Dionysus (P2)

Dionysus was believed to be the god of wine, parties, and festivals.

Dionysus was the son of Zeus and a mortal, Semele. Zeus was cheating on his wife, Hera, (again) when Semele was impregnated. Hera was outraged by this and was determined to get her revenge. Hera tricked Semele into convincing Zeus to swear on the River Styx that he would grant every one of her requests. Zeus, being extremely in love with her and not realizing that this was the plot of Hera, swore on the River Styx. Hera then persuaded Semele to ask Zeus to appear in his divine form in front of her. Zeus begged her not to ask him to do this, because all mortals would disintegrate in the presence of a god in their divine form. Zeus could not refuse because he swore upon the River Styx. If he would not have done this he would have to deal with the heavy consequences. So, Zeus appeared in his divine form in front of the pregnant Semele. She disintegrated instantly, but Zeus took the unborn child and sewed it into his thigh before the child died with her. Dionysus was born this way, and was called “the twice-born.”

There are different interpretations of what actually happened to Dionysus when he was born. In some cases, Zeus gave his son to the way finder, Hermes. Hermes would then give Dionysus to his aunt and uncle, King Athamas and his wife, Queen Ino. In another version, Dionysus was given to the rain nymphs of Nysa. In other stories, Zeus gave his child to Rhea or Persephone, so she would hide him in the underworld with Hades. Dionysus was hidden to keep him safe from Hera’s wrath. She was extremely jealous of the other women Zeus had affairs with, and because of this she would try to kill his children.