For some say, at Dracanum; and some, on windy Icarus; and some, in Naxos, O Heaven-born, Insewn; and others by the deep-eddying river Alpheus that pregnant Semele bare you to Zeus the thunder-lover. And others yet, lord, say you were born in Thebes; but all these lie. The Father of men and gods gave you birth remote from men and secretly from white-armed Hera. There is a certain Nysa, a mountain most high and richly grown with woods, far off in Phoenice, near the streams of Aegyptus.
The chamber itself is not overtly large, being perhaps 7 paces in diameter. The beauty of the intricate mosic depicting the genesis of Dionysis is incredible. Delicate and balanced in form, yet gripping and motivating in action and motion. The symbology is heavily laden with ostensible Orphic origins. There are overtones of a number of themes that also intrude. Thoughts of extremes of passion and pure explicit sexuality that Dionysis also encompasses are ingrained within the mosiacs on the walls as well.
This is the story depicted in the intricate mosaic. | In Orphic myth, a divine child who was the son of Zeus (as a snake) and his daughter Persephone. Zeus intended to make Zagreus his heir and bestow on him unlimited power, but Hera out of jealousy urged the Titans to attack the child while she beguiled him with toys. The Titans, who were opposed to Zeus' power, tore Zagreus to pieces and consumed him except for his heart. Athena managed to save the child's heart and brought it to Zeus, who swallowed it. Zeus punished the Titans for their crime by blasting them into soot with his thunderbolts. From these remains arose mortals, who were partly wicked and partly divine. Zeus then begot a son in the body of Semele, and this child, made from the heart of Zagreus, was called Dionysus. Zagreus thus came to be identified with Dionysus in Orphic mythology, an outgrowth of the Hellenistic mystery religion based on the teaching and songs of Orpheus. |
In the center of the Chamber is a statue of Hermes delivering the young Dionysis. The baby sits in crook of Hermes left arm and grasps at the outstretched right hand of the Hermes which holds a small bunch of grapes (think Praxiteles, Hermes with infant Dionysos, c. 340 B.C.). The pedestal that the statue stands upon is held up by to lions and two leopards. From the points at which the paws of the four beasts enter the pedestal, issues forth milk, which accumulates in a small moat around the pedestal. There are three fountains that form a perfect equilateral triangle about the statue. To the left of the statue is a small fountain, from which seemingly issues a flow pure water. In the center of the water, completely immersed, is a straight oaken staff. To the right of the statue is a second fountain, which mirrors the first except that wine issues forth from the ground and there is a sprig of fennel instead of oak in the center of the flow. The third fountain sits behind the statue and issues forth honey, the centerpiece is a metallic wand. The flows of wine, water, and honey vary with time (astrological factors, presumably) and are directly absorbed into the stone upon which they issue.
Last modified: Mon Dec 27, 1998 / Jeremiah Genest
