The Myth of Dionysius, Level Three

By Hippolyto Joseph Da Costa, called "Dionysian Artificers."

Juno continued her efforts to destroy Dionysius. He journeyed from place to place to escape her plottings. On One occasion she sent an Amphisbaena, a two-headed, to destroy him in sleep. Awaking in time, he killed the reptile with a vine twig. Juno then struck the young god with madness. Deprived of his reason Dionysius wandered about the World for years. At last his sanity was restored by initiation into the Phrygian Rites of Cybele the Great Mother.

The greatest among the exploits of Dionysius was his expedition to India. This Journey required three years. Silenus and the other superphysical creatures accompanied him, and as he travelled gods and heroes, priests and worshippers joined him until a great procession moved across the surface of the Earth. In terms of modern geography, hid expedition started in Egypt and his course was first NorthWest through what is now Spain and Portugal. He then turned back through North Africa to Ethiopia, crossed the Red Sea, traversed the Near East, and finally came to Asia proper where the journey continued until he reached the Source of the Ganges River. Here he caused two great pillars to be erected bearing upon them the record that the expedition had reached the extremity of the habitable world. For teh Most part, the journey made by Dionysius was a peaceful one, but on occasion he was opposed by an Indian army mounted upon elephants. On this occasion Silenus saved the expedition, for it is said that the braying of his ass stampeded the elephants. In honor of this, the animal was raised to heaven and became a constellation after its death. Having conquered the world with his cult, Dionysius returened to his own city, seven-gated Thebes.

The Bacchi of Euripedes describes the fate of Pentheus, king of Thebes and grandson of Cadmus by his daughter Agave. Cadmus, though still alive, being of great age and philosophic mind, and having no male heir, had given the kingdom to his daughter's son. When Dionysius reached Thebes he discovered that his mother's memory had been hardly used. The divine origin of her son was denied and she was regarded as the victim of some ardent but dishonorable suitor. When the people of Thebes learned of the approach of Dionysius and his company of Bacchi, they went forth joyfully to meet him, despite the remonstrances of Pentheus who was determined that the new cult should find no place in his kingdom. The king became more and more violent in his antipathy. He demanded that Dionysius be brought to him in chains and despatched soldiers and attendents to effect his capture. Dionysius at first evaded them, but one of his followers was taken and brought bound before the King. Pentheus threatened him with all forms of punishment and demanded of the captive the story of his life and the reason why he was addicted to the Dionysian Orgies. The prisoner, who had preserved a dignified poise, explained that he was Acetes of Maeonia, a pilot by profession. One day his ship stopped at the island Dia for a supply of fresh water. The Sailors, returning to the vessel, brought with them a noble and beautiful yourth, whom they had found sleeping on the shore. The seamen decided first to hold the young man for ransom, but afterwards changed their minds and determined to sell him into slavery in Egypt. Acetes was suspicious of the whole transaction. He felt a mysterious power about the youth and remonstrated with the deity in disguise. "Naxos is my home," explained the beautiful prisoner. "Take me there and you shall be rewarded." The sailors agreed but headed the ship in the opposite direction. Just before they reached Egypt a miracle occured. The vessel suddenly stopped in mid-ocean and neither sail nor oars could move it. Then wine began pouring out of the hold of the ship and vines began to twine themselves about the mast. Grape and Ivy tendrils soon spread over the entire deck. Music filled the air. The young prisoner was suddenly transformed into the god Dionysius himself. On his brow was a chaplet of vine leaves, his spear was wreathed with ivy, tigers and panthers played at his feet. The sailors fell on their knees in terror before the sight. Suddenly he was transformed into a raging lion. To escape, the sailors jumped into the sea and were changed into dolphins. Only Acetes the pilot was spared because he alone had recognized the presence of the divine power.

Pentheus in anger ordered the execution of the Pilot but Dionysius came to his assistance. Acetes, rendered invisible by the Bacchic power, walked unseen through the palace and escaped. Later Dionysius himself captured and brought before Pentheus, but the God could not be harmed by any mortal power. His prison was destroyed by lightnings and God, surrounded by an aureole of glory, returned to his worshippers among the hills. Pentheus, disguising himself in woman's clothing, went to the mountains to spy upon the Bacchic rites but was discovered and torn to pieces by the infuriated Bacchanales.

It was on the island of Naxos that Dionysius discovered Ariadne, daughter of Minos, king of the Cretans, who had been deserted there by her unfaithful lover Theseus. Dionysius crowned her with a magnificient coronet of gold and jewels and when she died soon after, giving birth to the son of Theseur, Dionysius lifted the crown to heaven and placed it among the constellations.

From this point on the legend of Dionysius is very fragmented. According to most accounts he devoted the rest of his earthly existence to perfecting of the Theban State. There is an account of his descent into the underworld to rescue the soul of his mother from the abode of the dead. Having released Semele from the obscurations of Hades, he escorted her to Olympus where she became one of the immortals. Dionysius continued the dissemination of his teachings, and having established his priests and shrines and revealed his secret doctrine, he ascended at last to the throne of his father with whom he is eternally reunited. In the words of the ancient poet: "One Zeus, one Dionysius."