Greek Gods and Goddesses: Dionysus – Facts and Information

Here are some facts about Dionysus, the Ancient Greek God of Wine.

  • Dionysus was the son of Zeus and the princess Semele.
  • He is the god of wine, the theatre, vegetation and ecstacy.

  • He often turned himself into a bull and he is sometimes called the ‘bull-horned god’.
  • Dionysus led a life full of pleasure. He attracted  a devoted group of female followers called Maenads. They were often drunk and acted without morals.
  • Dionysus was fun-loving, irresponsible and wild.
  • He had dark curly hair and bright eyes.
  • Dionysus carried the Thyrsos, a staff covered in vine leaves.
  • He was brought up by Silenus, one of the lesser Olympian gods, who lived on Earth.
  • Dionysus was often accompanied by satyrs, humanoid creatures with horses’ ears and tails.
  • The satyrs were experts at making wine. They passed this knowledge on to Dionysus, and he in turn taught it to the people he came across on his travels.
  • Dionysus married Ariadne, a princess from Crete, and they had six children.
  • The god Bacchus is the Roman’s equivalent to Dionysus.

Click here to learn about some of the other Ancient Greek gods and goddesses.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.