He was a fusion god and many historians believed that he resembled a harmonic combination of local Greek god of nature and a powerful god imported from Phrygia in Turkey or Thrace. Dionysus represented the exceptional features of Elusian mysteries. The Dionysian ecstasy was often represented by tearing apart, consumption of raw flesh, which actually emphasized that god, resides inside ones body, and artificial stimulants in this respect are redundant.

Statue of Bacchus, god of wine. Photo by David Ritter.

Greek mythology describes Dionysus as the son of the Zeus who was a god, and a woman Semele who was a mortal human being. The mystery of his birth is still not clear as in some other place he has been referred to as the son of Persephone, Queen of the Underworld and God Zeus.

He was the god of physical and spiritual intoxication and initiated performance of secret rites. His disciples were called bacchants or maenads. Greek Art depicts the Maenads and Dionysus on Greek kraters that are used to mix water and wine.

Bacchus was the Roman god of intoxication and wine, equated with Dionysus. The Old Italian God Liber also has some stunning resemblance with Bacchus. March 16 and 17 are the days for celebration of the festival of Bacchus.

Greek God of Wine Bacchus and/or Dionysus was worshipped and followed by female worshippers Maenads, which implies the raving ones. That is why the mysteries of Dionysian world are characterized by ecstatic frenzy, self-intoxication, sexuality, violence mutilation, and bloodbath. As the God of intoxication and wine, Dionysus and his followers were depicted crowned with vine leaves and clothed in fawn skins.

Dionysus was also known as the God of ecstasy (mania). He was the god of theatre, comedy, tragedy, and mask. He was the god of violence, self-intoxication, had powerful association with death. He raved the forests and mountains and his followers practiced secret spiritual rites in a wild state of intoxication and trance.

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