S7E7 - All About Dionysius

stories featured in Greaking Out are original adaptations of classic Greek myths.

This week's story features God-induced madness, bursting into flames, partying too hard, mysteries, self-unaliving, and enthusiastic revenge.

Today's story is all about one of the most interesting characters in Greek mythology.

This god has had millions of dedicated followers throughout history, but he still receives criticism that he's not a true Olympian and shouldn't be taken seriously.

We're talking, of course, about Dionysus, the god of wine, the vine, and fruit, and what some call a life force or essence, but we're going to call the life of the party.

He was associated with partying, madness, plays, and big cats.

Yeah, the guy had a lot of interest.

And hold on, wait a second.

Did you just say big cats?

Yes, he was known for riding a chariot pulled by leopards.

Wow.

Okay.

So like I said, he had a lot of interests.

Dionysus was associated with lots of things, but he's best known for his ability to have fun and throw over-the-top celebrations.

Dionysus was the life of the party.

He was always celebrating something and making people laugh.

And because of this, he's one of the most popular gods in Greek mythology.

There were many festivals dedicated to honoring the god Dionysus.

He even had a cult following that worshipped him specifically.

Right, and in ancient Greece, cults were like special secret clubs you joined in addition to the religion you followed.

Scholars often use the term mysteries to talk about them because we still don't know all that these special clubs did and believed.

But Dionysus not only had his own mystery cult, he also featured prominently in those focused on Demeter and Persephone.

Dionysus has also been featured in many myths, including some we've mentioned before here on Greaking Out.

We covered him in great detail during season five when we talked about his friendship with Hephaestus.

True, but Dionysus is a really complicated guy.

I mean, anybody who can be the god of wine, fruit, madness, and big cats all at the same time is clearly a multifaceted individual.

And because of this, he's probably one of the most polarizing deities in Greek mythology.

Sure, some people love him, but...

He has an entire cult to himself.

Okay, lots of people love him, but there's still a good amount of people who tend to think he made bad decisions and had questionable morals.

This polarizing view is featured in a lot of the stories you're going to hear today, but if we've learned anything here on Greaking Out, it's that there's usually more than one version of a story.

Dionysus is a prime example of this.

Take his birth, for example.

You might think a birth story is pretty cut and dry, right?

But not when it comes to Dionysus.

There are multiple myths surrounding his birth, and there's even debate over who his true mother is.

The most popular version is that Dionysus' mother was Semele, a mortal woman who fell in love with Zeus.

We go into more detail about this in our last episode on Dionysus, but the gist of it is that things don't end well for Semele.

Hera, Zeus' wife, was furious when she found out that Semele was pregnant with Zeus' child.

She ultimately tricked Semele into asking Zeus to reveal his true form, which resulted in her bursting into flames.

Spontaneous human combustion refers to when a living human body bursts into flames without an apparent cause.

While it has been seriously debated throughout history, most scientists dismiss the idea that humans can spontaneously combust.

But what we didn't mention in our other episode was that this whole bursting into flames incident occurred when Semele was pregnant with Dionysus.

Thankfully, Zeus was able to rescue the unborn baby and protect him from harm.

It is said that Zeus sewed the child into his thigh until Dionysus was ready to be born.

I'd like to remind listeners that this is not anatomically possible, but it does make for an interesting story.

Yeah, and it explains why Dionysus is often called twice born.

I mean, the dude was literally born twice.

It's a good moniker.

And in case that wasn't weird enough, there's a whole other story of Dionysus' birth, this time involving an entirely different mother.

This myth comes from the Orphic Mysteries.

The Orphic Mysteries, or Orphism, is one of the religious cults that worshipped Dionysus.

The mysteries are based on the story of Orpheus.

Right, and they believe that while Zeus was still Dionysus' father, his mother was actually Persephone, queen of the underworld.

Now, in this version, Persephone is not Zeus' daughter, and Hera, Zeus' wife, is once again furious about the child being born.

But in this version of the story, she enlists the help of the Titans to seek her revenge.

The Titans were former gods who ruled the universe until Zeus and the other Olympians fought back and took control.

Titans, I need your help.

Zeus had a child with Persepol.

They say he will grow up to be the ruler of the universe.

I need you to make sure this does not happen, she said.

Now, remember, the Titans were locked up in Tartarus, the prison of the underworld.

