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30 days of Dionysus - 17

Day 17 -  How does this deity relate to other gods and other pantheons?

I’m going to focus on syncretism with gods from other pantheons because I think we’ve talked about how he relates to some deities in a lot of other topics. 

One case of syncretism we quickly talked about is with Sabazios, a Phrygian/Thracian deity. 

Then we have the roman syncretism with Liber. Again, Liber is originally a roman rustic god, which got associated with Dionysus pretty early on when Greek settlers arrived in Southern Italy. 

The Greeks identified Dionysus with the egyptian god Osiris also very early on, as it was already a thing in the 5th century BC (according to Herodotus). Later, Plutarch also stated Osiris and Dionysus to be same, with important parallels around, for example, the notion of dismemberment and other cultic. This syncretism however is particularly important during the Ptolemaic era, since the dynasty claimed a divine lineage to Dionysus (which was a fairly common political thing to do, see Julius Caesar and Venus). 

Lastly, and I’m putting this one aside because it is an in-pantheon syncretism: Hades. There are evidences of cultic parallels between a chthonic Dionysus and Hades, especially in southern Greece. Another interpretation is that it might have an implication in the Eleusinian mysteries under the form of a tripartite god joining Zeus, Hades and Dionysus representating birth, death and resurrection. 

I don’t want to go into complicated details when it comes to syncretism and the different interpretations but being knowledgable about it serves as an important reminder: Dionysus and the other greek gods are very very complex, and no matter how much we, as worshippers, try to simplify things to make them more approchable to us and to newcomers, we can’t erase that complexity. We need to remember that the gods and their cultus are not set in stone, that the myths are various and contradict eachother, that cultus are also various and contradict eachother too. 

30 days of Dionysus - 15

Day 15 - Any mundane practices that are associated with this deity?

The line between mundane and mystical is often thin in Hellenic polytheism but there’s a few things we can list. 

Drinking wine/alcohol: The most obvious but also important one. I’ll cite Walter F. Otto : “He, the god who appeared among men with his ripe intoxicating drink, was the same as the frenzied one whose spirit drove the women to madness in the loneliness of the mountains. Wine has in it something of the spirit of infinity which brings the primeval world to life again.” Wine being holy in a dionysiac sense, drinking it can be both ritualistic and mundane. I like to extend this idea to most alcohols, because the state of drunkenness is dionysiac in nature. 

DISCLAIMER: Before I get angry anons, I’m in no way saying that dionysian worshippers who do not drink alcohol are less pious than the ones who do. Drinking is a personal choice and if it’s not for you for whatever reason, then it’s fine and you get to focus on another aspect of Dionysus. 

Dancing: Dance is a very common theme in bacchic frenzy, and it’s often done by the maenads/women. I think dancing is seen as the physical, visual representation of madness in Dionysiac cult. 

Any form of dramatic art: Dionysus is the patron to theater. Acting, writing plays, going to see a play… all those are associated to him and make great devotional activities. 

Drag: I haven’t touched on the subject of cross-dressing in Ancient Greek setting, but cross-dressing is a dionysiac activity and doing drag and/or appreciating drag is also a very appropriate devotional activity. 

30 days of Dionysus - 8

Day 8 -  Variations on this deity (aspects, regional forms, etc.)

That’s.. such a wide topic…

Let me start off by reminding everyone that ancient Greek cultus was not homogenous. Ancient Greece was a cluster of independant cities which, while sharing a pantheon, did things differently. So yeah, we’re gonna have plenty and plenty of regional forms and aspects for each god. I also want to point out that we’re also talking about a religion that changed a lot over the centuries. When someone now, in the 21th century, refers to “hellenic polytheism”, we’re talking about a simplified, unified, modernized version of the old cultus, no matter how recon you want to be. And that specific modern version is largely based upon the biggest ressource we have: Athens, and its golden age: the 5th century BC. 

Now, if you’re historically inclined like myself and many others on this website are, you can dig into academical articles and books and find out more about more localized ways of doing. 

As a said, there were many ways I could have gone with such a vague subject for today but I’m going to take the “regional form” route and talk about something I haven’t seen that much on tumblr yet: the thracian cult of Dionysus and its link to Orphism. This will be long, so I’m gonna put this under the cut and if you’re interested: buckle up. 

Keep reading

30 days of Dionysus - 5

Day 5 - Members of the family – genealogical connections

That’s broad and general knowledge so I won’t go into detail here. More information can be found here. Keep in mind that myth is not set in stone and stories vary depending on cult. 

Traditionally, his parents are Zeus and Semele. In Orphic cult, his parents are Zeus and Persephone. A more obscure lineage, linked to the Eleusinian mysteries, consider him as a child of Demeter also. 

Because he is one of the children of Zeus, he has a lot of siblings. Among the “big” olympians we find Aphrodite, Apollo, Hermes, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Hephaesteus, Persephone. But yeah, all of Zeus’ kids are obviously his siblings.

As for his children, I’m going to stick with short n’ easy version we find on  theoi.com:

He had 9 children that are gods and “11″ mortal children. I won’t focus on the mortal children, it is just important to know that most of them are the children he had with his wife, the deified mortal Ariadne: Eurymedon, Keramos, Oinopion, Peparethos, Phanos, Phliasos, Staphylos and Thoas. Most of them lived as lords or kings. 

Now, for divine children: 

Hymenaios: Disputed lineage, he is most often attributed to the union of Apollo and a Muse. In the version in which he is a son of Dionysus, his mother is Aphrodite. He is the god of weddings and wedding hymns. 

Iakkos: The “3rd Dionysus”, appears only in eleusinian rites. His mother is either the titiness Aura or Aphrodite. 

the Kharites: The Graces. Traditionally the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome. They are sometimes said to be the daughters of Dionysus. 

Methe: the nymph-goddess of drunkenness. 

Pasithea: A kharis, she is the wife to Hypnos, the god of sleep. 

