchus Praxiteles. Bacchus // A.S. PUSHKIN: The Triumph of Bacchus // N.A. Kuhn: DIONYSUS // N.A. Kun: THE BIRTH AND EDUCATION OF DIONYSUS // N.А. Kuhn: DIONYSUS AND HIS REPRESENTATION // N.А. Kuhn: LYCURGUS // N.A. Kun: DAUGHTERS OF MINIA // N.A. Kuhn: THE TYRRHENIAN SEA RABBERS // N.A. Kun: ICARIUS // N.A. Kuhn: MIDAS

(Source: "Myths of Ancient Greece. Dictionary Reference." EdwART, 2009.)

DIONYSUS

in Greek mythology, Zeus and Femela, the god of the fruitful forces of the earth, vegetation, viticulture and winemaking.

(Source: Dictionary of Spirits and Gods of Norse, Egyptian, Greek, Irish, Japanese, Maya and Aztec Mythologies.)

Synonyms:

See what "Dionysus" is in other dictionaries:

- (other Greek Διόνυσος) ... Wikipedia

- (Bacchus) Greek deity, the embodiment of life force. The oldest forms of the cult of D. were preserved in Thrace, where they had an “orgiastic” character: the cult participants, dressed in animal skins, in mass zeal, brought themselves to frenzy (ecstasy) ... Literary Encyclopedia

And husband. Borrowed Father: Dionisovich, Dionisovna; unfold Dionisych. Origin: (In ancient mythology: Dionysus is the god of the vital forces of nature, the god of wine.) Name days: (see Denis) Dictionary of personal names. Dionysus See Denis... Dictionary of personal names

- (Greek Dionisos). The Greek name for the god Bacchus or Bacchus. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. DIONYSUS in the ancient. the Greeks the same as Bacchus, another name for the god of wine and fun; the Romans Bacchus. The complete dictionary... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Dionysus, Greek Bacchus, lat. Bacchus is the son of Zeus and Semele, the daughter of the Theban king Cadmus, the god of wine, winemaking, viticulture.

He was born in Thebes, but at the same time, Naxos, Crete, Elis, Theos and Eleftheria were considered his birthplace. The fact is that his birth took place in a rather complicated way. On the eve of the birth of Dionysus, the jealous wife of Zeus decided to destroy the child. In the guise of an old nanny, she visited Semele and persuaded her to ask Zeus to appear before her in all his strength and glory. Zeus could not refuse Semele, as he had previously sworn to her by the waters of Styx (the most unbreakable oath) that he would fulfill her every desire. Moreover, this request flattered his male pride, and he appeared to her in thunder and lightning. What Hera was waiting for happened: lightning set fire to the royal palace and incinerated the earthly body of the mortal Semele. Dying, she managed to give birth to a premature baby. Zeus left his beloved to her fate, but protected the child from the fire with a wall of thick ivy that grew around him by the will of God. When the fire subsided, Zeus brought his son out of hiding and sewed him into his thigh to denounce. At the appointed time (three months later), Dionysus was "born again" and was given to Zeus for care (see also the article "Semele").

Hermes was not married and, as a messenger of the gods, kept away from home, so there was no question of a serious upbringing of little Dionysus. Therefore, Hermes gave Dionysus to Semele's sister Ino, the wife of the Orchomenian king. Upon learning of this, Hera sent madness to Athamas, hoping that he would kill Dionysus. But he only killed his own sons and wife, since Hermes intervened in time and saved Dionysus. deep cave, overgrown with vines, and nurtured, despite all the intrigues of Hera. There, Dionysus first tasted wine, the god of which Zeus made him. From there, Dionysus brought the first seedling of the vine to hand it to the Athenian shepherd Icarius in gratitude for the warm welcome. Dionysus taught Icarius to grow grapes and make wine from it, but this gift did not bring happiness to the shepherd.

