The Toys of Dionysus! From the Orphic Mystery tradition. A top, a ball, a bullhorn (the pink thing), a pinecone (or a tuft of hair), a golden apple (just pretend it’s gold), knucklebones (I got real ones!), and a mirror.
You have any recommended reading for people interested in *gestures vaugely toward your beliefs/worship* ?
Boy do I! Most of the stuff I’m reading lately is more academically bent than theological, but academics seem prone to waxing very poetic about Dionysus. Also even outside of religion stuff, the absurd complexity of Dionysus/Dionysian cult is fascinating.
Non-Reading:
Let’s Talk About Myths Baby Podcast: CXIV: Dionysus Is Everyone & Everything, Queer Theory with the Queer Classicist Yentl Love
What it says in the title, a really cool chat using academic queer theory to explore the ways Dionysus was a very transgressive god in the ancient Greek pantheon, and how unusual it was that such a subversive figure was still a member of the Big 12 Olympians. I wouldn’t use it as a reference in and of itself (tbh there is ONE BIT I twitch at where Yentl references Nonnus but then also mentions that Dionysus doesnt have any sexual assault stories. Which applies to all his current known mythos...except for what Nonnus wrote.)
OSP Productions: Dionysus
Again, I wouldnt use it as a reference point, and as much as I enjoy their videos (minus some quibbles with the Hades/Persephone video), I do wish the OSP crew listed their sources for stuff. But this is still a great, easy watch that is like a 101 on Dionysus: Way More Than The Drunk Party Dude. It’s a nice intro jumping-off point. Also, the art is adorable.
READING:
Anne Carson’s Bakkhai
You know all those Greek quotes that keep making the Tumblr Gays foam at the mouth? The “Not to me, not if it’s you” stuff? That’s Anne Carson. Her adaptation of The Bacchae is my favorite version of Euripedes’ play so far and tbh I just recommend it in general. It also has this wonderful line.
Richard Seaford - “Dionysos” (link to a copy of the book on google drive)
“Dionysos exists in our own world, as an irreducible symbol for the
antithesis of something basically wrong with our society. When we
look at modern conceptions of Dionysos since Friedrich Nietzsche, we
frequently find a Dionysos who embodies something that is beneath
the surface of our society and somehow embodies a universal
challenge to it. Are such conceptions mere abstractions, remote from
the reality of the ancient Dionysos? To some extent they are, and yet
not entirely – as we shall see in what follows.“
An extensive and broad ranged examination of Dionysus’ impact on ancient and modern culture. It’s a cool look into theories on ancient modes of worship, and explores some of the base themes of his worship through the centuries such as nature veneration, epiphanies, death/rebirth, community, theater, and even the tie-ins to early Christian cult. All without being as dry and full of untranslated Greek as a lot of other academic essays are.
Eric Csapo “Riding the Phallus for Dionysus: Iconology, Ritual and Gender-Role De/construction,” - link to JStor article on google drive
Tbh I’ve only just started reading this one but it hasn’t been too difficult to work through. Currently reading a bit that deep dives into the contrast between the sexual themes that surrounded Dionysus while the god himself was often less sexualized or even desexualized.
Vikki Bramshaw: Dionysus: Exciter to Frenzy
I had doubts about this book, written with a modern worship in mind, because the summary comes across as a bit “Source: it came to me in a dream” but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the use of citations. I don’t take entirely with every conclusion Bramshaw comes to, but her work tying together all the various regions and modes of worship come to some neat theological conclusions.
Redefining Dionysus - link to google doc
This is almost 700 pages of essays and articles on Dionysus compiled together. I’m still working my way through in no particular order. There’s a lot of neat academic stuff, but there’s also some non-English essays and these are all essays written by Classicists for Classicists which means they all use untranslated Greek terms casually and it can get confusing. It can also get pretty damn dry so this is the Real Fuckin Deep Dive level.
Havent Read, But On My List
Walter F. Otto - Dionysus: Myth and Cult
Written in the 60s so it’s got some outdated stuff, but this is the book I see Dionysian worshippers mention constantly, and even in the academic essays I see it mentioned with an air of “yes its outdated but it’s a CLASSIC” and seems to have been the entry point for a lot of classicists. Apparently he wrote so rapturously about Dionysus that he was accused of being a secret pagan.
