1. Dionysus
Patron of the Arts

2. Dionysus god of fertility and wine
has dual nature similar to the 2 sides of wine’s nature
brings joy and divine ecstasy
brings brutal, unthinking rage – can drive a man insane
represents wild abandon
AKA Bacchus

3. Family of Dionysus
son of Zeus and Semele
the only god to have a mortal parent

4. Birth of Dionysus
Zeus, invisible, came to the human Semele during the night, which she only felt as a divine presence. Semele was pleased to be the lover of a god, even though she did not know which one. She was also pleased to learn she was pregnant.
Word soon got around Olympus and Zeus’s wife Hera quickly figured out who her husband’s lover was. Hera went to Semele in disguise and convinced her she should see her lover as he really was, all the while knowing that the sight of Zeus would prove fatal to the human.

5. When Zeus next came to Semele, she made him promise to grant her one wish, going so far as to make him swear on the River Styx that he would grant her request. Zeus , madly in love, agreed.
Semele then asked him to show her his true form.
Zeus was unhappy and knew what would happen, but, having sworn, he had no choice.

6. Birth Cont.
Zeus appeared in his true form, and Semele was instantly burnt to a crisp by the sight of his glory.
Zeus did manage to rescue Dionysus from Semele’s womb, and stitched him into his own thigh until he was ready to be born.
This “birth” from Zeus alone conferred immortality upon him.

7. “Twice Born”
Dionysus is called "twice born" because of the unusual manner in which he grew: not only in a womb, but also in a thigh.

8. Followers of Dionysus
Dionysus is usually shown in the company of others who are enjoying the fruit of the vine. Silenus or multiple sileni and nymphs engaged in drinking, flute- playing, dancing, or amorous pursuits are the most common companions.
Depictions of Dionysus may also include Maenads, the human women made mad by the wine god. Sometimes the part-animal companions of Dionysus are called satyrs, whether meaning the same thing as sileni or something else.
Sometimes the Maenads wore masks, and Dionysus himself was worshipped as a mask hung on a pole.
Silenus - a companion and tutor to the wine god Dionysus. The original Silenus resembled a folklore man of the forest with the ears of a horse and sometimes also the tail and legs of a horse.[1] The later Sileni were drunken followers of Dionysus, usually bald and fat with thick lips and squat noses, and having the legs of a human. Later still, the plural "Sileni" went out of use and the only references were to one individual named Silenus, the teacher and faithful companion of the wine-god Dionysus.
Nymphs-a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing; their amorous freedom sets them apart from the restricted and chaste wives and daughters of the Greek polis. They dwell in mountains and groves, by springs and rivers, and also in trees and in valleys
Satyrs-a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing. satyrs are most commonly described in Latin literature as having the upper half of a man and the lower half of a goat, with a goat's tail in place of the Greek tradition of horse-tailed satyrs; therefore, satyrs became nearly identical with fauns. they are lovers of wine and women, and they are ready for every physical pleasure. They roam to the music of pipes (auloi), cymbals, castanets, and bagpipes, and they love to dance with the nymphs (with whom they are obsessed, and whom they often pursue),
The satyrs' chief was Silenus, a minor deity associated (like Hermes and Priapus) with fertility.

9. .
While other gods had temples where their followers worshipped in public, the followers of Dionysus worshipped him in the woods.
Here they might go into mad states where they would rip apart and eat raw any animal they came upon. They believed that the animal represented Dionysus, and by eating it, they were incorporating the god within themselves.

10. Eventually, as the worship ceremonies became more “civilized,” the women worshippers were replaced by men, the animal sacrifice became ritualized, and the dancing circle became more sedate and formalized, but the use of masks remained.
These new elements formed the basis of ancient Greek theater; just as the primitive worshipper lost her identity in a night of mass religious ecstasy, so the actor became someone other than himself.
Audience members became a part of the ritual by identifying with the characters in the drama being performed before them.

11. Festival
The festival for Dionysus is in the spring when the leaves begin to reappear on the vine. It became one of the most important events of the year. Its focus became the theater.

12. Festival Cont.
Most of the great Greek plays were initially written to be performed at the feast of Dionysus. All who took part - writers, actors, spectators - were regarded as sacred servants of Dionysus during the festival.