The Story of Dionysus

Zeus was looking for a Hero who would defeat the Titans (giants), who would be born among men. When Cadmus and Harmonia built the city of Thebes, Zeus became convinced that this Hero would be born there. Now Cadmus and Harmonia's children were Autonae and Ino. Autonae's life turned to tragedy early on, when she married Actaeon. He insulted the Divine Huntress Artemis, boasting that he was a better hunter than she, in revenge for this, Artemis turned him into a stag, and he was torn to pieces by his own hounds. Ino had better luck, she married Athamas, king of a city near Thebes. He already had two children by Nephele the Cloud-Maiden, called Phrixus and Helle. After Ino herself bore children, she became jealous of Phrixus and Helle, lest they deprive her children of their inheritance, and became a cruel stepmother to the children. She became so jealous that she determined to kill them, but dared not do it outright. Instead, she secretly parched the corn to cause a famine, and bribed the messenger the king sent to Delphi to consult the Oracle, to come back and say the land was under a curse, which could only be lifted if Phrixus was sacrificed by his father.

Athamas was sorrowful, but dared not disobey the voice of Apollo (so he thought), and prepared to sacrifice his son. Nephele came to hear of this, and Pan gave her a ram with a golden fleece (which was significant later on), which carried Phrixus and Helle away before they could be sacrificed. Tragedy struck once more before they got away, for Helle fell off the ram as they flew, and was drowned in what later became known as the Hellespont, in honour of her. The ram took Phrixus to Colchis in the utmost East, where the wizard Aetes was king. He lived there in safety, and when the ram died, its fleece was hung up and thus awaited Jason.

There was yet another daughter of Cadmus, Semele. Zeus decided to marry her, thinking that a child of his and a mortal woman would certainly be more than mortal, especially as Harmonia (Semele's mother) had herself been the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. Hera became angry and jealous when she heard of what Zeus was planning, and she was worried that the child of Zeus and Semele might be made a greater Immortal than her sons Ares and Hephaestus. She decided to kill Semele and her child. Hera disguised herself as an old woman, and paid a visit to Semele. She asked who her husband was, but when Semele told her it was great Zeus himself, she laughed in derison. She suggested he might be merely some mortal man pretending to be Zeus, and sneered that Zeus never visited Semele in all his glory as he did for Hera.

Semele was worried, and reminded Zeus, the next time he came to visit her, that he had promised to honour one wish of hers, no matter what it was, when they had married. Zeus repeated his promise, swearing by Styx to grant it, whereupon Semele asked that she see him in his full glory. Zeus was sorrowful, and realised Hera had caused him to be tricked, but he could not go back on his word. He transfigured himself and shone so fiercely that Semele was shrivelled up by his glory, and so died. Zeus took the infant - whom he called Dionysus - and gave him to Hermes to guard.

Hermes gave Dionysus to Ino and her sister Argave, telling them something of who he was, and told them to disguise him as a girl, for greater security. Dionysus grew to boyhood in Thebes in safety, but Ino and Argave betrayed him, and Zeus was only just able to save him by turning him into a goat which Hermes carried to Mount Nysa in Thrace where he was looked after by water nymphs.

Ino was punished for her many misdeeds, and went mad, jumping into the sea with her own son in her arms. They were rescued by sea-nymphs and lived forever under the waves, atoning by bringing help to sailors.

Dionysus grew to be a man in a cave on Mount Nysa, where he made friends with Silenus and the Satyrs, who vowed to follow him wherever he went. The reason for this was that Dionysus had discovered how to make wine, and he had given the Satyrs the honour of being the first to drink and be made drunk on it.

It was after his first drunken feast that Silenus fell asleep in the garden of King Midas, who treated him so kindly that Dionysus promised to give him whatever he should wish. Midas, of course, wished that all he touched might turn to gold. After he discovered how foolhardy a wish this was, Midas begged Dionysus to remove the gift from him.

Dionysus went out into the world to teach mankind how to grow grapes and how to make them into wine. He travelled far and wide, as far as India on one occasion, and had many adventures.

When Dionysus reached Greece, he found several kings who didn't want him to teach the secret of wine, as Dionysus' female followers (Maenads) often deserted their husbands and children to go dancing on the hillsides. One of these kings, Lycurgus, drove Dionysus into the sea, where Dionysus was entertained by the nymph Thetis in the undersea caves. Lycurgus soon came to misfortune, as when he tried to cut down a vine Dionysus had planted, he cut off his own foot.

When Dionysus left Thetis he came up on the wrong side of the sea, and hired a ship to take him back. The sailors on the ship were, unbeknown to Dionysus, pirates looking for handsome young men as slaves, and they thought Dionysus would be a good choice. When they were out at sea, the Captain ordered Dionysus to be bound and put in the hold, but every time they tried, the ropes just fell off.

The helmsman shouted out that they must be carrying one of the Immortals - perhaps even Zeus himself, and they should sail him to Greece with all honour in case he decided to avenge himself on them. The Captain would not listen to him, however. As they sailed, strange things began to happen. A smell of wine came from the hold, and a stream of it ran down the deck, then the mast and spars of the ship started to grow leaves and grapes. When the sailors saw this they begged the Captain to turn for Greece, but they were too late, and Dionysus changed into a lion. The sailors leapt into the sea - where they turned into dolphins - all but for the helmsman Achaetes who was rooted in place with terror. Dionysus turned back into a man, and told him not to be scared, he had been saved by his good sense which the others had not listened to. Achaetes sailed them to Athens, where Dionysus was welcomed, and gave his gift to the men there.

Unfortunately, Dionysus' gift had unfortunate effects for one of the recipients, Icarius, as his guests, after drinking the wine, were intoxicated and believed he had poisoned them. They killed him, and flung his body in a well. His daughter found his body with the aid of her dog, and hanged herself for grief. Zeus made them into stats - Virgo, Arcturus and Procyon the little Dog, which can still be seen today.

Dionysus went on to Thebes, where no one recognised him, and Pentheus, son of Argave, who was King, had him imprisoned. Once again Dionysus escaped when vines tore apart the stones of his cell. Pentheus was then mistaken for a lion by a band of wild Maenads, including his own mother, and was torn to pieces.

Dionysus had many adventures, but he had to face one more before he could be declared an Immortal. He went to Argos, and fought King Perseus. All the Immortals gathered to watch, and at last Perseus struck a mortal blow to Dionysus, for only by his death would Hera be appeased. It is not certain whether Dionysus killed Perseus at this time too, or whether he was murdered soon after. As he died, Dionysus leapt into the lake of Lerna, near to where they were fighting. This lake was bottomless, and led to the underworld where Hades ruled. So it was that Dionysus died even as men die, though Zeus had decreed he would become an Immortal and live again.

When he reached the underworld, Dionysus went to where Hades and Persephone were throned. He said that Zeus had decreed he was not to stay in the underworld, and requested that he could take his mother Semele with him to Olympus. Hades said this could only happen if Dionysus gave him in exchange for his mother, the one he loved most upon the earth. Dionysus agreed to this, and swore an unbreakable oath. Hades also swore to keep his side of the bargain. Dionysus cried that the vine was his best beloved, and put his thyrsis (a thin rod) into the earth, where it grew into a vine. Hades was satisified, and gave him his mother Semele, and they went to Olympus, where the Immortals welcomed them, and even Hera forgot her jealousy.