Priapos: Probably one of the most known of his children. Priapos is the god of garden/vegetal fertility and fertility as a whole. He inherited of his father’s connection with the phallus. He is traditionally the son of Dionysus and Aphrodite. 

Sabazios: Thraco-Phrygian god of wine and vegetation. Only one source says he is Dionysus’ son. I call syncretism on this one personally. 

Telete: Goddess of the initiation into dionysian Mysteries. Her mother is the nymph Nikaia.

Thysa: the goddess-nymph of frenzy during the Bacchic orgies. 

Ernst Bieler  __  The Bacchae, 1905

30 days of Dionysus - 7

Day 7 -  Names and epithets

Dionysus is mainly known under 3 names: Dionysus, Bacchus and Liber. Dionsysu and Bacchus (Bakkhos) are both Greek names, Liber is not really the “roman name”. Liber is actually a native italian rustic god who got syncretised with Dionysus when his worship spread out to Italy. 

Now, I won’t list all the epithets because, oh dear, there’s so much. If you want a very good list (I won’t say complete because they’re not all here), check out this theoi.com page. 

Instead of listing them all blindly, I will go through some ones that I’ve carefully picked because I like them or because they are relevant to my practice. 

Akratophoros: the giver of un-mixed wine. It was common in Ancient Greece to mix wine with water, at least for the southern cities. “Cute” anecdote: the macedonians didn’t mix their wine, which was quite harshly criticized in Athens and made them spread the belief that macedonians were drunk af. 

Antheus: the bloomer, in the sense of flowers. But I personally find this epithet to have a powerful symbolic potential. 

Bromios: “loud” or “boisterous”. Less than the meaning, I mostly like that one of the explanations to this title is that he was born during a thunderstorm, and I like that version.

Eleuthereus: If I had had to choose only one it would have been this one. It is one of the titles I feel the closest to: the liberator, the deliverer. 

Intonsus: “with/of” long hair. I love love love this one. Shared with Apollo, it refers to the fact that young men would only cut their hair once they reached adulthood. As such, Dionysus and Apollo are described as eternally youthful. But I’m a sucker for long hair and that’s that. 

Lyaeus: “who frees from anxiety”. This one hits home in many ways.

Phallen: self explanatory. Also I like dicks. Joke aside, my practice has become more focused on the sexual and fertility aspects over the years.

Soter: This epithet is common among the gods, as it means “savior”. 

Anyway, that was a very personal take on the many epithets Dionysus has. For anyone who is looking for more, I highly suggest taking a look at the page I’ve linked above and going further into research. I’ve found obscure epithets in articles and books. 

when did we start describing impulsive actions as feral? i love it. real bonding moment between the meme community and the maenads, followers of dionysus, greek god of alcohol and insanity. the next step is for us to get cool sticks and go rave in the woods we should get on that asap

Hello, Dr. Reames! I absolutely love Dancing with the Lion, and I am especially fascinated by the mystery cult in the epilogue. Would you be able to elaborate on Orphic Dionysus, and maybe discuss what informed your writing of the initiation? (A side note: the line "This was what it meant to come face-to-face with an immortal: better never to be noticed at all" made my hair stand on end, as well as your "ineffably sad" descriptions of the god. The whole scene was incredible!)

Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it! At least one reviewer on Goodreads thought it was “very weird.” I think, perhaps, readers more used to genre Romance may not have expected a visit from the magical realism fairy. ;) (Funny, how we always notice criticism more than praise.)

Anyway, to your question: much of our evidence for any mystery cult comes from the Hellenistic era and later, but it seems there was some form of Dionysic mystery by the 5th century, at least. The earliest mystery cults seems to have been Eleusis, but the idea caught on quickly, and others developed during the Archaic and Classical (esp.) eras, until by the 4th century they were ubiquitous and most Greeks had been initiated into at least one.

Mystery cults came in two basic types: those tied to a particular PLACE, such as the rites for Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis (which may, itself, be a permutation of the Thesmophoria), and the rites for the “Great Gods” at Samothrace. There were priests and priestesses, and even families (gens) tied to maintaining the rites. These also tended to be “one-off,” so one could be initiated to each stage only once.

Others were “repeating” rites, and were usually not tied to a specific place. The best known of these was for Dionysos and/or Orpheus, but Mithras would be a much later example, too. The “mystes” (leaders) of these were not necessarily formal priests/priestesses, and may even have been itinerant. They weren’t necessarily well-regarded socially, either. (The orator Aeschines had shade thrown at him by accusing his mother of having been an actress and performer of initiations, in which Aeschines supposedly helped.)

The rite described in the book is, of course, fictional, as the ancients kept their Mysteries a mystery, and we have no complete account. But we do have “hints and allegations,” if you will, from materials such as gold tablets/leaves (lamellae) from tombs, the Derveni Papyrus (from a grave in Macedonia, which contains “Orphic” theology, see below), or the fescos from the Villa of the Mysteries at Pompeii. As a result, we have a pretty good *general* idea of what went on, but the details, the order, etc., that’s unknown. So I made it up. :-)

Macedonia has produced gold lamellae similar to those found at Pelinna and Pherai in Thessaly, in particular (called “Group D”). These are part of a larger cache of tablets found all over Greater Greece from Macedonia and Thrace to Crete to Thurii in Italy (see below). I used text from the tablets in writing the scene, such as the formula “I am a child of Earth and Starry Heaven.” The tablets come in groups with text ranging from a name alone to bits and pieces of apparent liturgy (?). While some of these are square, others are a diamond shape. They seem to have been put in the hand of the deceased, on the deceased’s mouth (the diamond especially), or on the chest, and acted as “reminders” for the soul as it took its journey to the underworld: how to avoid the river of forgetfulness, what to say to Persephone, etc., in order to get to happy Elysion, not boring ol’ Hades.

