The Hidden Secrets of Dionysus

Part 2

Within the previous part we left of with the Mycenaean origins of Dionysus. Promising to go deeper into the myth of Dionysus-Zagreus. Within this part we will go even deeper into Dionysus and his links to figures such as Zagreus, Hades and Zeus.

Myth of Dionysus-Zagreus

In the age when the world was still young, a powerful and enigmatic being came into existence. Dionysus-Zagreus, the son of Chthonic Zeus, bore the essence of both the heavens and the underworld. Born through the divine union of Zeus, who took the form of a mighty dragon, and Kore or Persephoneia, the goddess linked to Ceres or Demeter, Dionysus-Zagreus embodied the mysteries of life and death. As the "first-born Dionysus," Dionysus-Zagreus carried a weighty destiny upon his divine shoulders. He was fated to achieve universal dominion and usher in an era of boundless joy and happiness. His presence held the promise of a kingdom yet unseen, where all beings would find solace and fulfilment. However, the jealousy and scheming of Hera, the queen of the gods, set in motion a tragic turn of events. The Titans, ancient and powerful beings who predated the Olympians, conspired to end Dionysus-Zagreus' divine existence.

Envious of the gods' power, they sought to snuff out the light that Dionysus-Zagreus represented. When Dionysus-Zagreus was born into the world, an ethereal realm hidden from the prying eyes of the Titans was crafted to shield him from harm. The gods knew that his divine radiance would be a beacon that could not go unnoticed by their jealous adversaries. Yet, fate has a way of unravelling even the most carefully laid plans. The Titans, driven by their insatiable hunger for power, uncovered the secret sanctuary and seized Dionysus-Zagreus. With merciless brutality, they tore him asunder, their ravenous mouths devouring his flesh. Only his heart, pulsating with divine essence, remained as a testament to his once-majestic form. Witnessing this unspeakable act of savagery, Zeus, the father of Dionysus-Zagreus, acted swiftly to preserve the essence of his fallen child. He took the heart of Dionysus-Zagreus and blended it into a potent elixir. This elixir, carrying the very essence of Dionysus-Zagreus, was then entrusted to Semele, daughter of Harmonia and Cadmus, the king and founder of Thebes.

Semele, guided by the unseen hand of Hera, beseeched Zeus to approach her in all his divine splendour, longing to experience the pleasure reserved for the divine. In her innocent desire, she unknowingly invited her own demise. Struck by a thunderbolt, she perished, consumed by the immense power of Zeus. Yet, from the ashes of tragedy, a glimmer of hope emerged. The infant Dionysus, a rebirth of Zagreus, was later nurtured by the nymphs, and Zeus, recognizing the fragile state of this divine child, entrusted him to the care of the Korybantes, the ecstatic dancers and protectors of mysteries.

Dionysus-Zagreus, Hades & Zeus

As I said earlier this Dionysus connected to the Orphic mysteries and the earlier more ancient form of this deity is a death and rebirth deity, connected to the ability to enter and leave the underworld. As such when it comes to this Dionysus-Zagreus, there are some interesting connections going on with this figure. First of all as Zagreus he is identified with Hades. The fifth century BC philosopher Heraclitus, for instance had, declared that Hades and Dionysus, where not only the very essence of indestructible life, but also are the same god. Scholar Karl Kerényi highlights this connection within both the Homeric Hymn "To Demeter", votive marble images and epithets. Which all link Hades to Dionysus. Further he additionally observes that within the myth of Persephone's abduction the mourning Demeter declined to consume wine, citing it as a violation of divine law since it was Dionysus' offering. Which according to Karl Kerényi could point to the notion that Hades could have been a symbolic representation of Dionysus in the underworld. Which is a duality known to those initiated into the Eleusinian and Orphic mysteries. Dionysus then also had the epithet "Chthonios," signifying his association with the subterranean realm. Where in The Bacchae, Pentheus, who opposed his worship in the god's origin city of Thebes, saw horns upon Dionysus's head as he started to go mad.

This connection between Dionysus and death symbolism we can also see within his rites as well. As the cult of Dionysus was also a "cult of the souls". The Bacchantes would feed the dead through blood-offerings. Where Dionysus acts as a divine communicant between the living and the dead. Discoveries of statues of Dionysus within the Ploutonion at Eleusis provide additional support, as these statues exhibit a remarkable similarity to the statue of Eubouleus, also known as Hades of the flowing dark hair, a youthful representation of the Underworld Lord. Descriptions of the statue of Eubouleus depict it as radiant yet revealing an enigmatic inner darkness. Ancient depictions often depict Dionysus holding a kantharos, a wine-jar with large handles, and occupying the position where one would typically expect to find Hades. Further the artist Xenocles portrayed on one side of a vase, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, each with his emblems of power, where on the other side of the vase, one can see Dionysus striding forward to meet Persephone, with a wine-jar in his hand, against a background of grapes. Persephone being seen as his mother, where Zeus was his father.

Where Rosemarie Taylor-Perry in her book “The God who Comes: Dionysian Mysteries” points out that Zeus, like Dionysus, was believed to have an underworld form, closely identified with Hades. Which in a deeper sense links to Zagreus. Zagreus being linked to the underworld and the realm of the deceased, next to being associated with the mysteries of life and death. Where he is portrayed as a chthonic deity, often depicted as primal and chaotic figure. In that sense Zeus, Zagreus (Hades) and Dionysus were all seen being the exact same god. Making up one divine tripartite deity. Hades is then also Zeus, the Sky God. Where the act of taking Kore, so Persephone by Hades represents the conception and birth of a second integrating force. This being Dionysus-Zagreus, who is then also often called Iacchos, but also Iacchos being the third Dionysus. Where he is known as Liknites, the helpless infant form of Dionysus who is the unifier of the chthonic realm of Hades and the Olympian realm of Zeus. Dionysus being in this form being connected to the search for and putting together of the dismembered pieces, that through the rebirth will form Iacchos, who in this final form was seen as being the Highest God. It is in this helpless form as Liknites that Dionysus is protected and nurtured by the Korybantes and their king.

Within the next part of this series, I will dive deeper into Zeus, Hades and Dionysus as a tripartite deity, and the link to the cosmogony of ancient Greece, and the deeper Proto-Indo-European significance of the figure.