1. Dionysus Cadmeios of Thebes
Jerome Jacobson

2. 3 Part Designation Name – Dionysus Epithet – Cadmeios Thebes
God of wine, ecstasy, madness.
Epithet – Cadmeios
Hill in Thebes where alter was located
Thebes
Dominant city in Boeotia

3. Euripides Bacchae Major Characters Zeus Semele Dionysus (Stranger)
Cadmus
Teiresias
Pentheus
Maenads
Agave

4. Basic Plot Points of the Myth
Zeus sleeps with Semele
Dionysus born after Semele’s death
No one in Thebes believes Semele
Dionysus returns from Asia to restore his and his mother’s reputation
Maddens women of Thebes (Maenads)
Also Maddens Pentheus to spy on Maenads
Agave kills Pentheus
Dionysus releases his influence over the maenads

5. Results Demonstrated his power as a God Crushed all human opposition
Dominance over the human mind / world
Established in the city of Thebes
Semele’s reputation restored
Observation from Mikalson: Initially angered and then appeased. Eventually established as benefactor for his cult worshippers

6. Sanctuaries In Thebes Dedicated to Dionysus
Sanctuary # 1:
Epithet: Cadmeios
Alter and 2 statues
Wood / bronze “log” statue
Site where Zeus’ lightning struck the ground.
abaton
Sanctuary #2:
Epithet: Lysios
“The one who sets loose”
Temple, theatre, statue of Semele (plus tomb), Statue of Teiresias.
*Major characters of Euripides’ myth had a role in the practiced cult of the Thebans.

7. Theatre of Dionysus in Athens

8. Cultic Worship Festivals – Agrionia (Of the Wilds)
Arrival of Dionysus, resistance, flight of maenads, Killing of Dionysus’ persecutor, reconciliation.
Night time.
Aspects of mystery cult.
orgia
teletai
thiasos - The ecstatic retinue of Dionysus, often pictured as inebriated revelers. Many of the myths of Dionysus are connected with his arrival in the form of a procession.
Voluntary. No central authority/uniformity.

9. Cultic Worship Cont.

10. Cultic Worship Cont.
3rd century BCE Inscription quoting an oracle from the city of Magnesia on the river Meander in Asia Minor.
Go to the holy plain of Thebes to fetch
maenads from the race of Cadmian Ino.
They will bring you maenadic rites and noble customs
and will establish troops of Bacchus in your city.
Final Thought: Cult elements of a specific place can help us understand the cult realities underlying the poetic reshaping of local foundation myths. In turn, the poetic versions of the myth can bring to life the cultic elements (Mikalson 93).