There’s no little disagreement as to whether what’s on the tablets reflect a single text or several different traditions. There’s not even agreement as to whether these lamellae are “Orphic,” and what that meant. Dionysic rites were gender segregated, and (it seems) that the female rites did NOT use wine–a common misconception, and by the Hellenistic era, may have even been celebrated in buildings, not the forest. We have inscriptions suggesting as much. Instead of alcohol, the women danced themselves into a frenzy. They also weren’t really eating raw meat. The meat seems to have been tossed into a pit or bowl “for Dionysos.” So it wasn’t the wild crazy stuff described in the Bakkhai, which is a play and mythical. We can’t and shouldn’t assume it reflects what people were actually doing. That said, there is mention in Plutarch, et al., that the Macedonian version (mimallones instead of maenads) included the use of tame snakes. The Greeks had a weird relationship with snakes: they had a “house snake” connected to the cult of Zeus Ktesios, but also tended to regard snakes with great suspicion.

What the men were doing is less clear, and here’s where it may fold into “Orphic” rites, whatever that was. The assumption is some of the Orphic stuff was coming down from Thrace, Macedonia’s near neighbor. I’ve got a book Orpheus, the Thracian, but I got it at the museum in Kazanlak, Bulgaria, so it’s not included in the list below, as I doubt it’s obtainable easily, even for libraries.

Introduction to Mysteries generally:

Walter Burkert, Ancient Mystery Cults, Burkert is the “father” of much of the modern treatment of Greek religion, so this is the starting place.

Jan N. Bremmer, Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World. Another big name in the study of Greek religion.

Hugh Bowden, Mystery Cults of the Ancient World; I think his treatment of Eleusis is better than Dionysos, but it’s a good book with images.

Greek Mysteries: the Archaeological and Ritual of Ancient Greek Secret Cults, Michael B. Cosmopoulos, ed., is relatively recent and has a couple chapters on Dionysic cult.

Some intro bibliography on Dionysos:

Richard Seaford, Dionysos, from Routledge’s series on the heros and gods, is a great, short introduction that covers a lot of ground.

Susan Cole, “Finding Dionysos,” in A Companion to Greek Religion, ed. Daniel Ogden, another good introduction, written for a more advanced audience.

More complex treatments of Dionysos:

Masks of Dionysos, Thomas H. Carpenter and Christopher A. Faraone, eds., has articles on the god ranging from theatre to the mysteries.

A Different God? Dionysos and Ancient Polytheism, Renate Schlesier, ed. This (and the one below) are expensive edited collections better sought via ILL.

Redefining Dionysos, Alberto Bernabe, et al., eds., see the chapter “Dionysos versus Orphaeus?” by Marisa Tortorelli Ghidini.

Books on the tablets, the Derveni Papyrus, etc.:

Fritz Graf and Sarah Isles Johnston, Ritual Texts for the Afterlife: Orpheus and the Bacchic Gold Tablets, 2nd ed….start here. It’s a great introduction.

The “Orphic” Gold Tablets and Greek Religion: Further Along the Path, Radcliffe G. Edmonds III, ed. A collection of articles on the tablets from all over the opinion map.

Poetry as Initiation: the Center for Hellenic Studies Syposium on the Derveni Papyrus, Ioanna Papadopoulou and Leonard Mueliner, eds., conference proceedings

I rewrote the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, but in a way were nobody is unhappy. 

Theseus paced around his cell. He sighed deeply, very deeply. The next day, he had to face the minotaur. When he had stepped onto the boat that brought him to Crete, weeks earlier, he had thought that he would have figured out how to brave the labyrinth by this point. But alas, his brain was still blank. He sunk to the ground and rested his head against the wall of his cell. He was so tired. What to do, what to do…

He scrambeld to his feet when he heard something in the hallway. He turned his head around, towards the small window in the door. He saw light coming towards him. He blinked. It seemd so…bright. He hadn’t seen light in quite a while. He heard a knock on his door. ‘Theseus?’ a feminine voice asked. Theseus straightend his back. 

'Who are you?’

'You are a feisty one. I am princess Ariadne.’ Theseus swallowed. 

'What do you want from me?’

'Calm down a little. I can help you defeat the minotaur. Yet… I’ll want something back.’

'How can I trust that you won’t kill me?’

'Theseus, your chances are that I  actually help you, or I kill you. If I don’t give you advice, you die tomorrow anyway, so you either take the chance, or you die anyway.' 

Theseus didn’t say anything back. 'I take it that you agree.’ He heard the lock of the door open. Ariadne appeared in the door frame. 'Follow me.’

The princess lead him to a secluded part of the palace. 'We can talk here. The guards patrol here at this time.’ She soothed the skirt of her dress. First, there is something you should know. The minotaur is my half-brother.’ Theseus gasped and opened his mouth to say something back, but the princess held up her finger. 

'Let me continue. I know Asterion - that is the minotaurs birthname - has the habit of eating humans, when forced by starvation. Yet, when he does not get meat, he eats regular food, the scraps of our dinner. Someone had to bring it to him every day, and that was me. I… I have gotten close to him.’

'He is a monster, though, and you are so young and frail…’

'I am quite certain that I am older than you are and we Princesses train more than people think. Moving on, It would break my heart if he were to be killed.’ Theseus swallowed. The look she gave him didn’t make him feel comfortable. 'Now - it is quite easy to go around this problem,’ she continued, 'Because under the labyrinth there is a corridor system, through which he will be able to escape to the woods on the island. He will be safe there, it is a holy place where hunting is illegal.’

'How do you know all that?’

'I said I had to feed him every day. Do you think I do not know how to walk through the labyrinth? Also, my… mentor showed me the geography of the Island.' 

'Alright, that is true, I guess…’ The girl pushed a ball of yarn into his hands.

'Here. This clew of wool will make sure that you do not get lost and that you will find the corridors. It is magic - don’t ask.  If Asterion sees it, and you call him by his name, I am sure that he will not charge at you. Tell him I send you.’

'Wait, he can…’

'Understand and speak human language. . If you lead him away, you can use the clew to get back to the entrance of the labyrinth, so you can leave and go back to Athens, with all the others.’

'What if he kills me before I can do all that?’