Other Names: Bacchus, Zagreus, Liber
Epithets: Bakkhos (frenzied), Bromios (the roaring), Eleutheros (the liberator), Meilichios (the mild/gracious), Maenoles (the mad), Nyctelius (of the night), Nyctipolos (night-stalker), Staphylites (of the grape), Theoineos (god of wine), Agathos Daimon (good spirit), Oenops (wine-faced), Antheos (the blooming), Kisseus (of the ivy), Kittophoros (ivy-bearer), Dimetor (twice-born/of two mothers), Dimorphos (two-formed), Dithyrambos (of the dithyramb), Areios (warlike), Kryphios (hidden), Karpios (of the harvest), Hyes (of moisture/the dripping), Ekstatophoros (bringer of ecstasy), Boukeros (bull-horned), Aigobolus (goat-slayer), Melanaegis (of the black goat-skin), Lysios (loosener/deliverer), Lenaeus (of the wine-press), Limnaios (of the marsh/liminal), Psilas (giver of wings), Psilax (uplifted on wings), Soter (savior), Khthoinios (of the Underworld), Dendrites (of trees), Eubouleos (of good counsel), Polymorphos (many-formed), Khryphion (hidden), Khoreutes (the dancer), Melpomenus (singer/of the tragedy play), Phleon (the luxuriant), Omadios/Omaphagos/Omestes (flesh-eater), Bassareus (the fox), Androgynos (androgynous), Agronios (wild, savage), Oinops (wine-dark/wine-faced).
Domains: Wine, ritual ecstasy and trance, festivals and revelry, pleasure, madness, hallucinations, intoxication, liberation, fruit, androgyny, GNC and LGBTQ+ people, viticulture, theater and choral songs, life-force, reincarnation.
Appearance: He appears to me as an androgynous and beautiful young man with long, curly hair that flows over his shoulders (it’s usually dark brown but seems to change color, being occasionally blond, black, strawberry, etc.). He has wild eyes that are vine-green or the pinkish-purple of grapes, and they’re usually either bright and laughing or disturbingly mad-looking. He typically has ruddy cheeks and a bright smile. He’s usually not wearing much beyond a cloth draped over his body (in white or purple) and/or a leopard pelt, but sometimes appears in in casual modern clothing with a leopard-print jacket. He often wears a grape headdress, and he sometimes has horns resembling a bull’s, ram’s, or goat’s. His laughter is both musical and utterly insane. His aura is the reddish-purple of grapes.
Sacred Days and Festivals: Greater/City Dionysia (10-17 Elaphebolion). Lesser/Rural Dionysia (10 Poseideon). Lenaia (12-15 Gamelion). Anthesteria (11-13 Anthesterion). Oskophoria (8 Pynapsion). Haloa (26 Poseideon). Agrionia (nocturnal women’s festival).
Symbols/Attributes: Grapes, thyrsus, masks, drinking cups, ivy leaves, tambourine, winnowing basket, honey, phallus, animal skins, leopard-print fabric.
Sacred Animals: Leopard/panther, bull, serpent, goat, fox, bee, frog, bat
Sacred Plants: Grapevine, ivy, fig, pine, fennel, orchis, thistle.
Elemental Affinity: Earth, water, darkness.
Planet: Neptune (modern)
Colors: Purple, green, gold, burgundy, black.
Crystals: Amethyst, grape agate, black diamond
Incense: Grape, fig, fennel, musk, cinnamon, frankincense, storax, vanilla, cannabis.
Tarot Cards: Temperance, The Hanged Man, The Fool, The Devil, The Hierophant, The King of Pentacles.
Retinue: (called the thiasus) Maenads/Bacchantes, satyrs, seilenoi, Ariadne, Silenus, Pan, Thyone (Semele), Kotys, Korymbos, Aristaios, Phales, Methe, Telete
Associated People: Actors, social outcasts, women, androgynous/LGBT+ people.
Offerings: Wine, honey, grapes, figs, other fruit, ivy, pinecones, milk with honey, mead, sparkling juice, masks, stories/poetry/plays, dance, donations to community theaters or big cat conservation.
Syncretized With: Liber Pater, Sabazius, Osiris (though personally I think Shezmu fits better), Serapis, Tammuz, Shiva, Flufluns
Hymns to Dionysus
Homeric Hymn 26 to Dionysus
I begin to sing of ivy-crowned Dionysus, the loud-crying god,
Splendid son of Zeus and glorious Semele.
The rich-haired Nymphs received him in their bosoms from the lord his father
And fostered and nurtured him carefully in the dells of Nysa,
Where by the will of his father
He grew up in a sweet-smelling cave,
Being reckoned among the immortals.
