THE WINE-DARK SEA
As he travelled around the Mediterranean, Dionysus
told those who met and followed him how to harvest the
grapes, press them, and turn their juice into wine. When
people tasted the results, he became very popular. Once
the god was on his travels when he was captured by
pirates, who thought he was a wealthy young man. When
the pirates tried to tie him up, however, the knots kept
untying of their own accord. Dionysus then made the mast
and rigging turn into grape
vines, and transformed
the sea around the ship
into wine. The pirates
were so frightened
by the sight of this
that they jumped
into the sea.THE JOURNEY OF
DIONYSUS
As he grew up, Dionysus became restless and
went on a series of long journeys. Wherever he
travelled, he became famous for his drunken
excesses, which ended in a kind of insane frenzy.
Many said that this frenzy was caused by Hera,
who was still resentful that the son of Semele
had survived. Dionysus was accompanied on his
travels by satyrs, led by their king, Silenus. Also
among his companions were a group of female
followers called the “Maenads”. The Maenads
were possessed with a kind of madness, in which
they worked themselves into an ecstatic frenzy.
As they did this, they danced a wild dance,
eventually getting so out of control that they
would rip apart any creature they came across.
The Maenads drew their strength from Dionysus,
so that nothing –
neither fire nor
the sword –
could stop their
dance or bring
them to harm.THE TRAGEDY OF PENTHEUS
The dancing journey of Dionysus and the Maenads brought
them to Thebes, which was ruled by Pentheus. The young
king’s mother, Agave, was attracted to Dionysus and became
a Maenad, getting drunk and joining the frenzied dance.
Pentheus was horrified to see his mother’s behaviour and
decided to try to stop the dance. He turned for advice to
Dionysus, who told the king to
hide and watch secretly
before doing anything.
However, the Maenads
discovered Pentheus and
tore him to pieces. DIONYSUSMaenads
The Maenads wore sheer dresses
and danced to the music of the
double flute and tambourine.
They had power over wild
beasts and were sometimes
shown riding panthers.Silenus
A wise old satyr, Silenus led
Dionysus’s followers.
Some myths say he
was one of those
who brought up the god
when he was a child.
Death of Pentheus
Among the Maenads who
attacked Pentheus was his
own mother, Agave. In her
frenzy, she at first thought
she was killing a lion, before
realizing it was her son.Satyrs
The offspring of a mountain nymph
and a goat, a satyr was half-man,
half-goat. Satyrs were famous for
getting drunk and for being lewd.
Pirate porpoises
When the terrified pirates
jumped into the sea, Dionysus
turned them all into porpoises, as
depicted in this painting on the
inside of a cup from around 530 BCE.25