'He won’t.’ Ariadne got a sword from behind her skirts. 'But, here is my dad’s sword, just to be sure.’ Theseus laughed. 

'Well… Thanks.’ He took the sword from her hands. After that, he remembered that Ariadne had told him he had to do something for her in return. 'Uh… You told me I needed to do something for you too.’ She gave him a single nod.

'This might sound weird…’

'Weirder than everything you have already told me?’ She chuckled.

'Depends on how you see it. But, you see, I am actually supposed to get married to the old king of Thrace. He is… known for keeping a lot of misstresses and not treating his wives good. Yet, I have received a… better proposal. One that my father doesn’t agree with. Or know of.’ Theseus raised his eyebrows.

'Of whom, then? One of the servants? Some fisherman?’

'Very funny, Athens Boy. But, no.’ The princess pushed up her sleeve, revealing a small tattoo on the back of her arm. It resembled a bunch of grapes, but Theseus realised that it wasn’t just any small tatoo. It felt like one of the gods. put it there. 'It’s Dionysus…’

'What!?’

'Let me talk. Yet, he can’t take me away from here. I am locked inside the castle at all times and because of an old law, he can’t get me out. Yet, a few days ago, he told me he could take me along with him if I was not on Crete. I have looked at it, and there is a small Island on the way from Athens to Crete, called Naxos. You can leave me there. ’

'So, if I can lead the minotaur to a peaceful place so that I do not die and he doesn’t either, I just… have to take you along and leave you on that island so your boyfriend, who is also the god of madness and wine, can pick you up?’

'Exactly.' 

Theseus blinked. 'Sounds way to easy to be true.' 

The princess shrugged. 'It is the best for everyone.’

'Then I accept, your majesty.' 

 'So, we have a deal, my prince?’ She held up her hand.

'We have a deal,’ he said, while giving her a high five.

Theseus breathed in the cool sea air.’ Hmm. Now that’s amazing, don’t you think?’ Ariadne chuckled. 

'It certainly is. I would often sneak off to a side of the palace where the fresh air from the ocean could just reach me. But of course, it is nothing compared to being fully surrounded by it.’ Theseus nodded. 

'I can understand that. Man, I almost can’t comprehend how easy that whole ordeal turned out to be. Thanks again, Ariadne.’ The princess nodded. 

'Hm-hm.’ She narrowed her eyes. 'I think that over there is Naxos.’ Theseus looked at the direction she pointed at. He sighed. 'Yeah, it sure is.’ He turned around. 

'Sail towards the island in the distance! We’ll get resources for the rest of the trip there!’ He called out. His first mate nodded, and begun shouting instructions to the rest of the crew. 

Theseus sighed again and turned back to Ariadne. She looked excited. 'You know, I wish you and your boyfriend good luck, together.’ She looked at him and smiled.

'Thanks, Theseus. If you ever find a lover, I wish you the same.’ She chuckled again. 'I think I’ll miss you… for a bit.’ Theseus laughed.

Same for me, princess. Just a bit, of course.’ They laughed together. She took a very deep breath. 

'We’ll have the rest of the trip to the island to still talk, Theseus.’

Theseus carried a barrel filed with fresh water towards the ship. When he was done, he walked out onto the beach one last time. Ariadne was waiting there. 'Are you sure he is coming?’ She nodded with confidence. 

'Yes. When you have left.’ He slowly nodded.

Ariadne put a hand on his shoulder. I feel his presence, Theseus. You have my eternal thanks  for bringing me here.’

'You’re welcome.’ She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. 

'I hope I get to see you again some day.' 

'Me too. ’ Ariadne let her hand slip of his shoulder. Theseus put a step back, turned around and slowly walked back to the boat. 

He waved at her one last time, when she was just a spec in the distance. She waved back, before turning around and walking towards something Theseus couldn’t fully see. He took a deep breath. 'Guess he did come for her after all,’ he said to himself, feeling relieved. 

'I think he thinks you didn’t come for me,’ Ariadne said, while she gracefully twirled  around after that last wave. 

'I did, though. And you too, apparently. To be honest, I wasn’t sure he’d let you go,’ Dionysus answered.  She snickered and fell into his arms.

'Gods have a certain aura, don’t you know that? and I can sense yours from a few hundred metres away. That’s how I knew you were coming.’ Dionysus snickered.

'Good to know that.’ He gently pushed her out of his arms, so he could look at her. He cupped her face. 'You’re even more beautiful when you are free.'  Ariadne put a hand on his.

'That’s good to know, because that is how I will be spending the rest of my life.’ Dionysus nodded and kissed her on the forehead. 

I promise you that it will be the rest of your life, Ariadne. I promise.’

Mark Stefik, Internet Dreams: Archtypes, Myths, and Metaphors

I wonder what the reason is that all possible children of Hades and Persephone are also attributed to other parentages?

it’s weird.

When i first started to get into hellenistic worship i found this hymn to Dionysus which i really like! I didn’t even realize it was a orphic hymn till today which is also cool cause I’ve been looking into orphic stuff and the dionysian mysteries

Persephone ate the pomegranate seeds willingly? Why?

I talk a lot about why she would eat the seeds willingly here and here. And there’s another bit I wrote about female agency in the Bronze Age here.

But the long and short of those three wordy essays on that idea is this: Persephone was a goddess and one who was deeply feared and respected by the Greeks. Before she became the Iron Queen of the Underworld, she presided over vegetation and fertility as the embodiment of spring (Karpophoros) and would have known what those seeds meant.

And by explicating the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, her first appearance in written record, we see that she changed Hades himself. The story begins with him snatching her unwillingly and carrying her away to the Underworld in the way a bride would traditionally be taken to her new husband’s home. But by the time Persephone leaves, he has this to say:

“Go now, Persephone, to your dark-robed mother, go, and feel kindly in your heart towards me: be not so exceedingly cast down; for I shall be no unfitting husband for you among the deathless gods, that am own brother to father Zeus. And while you are here, you shall rule all that lives and moves and shall have the greatest rights among the deathless gods: those who defraud you and do not appease your power with offerings, reverently performing rites and paying fit gifts, shall be punished for evermore.”

