Dionysus

Twice born

Dionysus’ mother was Semele, a princess of Thebes. Tricked by a jealous Hera, she begged Zeus to appear in his true form and was burned to ashes by his divine fire. Zeus rescued the unborn child and sewed him into his own thigh until he was ready to be born, which is why Dionysus was called the twice-born god.

God of release

Dionysus travelled the world spreading the cultivation of the vine, accompanied by satyrs and his ecstatic female followers, the maenads. He brought joy, freedom and the release of wine, but those who refused to accept him met terrible fates. He was also the god of theatre: tragedy and comedy were first performed at his festivals.

Key myths

• His double birth from Semele and Zeus
• Turning pirates into dolphins when they tried to kidnap him
• The tragic fate of King Pentheus of Thebes
• Rescuing Ariadne on Naxos after Theseus abandoned her

Worship

Every spring Athens held the City Dionysia, where the great tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides were first performed in the theatre on the slope of the Acropolis. His mystery cults promised initiates a blessed afterlife.