Chapter 11 Lecture One of Two Myths of Fertility Dionysus ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Dionysus God of Wine – The life force Male fertility Associated with nature – Panthers and leopards ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Dionysus Aristocratic Homer displeased by him Mythic biography must be pieced together from various sources, the most important of which is Euripides’ Bacchae, which is discussed in this chapter. ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Fig Dionysus in ecstasy. ©2012 Pearson Education Inc. British Museum, London; © Trustees of the British Museum/Art Resource, New York

Fig A prostitute with a symbol of Dionysus's power. ©2012 Pearson Education Inc. Staatliche Museen, Berlin; Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, New York

BIRTH AND EARLY YOUTH ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Birth and Early Youth Zeus – Semelê (Princess of Thebes) Hera: “Let this ‘Zeus’ come to you as he does to his wife Hera.” Semelê (after extracting the hasty promise) is burned to ash Unborn infant son, Dionysus saved and sewed into Zeus’s thigh ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Birth and Early Youth Dionysus (the twice born) then given to Ino, sister of Semelê queen of Orchomenus (another city in Boeotia) Dionysus disguised as a girl Hera drives Ino and King Athamas insane – they kill their own children Zeus changes Dionysus into a goat ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Fig Dionysus's birth from Zeus's thigh. ©2012 Pearson Education Inc. National Archeological Museum, Taranto, Italy

Birth and Early Youth Given to the nymphs of Nysa Dionysus driven mad by his own wine and begins his wanderings ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Birth and Early Youth Dionysus now leads his Bacchae (Bacchantes, Thyiades, or maenads) – Thyrsus Also in his train – Satyrs – Silenus (Sileni) ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

WANDERINGS OF DIONYSUS ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Wanderings of Dionysus Egypt, Syria, and Phrygia – In Phyrgia, meets their Mother Earth goddess Cybelê (Greek Rhea) – Gets his band of followers with their tambourines and flutes and feminine dress ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Wanderings of Dionysus Returns west on his chariot drawn by panthers Destroys all who oppose his cult Come upon Midas – gives him the “gift” for having helped him find a drunken satyr Marries Ariadnê, whom Theseus abandoned (See "Myths of Athens”) ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Perspective 11.1 Titian's Bacchus and Ariadnê ©2012 Pearson Education Inc. © National Gallery, London / Art Resource, New York

RESISTANCE TO THE GOD ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Resistance to the God Lycurgus (Thrace) – Tried to run Dionysus off with a ox-goad – Later when blind – Other versions say he went mad, tried to rape his own mother – killed his own son – later sacrificed by his own people for the outrage ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Resistance to the God Daughters of King Minyas (of Orchomenus) resisted – Punished by being driven to devour one of their own children The Preotids (daughters of King Proetus of Argos) – Thought they were cows with other women – Melampus swindles the king for the cure ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

DIONYSUS AND THE PIRATES Homeric Hymn to Dionysus ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Dionysus and the Pirates Tyrsenian pirates abduct Dionysus, not recognizing that he’s a god Helmsmen soon realizes they have a god on board, but the captain insists they take him for ransom ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Dionysus and the Pirates Dionysus performs miracles on the ship – Wine, vines grow out of the mast... – As a lion he kills the captain – The rest of the men become dolphins, except the helmsman who is spared ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Fig Dionysus and the Pirates ©2012 Pearson Education Inc. Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek, Munich; Erich Lessing/Art Resource, New York

End ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.