It is right after this scene that he slips her the pomegranate seeds. In this scene Hermes has come to bring Persephone back to grieving Demeter, and Hades doesn’t just say “here, Hermes I’ll return Zeus his property” but addresses and cajoles Persephone herself and offers her equal rulership over his domain something that would have been un-fucking-heard-of in a society where women were seen as chattel, as a way to simply produce sons.

But why did she eat the seeds? We know she didn’t do it because she was hungry. It says in the Illiad that gods do not require bread or wine as mankind does.

When she eats the seeds she is called “wise Persephone”, casting away doubt that it was done by mistake.

And she eats the seeds ONLY after Hades offers her timai, honor, and a chance to be something more than what she was in the world above: kore, a name that simply means ‘maiden’ or ‘girl’. If she hadn’t eaten the seeds, it would have compelled her to “remain continually with grave, dark-robed Demeter”, and she would have been a maiden without timai once more instead of the ruler over the dead that the Greeks feared and respected utterly.

Persephone herself says later that Zeus had given her to Hades with métis (wisdom), showing that she too was transformed by her time with Hades, and believed him to be a fitting husband. A good match for her. The alliteration of ‘dark-haired Hades and noble Persephone’ in how Hermes addressed them when he found them together would have also tipped off the ancient audience listening to the hymn that they were well matched.

Because she was a goddess of vegetation who would know the consequences of eating the food of the Underworld, because she held a place of such importance in the pantheon, and because she only did it after Hades promised her equal rule as Queen, I believe that Persephone ate the seeds conscientiously and willingly.

the two genders, dandy and bacchante,

To the mythopoeic mind, water is the element in which the primal mysteries of all life dwell. Birth and death, past, present, and future intertwine their dances here. Where the sources of Becoming are, there too is prophecy. This is why the water spirits have the power of prophecy. And beauty omnipotent, the enchantment for whom all the treasure-houses of Becoming fling wide their gates - Aphrodite - rose out of the sea, begotten in the middle of the waves from the seed of Uranus. With water come vitality, re-invigoration, and nourishment to flood through all creation. […] Water is, then, the element in which Dionysus is at home. Like him, it betrays a dual nature: a bright, joyous, and vital side; and one that is dark, mysterious, dangerous, deathly. The spirits which rise up and out of it are, like the Dionysiac spirit, not only bearers of prophecy but also bearers of madness.

Walter F. Otto, Dionysus: Myth and Cult (trans. Robert B. Palmer)

When I have read about the Eleusinian Mysteries, it is sometimes said that the initiates maybe witnessed a ritual involving the birth of a Divine Child. The main source for this seems to be the church father Hippolytus, who claimed that at the high point of the Eleusinian Mysteries, the hierophant shouted “Lady Brimo has given birth to a son, Brimos”. Most modern scholars assume that the child is Ploutos (“wealth”), whom Hesiod tells us was Demeter’s son by Iasion and whom, according to the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Demeter and Persephone send to the doorsteps of those who have been initiated into their mysteries. But in Ritual Texts for the Afterlife: Orpheus and the Bacchic Gold Tablets by Fritz Graf and Sarah Iles Johnston, another identity of the mother and child is suggested.

It should be noted, though, that Hippolytus is not a so very reliable source. According to the authors, he has taken his information from a Gnostic tract that in turn focuses on an older pagan commentary on a hymn to Attis. So the phrace “Lady Brimo has given birth to a son, Brimos” may not come from the Eleusinian Mysteries at all, in spite of what Hippolytus said.

Hippolytus understands “Brimo” and “Brimos” to be synonyms for “strong” and therefore explains the passage as meaning “a strong mother has given birth to a strong child”. But when “brim-” words mean “strong”, the connotation is always of overwhelming, and sometimes terrifying, strength. It is not something that we would naturally associate with a pleasant god like Ploutos, whom a peaceful, placated Demeter offers to initiates as a reward. Graf and Johnston mean that Dionysos is a more likely candidate (one of his epithets was Bromios, “noisy”, “roaring”)

But who is Brimo? According to the authors, it’s a name that enters Greek literature rather late and is sometimes used to refer to Hekate, other times to Demeter, but most often to Persephone. If we assume that “Brimos” refers to Dionysos and “Brimo” to Persephone, then we have “Lady Persephone has given birth to a son, Dionysos” - a reference to the Orphic myth of how Persephone was impregnated by Zeus and gave birth to Zagreus/Dionysos.

However, Graf and Johnston suggest that this Orphic myth and cult was created in the early fifth or late sixth century BCE, inspired by the much older mystery cult at Eleusis (since no trace of the myth, or mention of any relationship between Dionysos and Persephone, can be found before that). So if this pronouncement really comes from an Eleusinian context (in the way that Hippolytus transmits it), and refers to Persephone and Dionysos, it must have been added later.

Image: fragments of a pinax from the sanctuary of Persephone in Locri, 5th century BCE. A female figure (maybe Persephone) opens a basket containing a child. Original image belongs to Dan Diffendale and can be seen here. I cropped it a bit to make the child easier to see.

Χαίρε νύμφε! Χαίρε Βᾰ́κχε! Eὐοῖ Eὐοῖ Eὐοῖ!

Bakkhos I call, loud-sounding and divine, fanatic God, a two-fold shape is thine:

Thy various names and attributes I sing, O, first-born, thrice begotten, Bacchic king:

Rural, ineffable, two-form’d, obscure, two-horn’d, with ivy crown’d, euion, pure.

Bull-fac’d, and martial, bearer of the vine, Euboleus and divine:

Triennial, whom the leaves of vines adorn, of the God and Persephone, occultly born.

Immortal dæmon, hear my suppliant voice, give me in blameless plenty to rejoice;

And listen gracious to my mystic pray'r, surrounded with thy choir of nurses fair.

