CLASS 4960 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Athamas, Thyrsus, Wild Beasts
Document Summary
Bacchus or liber specialized fertility god: grapevine, ivy. Comes from the east to assert his power and gain worshippers. Inspires ecstasy (means standing outside yourself) through wine, music, dance, sex, possession. Theatre originated during festivals of dionysos in athens. Possessed women devoted to dionysos (all 3: altered state) Staff wound with ivy topped with cones, grapes. Zeus seduces semele; promises to do whatever she wants. Disguised as semele"s servant, hera convinces semele to ask zeus to appear in his full power. Sews him into his thigh to keep baking because he was only 6 months along. Sent to ino (semele"s sister) and her husband athamas to be raised as a girl (because hera is looking for him) (recap:) Dionysos sent to ino (semele"s sister) and athamas to be raised as girl. Athamas hunts and kills older son thinking him to be a deer. Ino boils other son in a cauldron, then jumps into sea with his corpse.