They were put there by Zeus and desperately wanted revenge.

Get out of prison and kill the child of your sworn enemy?

This seemed like a no-brainer.

Let us out and we will destroy the child, they promised.

Hera cackled with delight as she freed the Titans from their prison.

They quickly found the infant Dionysus and fulfilled their promise to Hera.

Wasn't much of a fair fight, really.

When Zeus found Dionysus a day later, the only thing left was his tiny heart.

Zeus was obviously devastated.

How could this have happened?

Why would Hera do such a terrible thing and unleash the Titans?

Zeus was crying over Dionysus' remains when Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, arrived.

She quickly went to her father to comfort him.

How could they do such a thing?

Zeus asked.

It was just a baby.

Athena hugged her father as he cried.

She was doing her best to formulate a plan when she remembered a piece of magic from long ago.

Look, father, she said to Zeus, his heart is still intact.

That means there's a chance.

Zeus looked confused, which was a pretty fair reaction, if we're being honest.

I mean, how does Dionysus' heart change anything?

The boy was still gone.

Give it to me, Athena insisted.

I will put it into a potion, and then you must swallow it.

Zeus looked horrified.

Once again, a pretty fair reaction.

It's not like Zeus hasn't swallowed people before.

We all heard the story of Matis, literally Athena's own mother.

Swallow the heart and Dionysus will be born again, Athena cried.

He will survive this terrible incident and be stronger than ever before.

And that...

is exactly what happened.

Zeus swallowed the heart and in a few months, he cut Dionysus out of his leg.

The baby was perfectly fine.

Once again, I must interrupt this story to point out that none of this is anatomically accurate, at least among mortal humans.

No, but it is kind of a cool story.

And it actually affects the whole origin story of humanity.

You see, according to this version of Dionysus' birth, after Zeus learned that Dionysus would be okay, he took immediate action against the Titans.

And let me tell you, Zeus was ready for some payback.

This was going to be way worse than a prison sentence.

It didn't take Zeus long before he found the Titans.

I was too lenient by letting you live after the war.

I won't make that mistake again, he shouted.

Zeus reached for his lightning bolts.

The Titans tried to run, but they were no match for the king of the gods and were struck down immediately.

But that's not the end of the story.

In this version, Zeus created humanity from the Titans' ashes.

And since the Titans had their bellies full after devouring Dionysus, that meant the ashes were part Dionysus too.

So, in this version of the creation of humans, people are made partly from evil, or the Titans, and partly from the divine, or Dionysus.

This explains why there is both goodness and evil inside all humans today.

Those who followed the Orphic Mysteries strongly believed in this origin story and revered Dionysus above all else, seeing him as a father figure of humanity.

But regardless of the story of his birth, most people believe that Dionysus grew up to be raised on Mount Nyssa.

Despite the sad circumstances of his birth, Dionysus had a relatively pleasant childhood.

He was raised by mortals and got to experience the beauty and wonder of nature.

It was here on Mount Nyssa that Dionysus discovered wine for the first time.

Dionysus had a best friend on Mount Nyssa, a satyr named Ampelus.

Satyrs are woodland creatures that are half man and half beast.

Though we described them in the past as half goat, they can also be half horse.

Despite their anatomical differences, Dionysus and Ampelus were thick as thieves.

The two were always running around and getting into trouble.

They also shared their deepest secrets with one another.

Ampelus knew that Dionysus was a god and that he desired to return to Mount Olympus more than anything else.

One day I'll get back there, he would say to Ampelus, and I'll bring you with me.

Maybe we can teach those gods a thing or two about having fun.

Ampelus liked this idea, but unfortunately, fate had other plans.

Before we find out what horrible thing befalls Dionysus' one and only loved one, let's stop for a commercial, shall we?

Okay, sounds good.

Let's do it.

Hey there.

Do you ever wonder what would happen if Cinderella started her own rock band or if Medusa realized just how cool her hair was?

Well, there's a Webby award-winning show called Girl Tales that takes classic stories and puts a unique twist on them, giving girls the chance to save the day, use their intelligence and bravery, and show that they can be the heroes of their own stories.

If you are ready for an adventure, find girl tales wherever you get your podcasts.

Back to Ampelus and Dionysus now.

One day, the two were messing around on the mountainside when they discovered a gigantic bull.

I dare you to ride it, Dionysus said to Ampelus.