Come, blessed Dionysos, various nam’d, bull-fac’d,

begot from Thunder, Bakkhos fam’d.

Bassarian God, of universal might, whom swords, and blood, and sacred rage delight:

In heav'n rejoicing, mad, loud-sounding God, furious inspirer, bearer of the rod:

By Gods rever’d, who dwell'st with human kind, propitious come, with much-rejoicing mind.

Liknitos Dionysos, bearer of the vine, thee I invoke to bless these rites divine:

Florid and gay, of nymphs the blossom bright, and of fair Aphrodite, Goddess of delight,

‘Tis thine mad footsteps with mad nymphs to beat, dancing thro’ groves with lightly leaping feet:

From Zeus’ high counsels nurst by Persephone,

and born the dread of all the pow'rs divine:

Come, blessed pow'r, regard thy suppliant’s voice, propitious come, and in these rites rejoice.

Dionysos Perikionios, hear my pray'r,

who mad'st the house of Cadmus once thy care,

With matchless force, his pillars twining round, (when burning thunders shook the solid ground,

In flaming, founding torrents borne along), propt by thy grasp indissolubly strong.

Come mighty Bakkhos to these rites inclin’d, and bless thy suppliants with rejoicing mind.

Hear me, illustrious father, dæmon fam’d.

Great Kronos’ offspring, and Zabazios nam’d;

Inserting Bakkhos bearer of the vine, and founding God, within thy thigh divine,

That when mature, the Dionysian God might burst the bands of his conceal’d abode,

And come to sacred Tmolus, his delight, where Ippa dwells, all beautiful and bright.

Come blessed Phrygian God, the king of all, and aid thy mystics, when on thee they call.

Great nurse of Bakkhos, to my pray'r incline, for holy Sabus’ secret rites are thine,

The mystic rites of Bakkhos’ nightly choirs, compos’d of sacred, loud-resounding fires:

Hear me, terrestrial mother, mighty queen, whether on Phyrgia’s holy mountain seen,

Or if to dwell in Tmolus thee delights, with holy aspect come, and bless these rites.

Hear me, son of the God, blest Bakkhos, God of wine, born of two mothers, honor’d and divine;

Lysian, Euion Bakkhos, various-nam’d, of Gods the offspring secret, holy, fam’d:

Fertile and nourishing whose liberal care earth’s fruits increases, flourishing and fair;

Sounding, magnanimous, Lenæan pow'r, O various form’d, medic'nal, holy flow'r:

Mortals in thee, repose from labour find, delightful charm, desir’d by all mankind:

Fair-hair’d Euion, Bromian, joyful God, Lysian, invested with the leafy rod.

To these our rites, benignant pow'r incline, when fav'ring men, or when on Gods you shine;

Be present to thy mystic’s suppliant pray'r, rejoicing come, and fruits abundant bear.

Nymphs, who from Okeanos’ stream derive your birth, who dwell in liquid caverns of the earth

Nurses of Bakkhos’ secret-coursing pow'r, who fruits sustain, and nourish ev'ry flow'r:

Earthly, rejoicing, who in meadows dwell, and caves and dens, whose depths extend to hell:

Holy, oblique, who swiftly soar thro’ air, fountains and dews, and mazy streams your care:

Seen and unseen, who joy with wand'rings wide and gentle course, thro’ flow'ry vales to glide;

With Pan exulting on the mountains height, loud-founding, mad, whom rocks and woods delight:

Nymphs od'rous, rob’d in white, whose streams exhale the breeze refreshing, and the balmy gale;

With goats and pastures pleas’d, and beasts of prey, nurses of fruits, unconscious of decay:

In cold rejoicing, and to cattle kind, sportive thro’ ocean wand'ring unconfin’d:

Nysian, fanatic Nymphs, whom oaks delight, lovers of Spring, Pæonian virgins bright.

With Bakkhos, and with the Lady, hear my pray'r. And to mankind abundant favour bear;

Propitious listen to your suppliants voice, come, and benignant in these rites rejoice;

Give plenteous Seasons, and sufficient wealth, and pour; in lasting streams, continued Health.

Bakkhos fanatic, much-nam’d, blest, divine, bull-fac’d Lenaian, bearer of the vine;

From fire descended, raging, Nysian king, from whom initial ceremonies spring:

Liknitan Bakkhos, pure and fiery bright, Eubouleos, crown-bearer, wandering in the night;

Pupil of Persephone, mysterious pow'r, triple, ineffable, Zeus’ secret flow'r:

Ericapæus, first-begotten nam’d, of Gods the father, and the offspring fam’d:

Bearing a sceptre, leader of the choir, whose dancing feet, fanatic Furies fire,

When the triennial band thou dost inspire.

Loud-sounding, Tages, of a fiery light, born of two mothers

Wand'ring on mountains, cloth’d with skins of deer, Apollon golden-ray’d, whom all revere.

God of the grape with leaves of ivy crown’d, Bassarian, lovely, virgin-like, renown’d

Come blessed pow'r, regard thy mystics voice, propitious come, and in these rites rejoice.

Dionysos Khthonios hear my pray'r, awak'ned rise with nymphs of lovely hair:

Great Amphietus Bakkhos, annual God, who laid asleep in Persephone’s abode,

Did'st lull to drowsy and oblivious rest, the rites triennial, and the sacred feast;

Which rous’d again by thee, in graceful ring, thy nurses round thee mystic anthems sing;

When briskly dancing with rejoicing pow'rs, thou mov'st in concert with the circling hours.

Come, blessed, fruitful, horned, and divine, and on these rites with joyful aspect shine;

Accept the general incense and the pray'r, and make prolific holy fruits thy care.

Great nurse of Bakkhos to my pray'r incline, Silenos, honor’d by the pow'rs divine

And by mankind at the triennial feast illustrious dæmon, reverenc’d as the best:

Holy, august, the source of lawful rites, rejoicing pow'r, whom vigilance delights

With Sylvans dancing ever young and fair,

head of the Bacchic Nymphs [Naiades and Bakkhai], who ivy bear.

