CLAS 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Stymphalian Birds, Eunuch, Iphicles
Week 7
● Dionysus (Bacchus)
○ Born of Zeus and Semele
○ Has three mortal sons and various other offspring
○ Attributes: wreath, wine cup, thyrsus, grapes, vines
○ Epithets
■ Bacchus (name linked to ritual worship)
■ Eleuthereus (town of Eleutherae)
■ Iacchus (ritual city)
■ Limnaeus (of the Marshes)
■ Lysius (Releaser)
○ Rituals/Sanctuaries
■ Anthesteria -- “Festival of Flowers”, festival in Athens celebrating the new
season of wine with drinking, singing, games, and sacred marriage to
Dionysus, three days each named after a type of wine cup (Pithoiga,
Choes, Chytroi)
■ Rural Dionysia -- processions with phalloi
■ City Dionysia -- series of theater competitions, 3 days of tragedies and 1
day of comedies
○ His Double Birth
■ Zeus and Semele (mortal daughter of Cadmus, king of Thebes)
■ Hera’s jealousy - incineration of Semele by the ‘light’ of Zeus!
■ Hermes saves the fetus and brings it to Zeus who sews it into his thigh
○ Dionysus vs. Apollo
■ Dionysus = release of emotions and instincts
■ Apollo is rational and very balanced
○ Dionysus: a foreign god?
■ Eastern names
● Semele
■ Geography and wanderings
■ Myths of resistance to his cult
■ But he is mentioned in Homer and Linear B tablets
○ Mystery Cults
■ No civic affiliation. Less restrictive than civic festivals, open to men and
women, citizen and slave
■ Initiation for those who wanted to join gain secret knowledge through a
“profound experience”
■ Did not demand an allegiance that precluded belief and participation in
other religious practices
■ Offer succor, such as good health, to their members
○ The Followers of Dionysus
■ Satyrs and Silens → unrestrained desire for sex and wine; generally
represented naked and horse-like features
Document Summary
Has three mortal sons and various other offspring. Attributes: wreath, wine cup, thyrsus, grapes, vines. Anthesteria -- festival of flowers , festival in athens celebrating the new season of wine with drinking, singing, games, and sacred marriage to. Dionysus, three days each named after a type of wine cup (pithoiga, City dionysia -- series of theater competitions, 3 days of tragedies and 1 day of comedies. Zeus and semele (mortal daughter of cadmus, king of thebes) Hera"s jealousy - incineration of semele by the light" of zeus! Hermes saves the fetus and brings it to zeus who sews it into his thigh. Dionysus = release of emotions and instincts. But he is mentioned in homer and linear b tablets. Less restrictive than civic festivals, open to men and women, citizen and slave. Initiation for those who wanted to join gain secret knowledge through a. Did not demand an allegiance that precluded belief and participation in other religious practices.
