Dionysus was the patron god of harvest, wine, theater, ecstacy and eroticism. He was in many ways the opposite of Apollo (god of light), representing the darker but nonetheless present side in all of us. Dionysean festivities were considered important rituals and usually took place in autumn or winter. At the Dionysian cult festivities, wine, music and ecstatic dance would free the inhibitions. He was considered the liberator, that freed his followers from self-conscious fear and care, subverting the oppressive restraints of oneself and of others.

In fact these festivities were the driving force behind the development of Greek theater itself - as acting considered to be a form of escaping from oneself. He was also the patron of those who do not belong to conventional society and hence symbolizes everything which is chaotic or unexpected, everything which escapes human reason and which can only be attributed to the unpredictable action of the gods. Dionysus's following usually includes wild women (Maenads) and naked satyrs with erect penises. 

Dionysus (Bacchus in latin or Dionysos in Greek) was the only half mortal god to be allowed on mount Olympus (his mother was a mortal). His father was Zeus and his mother, the mortal Semele. He is frequently depicted as a bearded man in earlier appearances and as a more sensuous, naked androgynous figure later on. His thrysus (staff) is depicted wrapped in Ivy and dripping with honey. It is a beneficial wand to some and can be used as a weapon to others who try to oppose the freedoms he represents. 

Dionysus was the patron god of harvest, wine, theater, ecstacy and eroticism. He was in many ways the opposite of Apollo (god of light), representing the darker but nonetheless present side in all of us. Dionysean festivities were considered important rituals and usually took place in autumn or winter. At the Dionysian cult festivities, wine, music and ecstatic dance would free the inhibitions. He was considered the liberator, that freed his followers from self-conscious fear and care, subverting the oppressive restraints of oneself and of others.

In fact these festivities were the driving force behind the development of Greek theater itself - as acting considered to be a form of escaping from oneself. He was also the patron of those who do not belong to conventional society and hence symbolizes everything which is chaotic or unexpected, everything which escapes human reason and which can only be attributed to the unpredictable action of the gods. Dionysus's following usually includes wild women (Maenads) and naked satyrs with erect penises. 

Dionysus (Bacchus in latin or Dionysos in Greek) was the only half mortal god to be allowed on mount Olympus (his mother was a mortal). His father was Zeus and his mother, the mortal Semele. He is frequently depicted as a bearded man in earlier appearances and as a more sensuous, naked androgynous figure later on. His thrysus (staff) is depicted wrapped in Ivy and dripping with honey. It is a beneficial wand to some and can be used as a weapon to others who try to oppose the freedoms he represents.