People received the news of the birth of Dionysus and his intoxicating drink with mixed feelings. Some immediately enthusiastically began to indulge in his cult, others were afraid of what might come of it, still others resolutely opposed him. (You can read about this in the articles Lycurgus, Pentheus, and Minius.) On the way, Dionysus also came across random ill-wishers, such as Tyrrhenian pirates, who kidnapped him, mistaking him for a royal son and counting on a rich ransom. On the ship, Dionysus threw off the shackles, braided the entire ship with vines, and he himself turned into a lion. Pirates in fear rushed into the sea and turned into dolphins (with the exception of the helmsman, who persuaded the robbers to let Dionysus go). Gradually, people nevertheless recognized the divine power of Dionysus and still pay tribute to his gift - wine (sometimes even more than good for health).

Justice demands to be noted that for the Greeks Dionysus was not only the god of wine, winemaking and viticulture, but also the patron of fruit trees and bushes, the fruits of which he poured juice, and ultimately they saw him as the god of the fruitful forces of the earth. Since viticulture and horticulture require diligence, diligence and patience, Dionysus was revered as the giver of these precious qualities and the wealth that comes to the diligent and skilled. As the god of wine, Dionysus was honored primarily for the fact that he delivered people from worries (one of his names is Liei, that is, “liberator”) and gave them the joy of life. With his gifts, Dionysus refreshed the spirit and body, promoted sociability and fun, ignited love and stimulated the creative forces of artists. There was no price for these gifts - but only if the fans of Dionysus adhere to the wise old rule: "meden agan" - "nothing beyond measure."

By origin, Dionysus is not a Greek god, but, most likely, a Thracian or Asia Minor; his middle name is of Lydian-Phrygian origin. Already in ancient times, his cult spread throughout the Greek (and then Greco-Roman) world, although myths indicate that this cult did not develop unhindered everywhere. The name Dionysus is found on 14th century Cretan Linear B tablets. BC e., found at Knossos. However, Homer does not yet name Dionysus among the main gods. According to Hesiod, the wife of Dionysus was whom he recaptured from Theseus when he stopped on the island of Naxos on the way from Crete. From the connection of Dionysus with Aphrodite, Priapus, the god of fertility, was born (see also Zagreus and Iacchus).

The cult of Dionysus in Greece, writes Plutarch, "was at first simple but cheerful, but later its festivities became more and more noisy and unbridled." (One of the epithets of Dionysus: "Bromium", i.e. "noisy", "stormy".) Under the influence of Eastern cults, in some places they turned into genuine vacancies.

hanalia in the current sense of the word, their participants were embraced by ecstasy, that is, frenzy (of the spirit from the body). Particularly unbridled were the night festivities, in which women took part in the costumes of the companions of Dionysus (Bacchae, maenads, bassarids, fiades). In Boeotia and Phocis, these admirers of his even attacked the bodies of sacrificial animals and devoured raw meat, believing that by doing so they partake of the body and blood of the god himself. In a similar way, his cult developed among the Romans, who adopted him at the end of the 5th century. BC e. In 186 BC. e. a special resolution of the Senate was even adopted against excesses and revelry at these holidays.

In Athens (and among the Ionians in general) the original character of the Dionysian festivities was preserved for the longest time. They were arranged several times a year, the most significant (Great Dionysius) - at the end of March. In the history of culture, first of all, their final performances were imprinted, during which a choir of singers dressed in goat skins sang songs accompanied by dance - the so-called dithyrambs. Over time, Greek tragedy developed from these dithyrambs - one of the most valuable contributions of the Greeks to human culture. Actually, "tragedy" means "song of the goat" or "song of the goats", and the singers in goat skins portrayed the goat-legged companions of Dionysus - the satyrs. From comic songs on village dionysia, Greek comedy developed. Many works by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes, which still do not leave the stage, were first played on the Athenian dionysia. Under the southeastern slope of the Acropolis, the theater of Dionysus, built in the 6th century BC, is still preserved. BC e., where these games took place for more than half a millennium.

Greek artists often depicted Dionysus, and in two forms: as a serious mature man with thick hair and a beard, or as a young man. On one of the best ancient statues - “Hermes with Dionysus” by Praxiteles (c. 340 BC), Dionysus is depicted as a child. Many images of Dionysus have been preserved on vases and reliefs - separately, with satyrs or Bacchantes, with Ariadne, with Tyrrhenian robbers, etc.