With all thy Satyrs on our incense shine, Dæmons wild form’d, and bless the rites divine;

Come, rouse to sacred Joy thy pupil kin, and Brumal Nymphs with rites Lenaian bring;

Our orgies shining thro’ the night inspire, and bless triumphant pow'r the sacred choir.

—–

Καλά Ανθεστήρια! Happy Anthesteria! Io Dionysos!

May the jars be opened, may the wine flow free, may the dance be wild and tomorrow be free! Get drunk get high and dance and fuck the night away!

Okay, so you know how Bacchus lore ended with that really creepy “Or he might be just mad“ line, I never could understand what was that refering to untyl I’ve found this video about the original Dionysus, and everything made sense (also, subscribe to this channel, they are great at summerazing mythology and history)

Charles Baudelaire

The Goddess Ariadne, Goddess of the Labyrinth, Vegetation, Mazes, Paths, Fertility, Wine, Labyrinths, Snakes and Passion.

Ariadne is Depicted as a young maiden, dressed in traditional Mycenaean clothing for women. Her hands were shown holding snake and upon her head sat a crown with what appears to be a lion on top. In other artwork she is shown to be sad as she lays on the beach side after being abandoned there by the hero Theseus.

The symbols associated with Ariadne are bulls, lions, snakes, thread and labyrinth. Bulls, lions and snake also act as the sacred animals of Ariadne. The Roman equivalents to this can fall under two names, Libera and Ariana.

Ariadnes personality is that of a sweet and caring maiden; giving help to those she feels need it. She is adventurous and free spirited.

Some believe her name is nothing but an epithet, along side “Mistress of the labyrinth”. Ariadnes worship would including things such as: Ritual dancing, going into ecstasy like trances and action wild.

Ariadne is the daughter of king Minos, son of The god Zeus and the mortal Europa. Her mother was the nymph, Pasiphaë, Daughter of the Titan Helios and the nymph, Perse. Ariadne’s aunt was the nymph, Circe, famous as the witch from the Odyssey.

Ariadne was the sister of Acacallis, Androgeus, Glaucus, Deucalion, Phaedra, Xenodice, Catreus, and the Minotaur.

Ariadne fell in love with the hero Theseus when he was sent into the labyrinth as a sacrifice to the Minotaur. Ariadne was the key holder for the labyrinth, and before he could be sacrificed, came up with a plan to save him and kill the beast. Ariadne gave Theseus a string attached to a ball, this was so Theseus could find his way out of the labyrinth. After slaying the Minotaur, Theseus and Ariadne left the island of Crete. They found a ship and sailed to an island for rest. When Ariadne woke up from her sleep, Theseus and his crew were gone, leaving her alone on a beach. Ariadne cried and the god Dionysos found the maiden and fell deeply in love with her. Dionysos took Ariadne to Olympos to be married and fed her the food of the gods, Ambrosia. She then became a goddess.

I know tumblr really loves Persephone and Hades, which I get, but my favorite Greek Mythical figure has to be Ariadne.  Until this year I had pretty much only ever heard of her in the context of the Theseus and the Minotaur myth, but her story actually continues past that and I love it.  (Disclaimer, as with any Greek myth there’s a billion versions, but my favorite goes like this)

Ariadne helped Theseus kill the Minotaur.  She had to betray her family, but she knew she had to in order to stop the yearly sacrifices.  Theseus promised her he would marry her as thanks for her help.

Theseus and Ariadne left Crete together, but since Theseus didn’t trust Ariadne to be a good wife, he left her behind on Naxos while she was napping.  Why didn’t he trust her to be a good wife?  She had betrayed her family.

While on Naxos, Dionysus, god of wine, fertility, madness, theater, and celebration, happens to stop by.  He meets Ariadne and the two fall in love.

Dionysus marries Ariadne.  Note: There are plenty of retellings of this myth, but almost all of them emphasize how happy Dionysus and Ariadne’s marriage was.

Ariadne is killed and goes to Hades.

Dionysus descends into Hades to get his wife back.  Ariadne gets to join the gods in Olympus, become immortal, and takes her place as the goddess of the labyrinth, mazes, paths, fertility, wine, and passion.

Meanwhile, Theseus dies after being thrown off a cliff by Lycomedes.

Ariadne is practically the personification of “the best revenge is living well” and I think that’s great.

When translated roughly from the Greek, Θεσμοφόρια, or Thesmophoria, means “The carrier of things laid down.” It is the name of an ancient three-day festival observed in seclusion by free, adult women. Thesmophoria: the observance, mourning, and overcoming of a mythical rape out of which a Goddess rose.

Once a year, Greek women would leave their marital households to travel together for the observance of Thesmophoria on a centrally located hilltop. It was a rare opportunity for privacy, autonomy, community discussion, and feminine worship. Thesmophoria was not to be tampered with; in fact, their husbands were legally obliged to fund the entire “female” holiday.

The festival’s principal purpose was to honor the trials and triumphs of Demeter and Persephone, mother and daughter goddesses. Special attention was paid to Persephone, who begins her life as a Living Queen named Kore, and, after being kidnapped and raped, rises from the underworld a Goddess.

Children were denied access to the “sacred grove” of Thesmophoria as soon as they were weaned; girls were only allowed access upon their marriages. The “things laid down” from mothers to daughters were sacred and secretive. Absolutely no men were allowed to witness the women’s private rites. This was a time for meditating on the female capacity for reconciling death with life, potentiality with fertility, and so on.

For the festival’s first two days, women fasted, remained chaste, spoke little, and very seriously mourned the trespasses suffered by Persephone. They stayed close to the ground, eating only seeds of pomegranate (the symbolic fruit of the empress), “as if struck inert by their grief”.

On the third day, the women rose. They indulged in wine and song, discussion and storytelling. The day was called Kalligeneia, or “The Fair Birth”. Writes one scholar, Kalligeneia “probably indicated the happy issue of all the magic in the fertility of the ground.” The proper pains had been taken, sacrifices made, and the pain of rape and loss was transmuted into something proactive and holy. Suddenly, sound and color and feeling rushed into everything, and the women were absolutely free.

