The god of wine, Dionysus was an anarchic figure who presided over
drunkenness and other irrational or altered states, such as religious
ecstasy. A shape-changer, he could take the form of an animal but also
appeared as a human, when he was often accompanied by revellers or
animals. These qualities made him a patron of actors, and plays were
regularly performed at the Athenian festivals held in his name.Dionysus
THE RESCUE OF DIONYSUS
When Zeus, disguised as a mortal, began an afair with Semele, the daughter of King
Cadmus and Queen Harmonia of Thebes, his wife, Hera, grew jealous and plotted her
revenge. She took the form of an old woman and persuaded Semele to ask the god to
appear before her in all his splendour. When he did so, the heat from his thunderbolt
killed Semele, who was a mortal. One of the gods – some say Hermes, others the river
goddess Dirce – rescued her unborn child, Dionysius, and took him to Zeus, who cut
an opening in his thigh and placed the child safely inside until it was ready to be born.
When Dionysus emerged from Zeus’s thigh, Hera was so angry that she incited the
Titans to tear the baby into pieces. His grandmother, Rhea, took pity on Dionysus, put
his body back together, and carried him to foster parents. Again, Hera discovered
what had happened, so to protect him Rhea disguised the child as a ram.CLASSICAL EUROPEHera
In the story of Dionysus, Hera plays her
usual role as jealous wife. She defeats
her rival Semele, but not Semele’s child.Dionysus
The god of wine in all its aspects,
Dionysus has often been portrayed
as a handsome young man carrying
a cup, with vine leaves in his hair.Semele
Flames from Zeus’s thunderbolt killed
Semele. Her story became a popular
subject for painters and for the composer
Handel, who wrote an opera about her.24