But when the goddesses had brought him up, a god oft hymned,
Then began he to wander continually through the woody coombes,
Thickly wreathed with ivy and laurel.
And the Nymphs followed in his train with him for their leader;
And the boundless forest was filled with their outcry.
And so hail to you, Dionysus, god of abundant clusters!
Grant that we may come again rejoicing to this season,
And from that season onwards for many a year.
Orphic Hymn to Dionysus
Dionysos I call, loud-roaring and divine,
Primeval God, a two-fold shape is thine:
Thy various names and attributes I sing,
O, twice-born, thrice begotten, Bacchic king:
Wild, ineffable, two-form'd, obscure, two-horn'd,
With ivy crown'd, howling, pure.
Bull-fac'd, and warlike, bearer of the vine,
Endowed with counsel prudent [Eubouleos] and divine:
Triennial, whom the leaves of vines adorn,
Of Zeus and Persephone, occultly born.
Immortal daimon, hear my suppliant voice,
Give me in blameless plenty to rejoice;
And listen gracious to my mystic pray'r,
Surrounded with thy choir of nurses fair.
Orphic Hymn to Dionysus Khthonios
Dionysos Khthonios, hear my pray’r,
Awakened rise with nymphs of lovely hair:
Great Amphietos Bakkhos, annual god,
Who laid asleep in Persephone’s abode,
Did’st lull to drowsy and oblivious rest,
The rites triennial, and the sacred feast;
Which rous’d again by thee, in graceful ring,
Thy nurses round thee mystic anthems sing;
When briskly dancing with rejoicing pow’rs,
Thou move’st in concert with the circling hours.
Come, blessed, fruitful, horned, and divine,
And on these rites with joyful aspect shine.
Accept the general incense and pray’r,
And make prolific holy fruits thy care.
Orphic Hymn to Dionysos Lenaios
Hear me, Zeus’s son, blest Bacchus, god of wine,
Born of two mothers, honor’d and divine,
Lysian, Euion Bacchus, various-nam’d,
Secret child of gods, holy, fam’d
Fertile and nourishing, in whose liberal care
Earth’s fruits increases, flourishing and fair;
Sounding, magnanimous, Lenaean pow’r
O various-form’d, medicinal, holy flow’r:
Mortals in thee, repose from labour find,
Delightful charm, desir’d by all mankind:
Fair-hair’d Euion, Bromios, joyful God,
Lysian, invested in the leafy rod.
To these our rites, benignant pow’r incline,
When fav’ring men, or when on Gods you shine;
Be present to thy mystic’s suppliant pray’r,
Rejoicing come, and fruits abundant bear.
Orphic Hymn to Triennial Dionysus
Bacchus frantic, many-nam’d, blest, divine,
Bull-faced Lenaean, bearer of the vine,
From fire descended, raging, Nysian king,
From whom initial ceremonies spring:
Liknitan Dionysos, pure and firey bright,
Eubouleos, crown-bearer, wandering in the night:
Pupil of Persephone, mysterious pow’r,
Triple, ineffable, Zeus’ secret flow’r,
Ericapaeus, first-begotten nam’d,
Of Gods the father, and the child fam’d,
Bearing a scepter, leader of the choir,
Whose dancing feat, frantic Furies fire,
When the triennial band thou dost inspire.
Loud-sounding, Tages, of a firey light,
Born of two mothers, Amphitios bright:
Wand’ring on mountains, cloth’d with skins of deer,
Apollo, golden-ray’d, whom all revere.
God of the grape with leaves of ivy crown’d,
Bassarian, lovely, virgin-like, renown’d,
Come blessed pow’r, regard thy mystic’s voice,
Propitious come, and in these rites rejoice.
Orphic Hymn to Dionysus Bassarius:
Come, blessed Dionysus, various nam’d, bull-faced,
Begot from Thunder, Bacchus fam’d
Bassarian God, of universal might,
Whom swords and blood and sacred rage delight:
In heav’n rejoicing, mad, loud-sounding God
Furious inspirer, bearer of the Rod
By Gods rever’d, who dwells’t with humankind,
Propitious come, with much-rejoicing mind.
