|
In Greek and Roman mythology Bacchus was the God of Wine and Fertility, although better
known among the Greeks as DIONYSUS. According to legend, he was the son of Zeus by Semele,
daughter of Cadmius, King of Thebes. Hera, jealous of her lord's love for a mortal,
persuaded Semele to ask Zeus to appear before her in all his majesty. Unwillingly, he
consented, but when he approached in thunder and lightning Semele was consumed by the
flames. Their son, BACCHUS, prematurely born, was saved by Zeus.
On reaching manhood, Bacchus travelled to the East as far as India, teaching the
cultivation of the vine and other fruits of the earth to the inhabitants. He returned
to Europe by way of Thrase, whence his worship spread to various parts of Greece. On
the island of Maxos he found Ariadne deserted by Theseus and made her his wife.
BACCHUS is frequently represented as attended by frenzied women called Bacchae, Bacchantes,
Maenades and Thyiades, all meaning "frantic". Pan, Silenus and Satyrs were also among his
followers. He was of benevolent disposition, but merciless to those who opposed his worship.
The Bacchus rites at Rome, where Bacchus became identified with Roman counterpart, Liber,
were celebrated with such excess that they were forbidden in 186 B.C. by a special decree of
the Senate. Bacchus was also identified with the Eqyptian God of Osiris. His festivals include
the Lenaea, which was crowned with the drinking of the new wine and the Anthesteria, a three
day festival at which pitchers of wine were drunk for wagers and offerings made to the dead.
|