European artists depicted Dionysus with no less sympathy than ancient ones. Of the statues, the Bacchus by Michelangelo (1496-1497), the Bacchus by Pogini (1554) and the Bacchus by Thorvaldsen (c. 1800) stand out first of all. Of the paintings - "Bacchus and Ariadne" by Titian (1523), two paintings by Caravaggio: "Bacchus" (1592-1593) and "Young Bacchus" (created a little later), "Bacchus" by Rubens (1635-1640, located in St. Petersburg , in the Hermitage).

Of the numerous sculptures, paintings, frescoes in art galleries and castles in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, we note the drawing by Romano "The Procession of Bacchus" in the Moravian Gallery in Brno and "Bacchus with a Vine and Cupid" by De Vries in the Wallenstein Garden in Prague (a cast copy of the original taken to 1648 by the Swedes).

Dionysus, whose statue stood on the stage of every ancient theater, in modern times again hit the stage, mainly due to the merits of composers. In 1848, the opera-ballet The Triumph of Bacchus was written by Dargomyzhsky, in 1904, The Triumph of Bacchus by Debussy, in 1909, the opera Bacchus by Massenet.

In modern language, Dionysus (Bacchus) allegorically - wine and the fun associated with it:

"Hold out, bacchal refrains!"
- A. S. Pushkin, "Bacchic Song" (1825).

In ancient Greek mythology, Dionysus DionusoV, DiwnusoV, BakcoV, Bacchus, Liber, Bacchus, the son of Zeus and Semele (Hom. Il. 14, 325), the god of wine and winemaking, through wine rejoices the human heart (carma brotoisin) and drives away worries and suffering ( LuaioV, liberator), but at the same time giving health and strength to the body. Thus, he is the savior (swthr) of both soul and body. His gift connects people in a cheerful fellowship to the peaceful enjoyment of life; therefore Charites, Eros and Aphrodite willingly stay in his company. He is a friend of the Muses and patronizes their arts (MelpomenoV); drama and dithyramb owe their origin and development to his cult. He also approaches Apollo; by his inspiring power he communicates the gift of prophecy; he is iatromantiV, that is, he heals diseases with predictions.

In some places, Dionysus had his own oracles and took part in the Delphic oracle.

With regard to nature, this god, who guards and nurtures the vine, received a more general meaning, becoming the patron of vegetation in general, the producer of flowers and fruits (FloioV from the verb floiw, floreo, AnqeuV, AnqioV, DendrithVm UhV, that is, fertilizing through moisture) and , thus, he took part in the activities of Demeter, with whom he converges in the fact that in relation to human life he is a distributor of meek morals and culture (QesmoforoV).

Homer rarely mentions these peaceful deities, Dionysus and Demeter; they do not belong to the assembly of the Olympian gods, but graciously dwell on earth among the human race. However, Homer already knows the orgiastic service to this god (Il. 6, 130 ff.). This cult probably took its origin from the mythical Thracians in Boeotia; Boeotia is therefore considered the birthplace of D. His mother Semele, daughter of Cadmus, lived in Thebes.

On the advice of the jealous Hera, she begged Zeus to come to her in all his greatness, and when Zeus, bound by his promise, approached her with lightning and thunder, the flames engulfed Semele and her house, and she, dying, prematurely gave birth to a baby, whom Zeus sewed into his thigh, and when the child matured, he handed over to the upbringing of Inona (Inw), the wife of Atamant of Orkhomensky. When Hera infuriated Atamant, and Inona fled (see Athamas), the young god was handed over to the Nisean nymphs (hence DionusoV), hidden by them in a cave and fed with sweet food. According to the original legend, Nisa, unless it is an imaginary locality, was in Boeotia; later it was placed in Thrace, Arabia, India, etc. From Boeotia, the cult of Dionysus penetrated to Attica, in the vicinity of Parnassus, to Sicyon, Corinth, to the islands of Naxos, Lesbos, etc.