By including Demeter in the holiday, Thesmophoria became so much more than the simple observance of a part of a larger legend. It represents mothers and daughters finding each other again; young brides learn the rites of their grandmothers, stories almost lost are repeated to new ears.

As the legend goes, Persephone returns to her Mother, dressed as a bride, no longer a simple woman, but a Goddess. The Empress, sanctified.

Ecstatic Witchcraft

This is a post a long time in the making, as it is something I’ve wanted to share for a while now, just because it is such an important part of my own craft. There is something truly magical about it and is, for me, something both very humbling and very empowering; as such, it is something that I think is worth sharing.

Foremost, the question to address is: What is ecstatic witchcraft? And one not so easily answered, as there cannot be any one way in which it is performed. It can (I think) be described as a form of trance magic, though its expression is not wholly tied to trance in the traditional sense. In essence, it is a surrendering of self and its simultaneous expression. It is a temporary shedding of the façade one erects to survive, Freud called it the superego and without it, so too falls away the ego. The goal of ecstatic witchcraft – if it can be called a goal – is to allow the id to manifest unencumbered, a means of channeling the primality. Of course, this manifests in innumerable ways and no two sessions would ever be the same, hence why it can be so tricky to pin down precisely.

I’ve found that – and it continues still – that the witchcraft community (predominately) has long perpetuated the notion of control as being paramount to success, and while this may be true to some extent, I believe the converse must also be explored. There is law and there is rigidity, there is correspondence memorization and a lot of book work: and this makes sense! For the last century (and in times before), this has been the main means of information acquisition. While it is not uncommon for witches to join groups, covens, etc., I’m willing to bet that most practicing witches were indoctrinated through solitary study. Again, there is nothing wrong with this, and I, myself, am contributing to this reservoir of written information as I type! But, as I mentioned, while I did my fair share of book work and memorization, the heart of my Craft has always been exploration. Tradition is important, but it’s never been enough for me. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: the best way to learn is to do. There will be mistakes; you will come to conclusions only to find things that defy them; you will learn to correct; you will learn to be skeptical, but not judgmental. You will learn there are a thousand purported ‘right’ ways, and then you will find your own. Nothing is static.

How does this relate then, to ecstatic witchcraft? It is a means by which to connect to that instinct: that intuition that drives us – shedding preconceived notions and allowing the opportunity for exploration through action. And action, I feel, is the root of ecstatic magic.

How To Perform Ecstatic Witchcraft

As I mentioned previously, there is no right way and I can only provide to you a number of facets of expression that are conducive to ecstatic witchcraft. These are by no means the only facets, and as always, I encourage you to explore what works for you.

Speak – It may seem counterintuitive to what I have said, for is speech not a construct? It is, but there is power in vocalization, even if speaking unintelligibly. This is an extension of opaque language – or language spoken ceremonially as a means of excluding those who are not privy to the religious tongue – and moves into the realm of glossolalia. Rarely do I include verbal scripts to be read in the things I post, as I find that they detract from the working themselves, instead encouraging those performing to speak what comes. This is a more controlled form of ecstatic witchcraft – bound by intention, time, and often language itself. Here, let all that fall away and simply: Speak.

Move – Ecstatic witchcraft, for me, is all about energy: movement, especially. It is best not to go into it with any plan, simply follow where your body takes you. If it says run, run; if it says dance, dance; if it says squat and howl like a wolf, by gods do it! It is for this and many reasons that ecstatic magic should be done in a controlled setting, normally somewhere safe – but I should mention, this need not be done alone! Ecstatic witchcraft can just as easily be done in groups, though it can get a little more dangerous, considering the id is often noted as being the seat of sexuality and aggression. I also recommend putting sharp objects away – you never know what the hype might bring – but hey, sometimes you just really need to throw a knife; perform responsibly.

Draw/Write – Admittedly, some of my coolest and most profound sigils have come from ecstatic sessions! There is something in me that always wants to take chalk and just go to town on every surface around – overtaken by mania. Automatic writing is related, in some ways, though often it is used with intent: channeling a specific spirit, deity, etc. Ecstatic magic requires no such formalities, bending to the whims of all and none, the witch is then but an instrument of the spirit: of the cosmos.

Laugh – Laughter is powerful.

Instruments – If you have at your disposal some musical instruments (I prefer maracas and tambourines), bring them in! And forget what you think you know about music, just roll with it. Hell, if you want to continuously shake a maraca and scream with one foot in the air, do it. Again, it’s all about energy, and instruments bring their own, unique vibes to the table.

Entheogens – *at your own risk; use responsibly* Sure, they might compromise some of the safety, but they also bring an entirely new level of exploration. For some. My use of entheogens in the past have always been hit-or-miss; sometimes they are conducive and other times they are hampering. Know what works for you, and be careful: you don’t want to show up at the nearest E.R. naked, tripping on an unknown substance with a painted face and defiantly shaking a maraca.

Sex – This harkens back to what I said about working in groups, sometimes there is a power in it, and the same can be said for adding sex in. When working with others, always plan for the possibility of sex! Especially with who you invite in, and in regards to safety. I don’t know the last time it was used, but the “It was for ecstatic witchcraft” excuse will not hold up: while it may sound like a damper, J.I.C. consent agreements and activity do’s and don’t’s should always be agreed upon beforehand, and should always be open to amendment. If you really want to, draw a circle: anyone who leaves it is has removed themselves from the session and should not be addressed until they reenter of their own accord.

With that, I hope it is becoming clear what ecstatic witchcraft is (or can be), its benefits and how it isn’t really all that new a concept. It is, for me, a profound experience every time – I come out feeling energized, powerful, but also with a new frame of mind, having shed societal constriction and attuned with both the divine and animalistic parts of myself – if even for a moment. In that it is humbling, and it is empowering.

Photo: Maenads, John Collier