Imagine a goat man riding a bull.

Now, this was the side of Dionysus that many people disliked.

He was impulsive and a little reckless, and he tended to put people in dangerous situations just because he found it entertaining.

And Ampelus, never one to back down from a dare, agreed.

To be honest, this was in no way near the most dangerous thing the two had ever done.

But unfortunately, this bull was in no mood to be part of Dionysus' games.

He flung Ampelus off the second he jumped on his back.

Ampelus soared through the air and hit the ground with a sickening thud.

No!

Dionysus cried as he tried to help the satyr.

But it was too late.

Ampelus was gone.

Dionysus sat beside his beloved companion and cried true tears.

He had never known his mother.

Zeus barely came to see him here on this mountain.

And now, Ampelus was gone, all because of some stupid dare.

But suddenly, Ampelus' body started to vibrate.

Dionysus watched in amazement as the satyr's body slowly transformed into a long, slender, dark green

thing.

It was a vine.

More specifically, a grape vine.

Grape vines are a type of plant native to the Mediterranean region.

Right, and Dionysus had never seen one before.

Why would Ampelus transform into this flower thing?

And were those some sort of fruit?

What was he supposed to do with this?

Ampelus must want me to discover something, Dionysus thought.

But what is it?

Dionysus looked around, confused.

He had no idea what to make of this weird vine thing in front of him.

Suddenly, he heard rustling in the woods behind him.

Out of the leaves slithered a snake.

Dionysus leapt up in fear and quickly backed away, but the snake wasn't coming for him.

It was headed towards something else, the grapevine.

Dionysus watched with interest as the snake opened its mouth and clamped down on one of the grapes.

He was eating it.

No, wait, he was simply drinking all the juice.

Why would the snake do that?

he wondered.

When it had had its fill, the snake slithered back into the woods, stopping to give Dionysus a sly smile before it disappeared.

Well, needless to say, Dionysus was intrigued.

As listeners know, by now, snakes are highly intelligent.

The king cobra is considered to be the smartest snake in the world.

He picked off one of the grapes, but instead of just swallowing it right away, he squeezed it and drank some of the juice.

This is magnificent, he said.

I need to show this to everyone.

And just like that, Dionysus discovered wine.

Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes that is a drink for adults only because it can damage growing brains.

I'd also like to point out that, technically, the snake was the one who discovered wine first.

It is unfair to not give credit.

to the proper sources.

Okay, fine.

The snake, then Dionysus, discovered wine.

From that moment on, everything changed for Dionysus.

He decided to leave Mount Nyssa and travel the world, teaching everyone about grapes and wine.

Before long, he had many followers, including other satyrs who happily joined him on his travels.

And while Dionysus was generally considered a fun, likable guy, he did make some enemies along the way.

One of these men was Lycurgus, the king of Thrace.

Lycurgus heard about Dionysus and his cult of followers, and the last thing he wanted was to have him come to his kingdom and get everyone all riled up.

Now to be fair, this was exactly what Dionysus had been doing for the past few years.

He caused mayhem wherever he went, inviting people to abandon their jobs and responsibilities in favor of partying and having fun.

Many kings feared that Dionysus would visit and cause an uproar in their kingdoms, but Lycurgus in particular was not in favor of anyone abandoning their responsibilities.

So he decreed that Dionysus was not welcome in Thrace.

He warned that he would be immediately imprisoned if he was found on this land.

Well, Dionysus wasn't exactly one for rules, you know, and so he completely disregarded King Lycurgus.

This turned out to be a big mistake.

When they arrived in Thrace, they were met by an ambush attack led by Lycurgus himself.

I told you not to come, Lycurgus yelled to Dionysus.

It's about time someone taught you a lesson.

Dionysus watched in horror as his followers were struck down by the ferocious army.

Lycurgus was wielding a giant axe and didn't seem to care in the slightest that most of Dionysus' followers seemed to have no experience in battle and were entirely unable to defend themselves.

Stop!

Dionysus cried.

They are innocent.

We will surrender peacefully.

You do not need to fight.

But Lycurgus didn't listen, and the slaughter continued.

Dionysus looked around in panic.

There was nowhere to run.

They were on a cliff overlooking the water.

They had no escape.

Listen to me, he yelled to his remaining followers.

We have to jump off the cliff into the water.

It's our only chance.