On the island of Naxos, his wife is Ariadne (see Theseus), from whom he had sons Oinopiont (vinopia), Evanth (flowering) and Staphylus (vine grower).

The cult of Dionysus spread throughout Greece later than the cult of the Olympian gods, and since he, contributing to bliss and having a luxurious enjoyment of life, was in some contradiction to the sedate and strict nature of the cult of the Olympic gods and in particular the very influential cult of Apollo, then its introduction in many parts of Greece met with opposition. Many myths point to this circumstance, including the myth (Il. 6, 130 ff.) about Lycurgus, the son of Drantus, king of the Thracian Edonians. He drove the drunken Dionysus from the Nisean fields, so that they dropped the sacred utensils on the ground, and Dionysus himself threw himself into the sea, where Thetis took him. For this the gods hated Lycurgus; Zeus struck him with blindness and shortened his life (Homer); according to a later legend, the crime of Lycurgus entailed the barrenness of the country, and he himself fell into a rage, under the influence of which he killed his son, mistaking him for a vine. But since the country was still barren, the Edonians took Lycurgus to Mount Pangei (Paggaion), where, by order of D., he was torn to pieces by horses (Apollod. 3, 5, 1. Soph. Ant. 955 ff.) .

In Argos, Dionysus infuriated the women who avoided his cult, so that they beat and devoured their children. The Tyrrhenian sea robbers who kidnapped Dionysus from the seashore were turned into dolphins by him, with the exception of the helmsman, who recognized him as a god. Wherever Dionysus appeared, everywhere he asserted his cult. Accompanied by a crowd of his servants, maenads or bacchantes, surrounded by satyrs and silenes, who were armed with staves-thyrsas (qursoV), entwined with ivy and vines, he triumphantly marched through Hellas and barbarian lands to distant India. The legend of this Bacchanian campaign in India developed in its details only after the time of Alexander the Great, representing, as it were, a mythical prototype of the campaign of the Macedonian hero. When Dionysus finally forced the whole world to recognize himself as a god, he brought his mother from the underworld to Olympus, where she, under the name of Fiona (Quwnh, frantic, he himself - QuwneuV), enjoyed immortality.

The cult of Dionysus from ancient times had the character of bright cheerfulness. Plutarch says of him: “The feast of Dionysus was of old celebrated by procession, quite simply, but quite cheerfully; in front - a tub of wine and a branch of grapes, then one dragged the goat, and the other followed him, carrying a basket of wine berries. Over time, this moderation more and more disappeared; began to indulge in unrestrained irritation of the senses, to wander to the sounds of flutes, tambourines and timpani, with loud exclamations of "Evoe" ("euoi") in a drunken, licentious fury, tear animals apart and devour their bloody meat. From here, Dionysus received the nickname BakcoV - noisy (after the time of Herodotus), BakceioV, BromioV, EuioV. In these orgies, which often took place at night (nuktelia), frenzied women played a large role, representing the companions of Dionysus under the names of Bacchae, maenads, fiads, mimallon and bassarides (named for long, colorful clothes, bassara; Dionysus himself was called BassareuV). This noisy cult probably came from Thrace and gave rise to the rapprochement of Dionysus with Cybele and Atys and his identification with Sabazios, Asian deities, who were also worshiped with wild frenzy. Dionysus-Sabazio (SabazioV) was a representative of the flowering life of nature, undergoing death and awakening again.

The same idea underlies the cult of Dionysus-Zagreus (ZagreuV, torn to pieces), whose cult the Orphics introduced into the mysteries of Demeter and Persephone. They said that Dionysus-Zagreus, the son of Jupiter and Persephone, elevated by his father to the heavenly throne, was torn to pieces by the Titans, but that Zeus, having swallowed his trembling heart, again gave birth to Dionysus. In the mysteries of Demeter, Dionysus bears the name IakcoV and appears in the form of a youth (KoroV), as the brother or bridegroom of Persephone (Kora).

