Background of Dionysus

Dionysus was the last god to enter Olympus (Homer didn’t admit him)

No early sources for his story other than brief allusions in Hesiod

Before Dionysus was Born

Dionysus is the wine god His city was Thebes and that was where he was born Son of Zeus and the mortal Theban princess Semele Zeus was madly in love with Semele and swore on the

River Styx that he would do anything for her. She asked to see him in his full form as a god and Zeus had to abide because of his swear. When he showed her full form she died because no mortal can stand a god’s full form. Unborn, Zeus whisked Dionysus away until he was born and sent him to live with the nymphs of Nysa.

Dionysus Life

When he grew to manhood he wandered to strange places, and everywhere he went he taught men about the culture of the vine and men accepted him as a god

Soon during his times of wandering Dionysus found the princess of Crete, Ariadne, when she was abandoned by the Athenian prince Thesus.

He rescued and loved her and when she died he placed a crown he gave her and placed it in the stars.

Dionysus’ Personalities

He could be kind and beneficent Or he could be cruel and drive men to do scary deeds He could give to his worshippers with blessing or sometimes

drive them to ruins.

Example: When the King of Thebes (son of Semele’s sister) imprisoned Dionysus, he took revenge on the King. Dionysus made all the Theban women including the King’s mother mad. They rushed to destroy him with his mother leading them. They tore him limb from limb and only then did he know that he fought against a god.

Pyramus and Thisbe Background

This story is only found in the OvidWell told; a little essay on love and

quite characteristic of him at his best

Summary of Pyramus and Thisbe

Once upon a time the red berries of the mulberry tree were white. The change of color came by the death of to young lovers.

Pyramus and Thisbe were the most beautiful youth of all of the East.

They lived in Babylon, the city of Queen Semiramis, in closely packed houses.

They grew up side to side and fell in love. They longed to marry but their parents forbade, leading to them only communicating through a chink in the wall.

Summary of Pyramus and Thisbe (continued…)

One day, they couldn’t conceal their feelings no longer and decided to meet by the Tomb of Ninus under a tall mulberry tree.

Thisbe made her way secretly at night and awaited Pyramus’s arrival when a lioness started coming to slake her thirst. Thibe ran away and dropped her cloak accidentally which the lioness ripped up and left.

Pyramus came and saw the evidence which led to the conclusion that Thisbe had died. Stricken with grief he stabbed himself with a sword.

Thisbe came back to find Pyramus dying and gave him one last kiss before he died. She wanting to stay with him even through death took the sword and stabbed herself in the heart causing her death as well. Their blood splattered on the berries causing them to stay red forever.