So Dionysus and his admirers dove off the cliff just in time, barely missing Lycurgus and his axe.

Now, for most people, this would have been a bad move.

The fall alone was dangerous, and the ocean below was completely treacherous.

Most people would have drowned or gotten eaten by sharks or something, but Dionysus was a god, and he happened to have friends in high, or in this case, wet places.

Thetis, he screamed, Thetis, we need your help!

Thetis was a famous sea nymph.

Listeners might remember her as being the mother of the great Achilles.

Exactly.

And luckily, she was also a fan of Dionysus, although she always denied his wine whenever offered.

Thetis rescued Dionysus and his crew immediately, making sure they were safe on the shore.

You do not want to cross Lycurgus, she said to Dionysus.

He has no conscience whatsoever.

Dionysus was relieved to have escaped, but he was also furious.

What kind of king attacks the innocent?

If he had a problem with Dionysus, he should have taken it out on Dionysus directly instead of attacking his followers.

Dionysus wanted revenge.

He will regret the day he ever took his anger out on my followers, he said.

And then he cursed Lycurgus and made the king go mad.

In this story, when we say madness, we are talking about a God-induced state of insensibility rather than a medical condition.

It could more accurately be called enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm?

Isn't that a little mild for this kind of thing?

Enthusiasm comes from the Greek word for the god inside.

and originally referred to the state where your rational self is being overcome by a god.

Okay, interesting.

So when the next morning King Lycurgus was constantly muttering to himself and seemed unable to focus on any outside conversation, this was the start of the

enthusiasm.

A few days later, Lycurgus was so enthused that he began to attack the people closest to him.

And when his guards went to restrain him, he turned the axe on himself and took his own life.

Dionysus didn't like having to resort to such tactics, but he took his responsibility as a leader seriously and made sure that all of his followers were respected and treated fairly.

This proved to be a hard thing to do, as Dionysus and his admirers were ridiculed many times throughout history.

But somehow, Dionysus always emerged on top.

This wandering and partying continued for several years until Dionysus heard a fascinating story about Hera being stuck in a chair of some sort.

This is in reference to the Hephestus episode we did in season five, where Hephaestus makes a magical throne for Hera that ultimately traps her there until Hephaestus agrees to come release her.

Exactly.

And the story goes that Dionysus heard about this chair and decided to use the situation to his advantage.

This Hephaestus fellow could be my ticket to Mount Olympus.

If I find him and convince him to free Hera, she'll have to let me come back to live with the other gods.

You can listen to the rest of the story back in season five, but let's just say that Dionysus' plan was successful and granted him entry to Mount Olympus.

But even so, despite this story, there are still some people who do not think that Dionysus is worthy of true Olympian status.

There are 12 Olympians who are considered the major deities of Greek mythology and lived on Mount Olympus.

They include Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Aries, Hermes, and Hephaestus.

The twelfth spot belongs to either Hestia or Dionysus.

It is still debated among scholars to this day.

Correct.

When Dionysus arrived on Mount Olympus, Hestia gave up her spot to avoid drama among the gods, which is a very Hestia-like thing to do.

Hestia is the goddess of the home and earth.

She was one of Zeus' siblings, but is not featured in many myths.

Yeah, she was a bit of an introvert who preferred to remain out of the fray and keep the peace.

The exact opposite of Dionysus, really.

So yes, Dionysus was a polarizing figure right down to the very end.

There's lots of debate about his worthiness as an Olympian, his value as a god in general, and whether or not he was born from Semele or Persephone.

We might never know the answer to these questions.

But no matter how you feel about Dionysus, I think we can all agree that he added a little fun and levity to an otherwise dark and serious world.

And for that reason, I'm kind of a fan.

We could all use a little laughter in our lives.

What about you, Oracle?

Are you team Dionysus?

He seems to respect the overall intelligence and value of snakes.

So for that reason, yes, I approve of Dionysus.

You know, I should have seen that one coming.

Okay, good to know.

Creaking Out.

That's the story for this week, but come back next week where we're taking a quick journey.

You might even say we'll be roaming around.

National Geographic Kids Creaking Out is written by Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes and hosted by Kenny Curtis, with Tori Kerr as the Oracle of Wi-Fi.

Audio production and sound design by Scotty Beam, and our theme song was composed by Perry Gripp.

Dr.

Adria Haluska is our subject matter expert, and Emily Everhart is our producer.