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.