Orphic Hymn to Dionysus Liknitos:
Liknitan Dionysos, bearer of the vine,
Thee I invoke to bless these rites divine:
Florid and gay, of nymphs the blossom bright,
And of fair Venus, goddess of delight,
Tis thine mad footsteps with mad nymphs to beat
Dancing thro’ groves with lightly leaping feet:
From Zeus’ high counsels nursed by Proserpine
And born the dread of all pow’rs divine:
Come, blessed daimon, regard thy suppliant’s voice,
Propitious come, and in these rites rejoice.
Orphic Hymn to Dionysus Perikionios:
Dionysos Perikionios, hear my pray’r,
Who mad’st the house of Cadmus once thy care,
With matchless force, his pillars twining round
When burning thunders shook the solid ground
In flaming, founding torrents borne along,
Propt by thy grasp indissolubly strong.
Come mighty Bacchus to these rites inclin’d,
And bless thy suppliant with rejoicing mind.
Verses from the first Hymn to Dionysus in Euripedes’ Bacchae
O blessed is he who, happy in his heart,
Knows the initiation rites of the gods,
Purifies his life and
Joins his soul to the cult,
Dancing on the mountains, with holy purifications
Celebrating the Bacchic rituals.
O blessed the man who dutifully observes
The mysteries of the Great Mother, Kybele.
Swinging high the thyrsus
And crowned with ivy
He serves Dionysus.
Onward you Bacchae, onward Bacchae,
Escort the roaring Bromios home,
A god an the son of a god! Escort him
Down from the Phrygian mountains into Greece’s wide-wayed streets,
Streets wide for dancing, Bromios the Roaring God!
[…]
Sweet is the pleasure the god brings us in the mountains.
when from the running revelers
he falls to the ground clad in his sacred fawnskin. Hunting
the blood of slaughtered goats for the joy of devouring raw flesh
he rushes through the mountains of Lydia, of Phrygia.
Hail to the Roaring God, Bromios our leader! Euoi!
The ground flows with milk,
Flows with wine,
Flows with the nectar of bees.
The Bacchic One, lifting high
the bright-burning flame of the pine-torch,
like the smoke of Syrian frankincense,
springs up and rushes along with his thyrsus.
Running and dancing he incites any wanderers,
shakes them with shouts of joy
tossing his luxuriant locks to the wind.
(Translation by Stephen Esposito)
Horace’s Hymn to Bacchus
Bacchus on the far-off rocky hills, teaching
his chants – you who are still to come, believe me –
I saw him and his student Nymphs and
goat-footed Satyrs and their pointed ears.
Euhoë! – my soul trembles with that moment's fear,
Bacchus possesses my breast and I madly
rejoice. Euhoë!, spare me, god of freedom [Liber],
spare me, god of the fearful thyrsus of power.
I must celebrate your inexhaustible
revelers, and the fountains of wine and full
rivers of milk, and mirror in song
honey dripping from the hollows of trees;
I must celebrate your bride and her
constellated crown, and Pentheus' palace
shaken to bits in a mighty downfall,
and the destruction of Lycurgus of Thrace.
You control the streams, the savage sea,
you are hot with wine as on distant hilltops
you bind Bistonian [Thracian] women's hair
with a knot of vipers that do not harm them.
And when the rebellious army of giants
tried to climb the heights to the Father's kingdom,
you were the one who threw back Rhoetus
and his terrible lion's claws and teeth;
Although you were said to be more suitable
for dances and fun and games and were labeled
unfit for a battle, yet you took
your part in war as well as in peacetime.
You were graced with golden horn when Cerberus
saw you: he was harmless, and softly wagged his
tail, and as you were leaving, he licked
your legs and feet with all three of his tongues.
(Translation by Joseph P. Clancy, University of Chicago Press, 1960)
--
Disclaimers: Descriptions of the gods’ appearances are purely a record of how I personally see them. Gods are shapeshifters that can appear however they wish, and will be perceived differently by different people. My own perceptions of them may or may not match ancient artwork.
Correspondences listed are mostly modern.
Festival dates are based on the Attic calendar.
Offerings listed are all specific to the deity in addition to standard ones.
Translations of hymns are from Theoi unless otherwise specified.
Sources:
THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY, neosalexandria, HellenicGods.org, κοράκι/crow's grimoire
The temple has stood abandoned for gods-know-how-long.
The god of the temple has been sleeping, but tonight, he wakes up.
You are dimly aware of other masked revelers as you make your way through the red silk, the incense smoke, the obscene screams.
The god takes your hand. You look through his horned mask to see madded eyes, and a swirling primordial blackness beneath them. “Thank you,” he says with a knowing smile, “for giving me back my cult.”