In works of art, one should distinguish between an older image of the old or Indian Dionysus, with a majestic posture, thick hair and a full beard, light, flowering features, in Asian, almost female clothes (the most important statue, the so-called Sardanapalus, is in the Vatican Museum), from later images representing Dionysus in adolescence (efhboV), with soft, as if blurring muscles, semi-feminine body shapes, dreamy facial features, full of indefinite, pleasant longing; a bandage and a wreath of grape and ivy leaves surround his soft long curls, a goat's skin, as a rule, is slightly thrown over a naked body, leaning in bliss against a tree trunk. Art liked to depict him in the company of maenads, satyrs, silens, centaurs, nymphs and muses (such a procession of Bacchus is called qiasoV); he himself is in the middle of this intoxicated crowd in blissful calm, often in the company of his dear bride Ariadne. Vine and ivy, panther, lynx and tiger, donkey, dolphin and goat were dedicated to him. The Greek Dionysus corresponds to the Roman god of wine Bacchus or Liber, with whom the female deity Libera was also connected in the cult. Both names are probably no more than translations of the Greek names KoroV and Kora; but the Romans used to derive these names from the word liber, free, as if they expressed the freedom and cheerful debauchery of these cults. The worship of Liber probably passed to the Romans, as to other Italic peoples, from the Greeks of Lower Italy. On March 17, Liberalia (Ov. fast. 3, 711 ff.) was celebrated in his honor with theatrical performances in the city; in the villages his festival, as in Attica, was celebrated with all sorts of amusing jokes and cheerful songs. Verg. G. 2, 385 pp. The feast of Liberals was celebrated not only in honor of Liber, but also of Ceres, with whom in general he and Liber, as rural deities of abundance, were in close connection. Thus, for example, the temple built in 496 BC by Aulus Postumius was dedicated to Ceres along with these two deities. In addition to this open ministry, the secret cult of Bacchus, the Bacchanalia (Orgia), crept into Rome, who coped with the greatest impudence at night, so that the senate in 186 BC had to act against them with all severity. (Liv. 39, 8 ss). But they secretly continued to exist until the time of the Empire. Libera, who did not have a separate cult, in this secret ministry was recognized as the wife of Liber-Bacchus and, thus, was identified with Ariadne.

From the book History of Faith and Religious Ideas. Volume 1. From the Stone Age to the Eleusinian mysteries by Eliade Mircea

CHAPTER XV DIONYSUS, OR BLESS RETURNED § 122. Appearances and disappearances of the "twice-born" god Researches that lasted more than a century did not remove the veil of mystery from Dionysus. According to its origin, according to the way of existence, according to the type of religious experience, with it

From the book History of Faith and Religious Ideas. Volume 2. From Gautama Buddha to the Triumph of Christianity by Eliade Mircea

§ 206. Mystical Dionysus In the Hellenistic and Roman times, Dionysus was the most popular god of Greece. His social cult was "purified" and spiritualized by the elimination of ecstasy (which, however, did not completely lose its role in the Dionysian mysteries). Moreover, the mythology

From the book Mystery of the West: Atlantis - Europe author

From the book The Secret of the West. Atlantis - Europe author Merezhkovsky Dmitry Sergeevich

From the book The Newest Book of Facts. Volume 2 [Mythology. Religion] author Kondrashov Anatoly Pavlovich

From the book Myths and Legends of Greece and Rome by Edith Hamilton

From the book of Baphomet author Klossovsky Pierre

From the book Golden Bough author Fraser James George

From the book Violence and the sacred author Girard Rene

How was the god Dionysus born? In Greek mythology, Dionysus is the god of viticulture and winemaking. This is the history of its origin. Zeus had a secret love affair with the Theban princess Semele, taking the form of a mortal. Seized with jealousy Hera, the wife of the Thunderer, turning into

From the book CIVILIZATION OF THE MADONNA author Ivanov Anatoly Mikhailovich From the author's book

From the author's book

CHAPTER XLIII DIONYSUS From previous chapters we learned that in ancient times the civilized peoples of Western Asia and Egypt imagined the change of seasons, the growth and decay of vegetation as episodes from the life of the gods, whose sad death and joyful resurrection these peoples celebrated

From the author's book

IV. DIONYSUS, LOGOS, FATE Religion and Philosophy of the Ancient