Dionysus, the God of Wine and Joy

Dionysus was the Greek God of Wine, Joy and Theatre and a Lover of Peace. Legend has it that Dionysus was the first to turn grapes into wine.

Family of Dionysus

Parents: Dionysus was a son of Zeus, the King of the Gods and the beautiful princess Semele. Because of his mortal mother, his birthplace Thebes initially refused to recognise him as an immortal.
Relationships: Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Nyx, the goddess of the night.
Wife: Ariadne, the princess of Crete
Famous Children: Priapus, Phthonus, Deianira

Personality and Style of Dionysus

Dionysus was a god known for his clairvoyance and always offered his help to anyone in need. Because of this, he was well-liked by gods and mortals alike, and many festivals were held each year in his honour. Yet Dionysus was often misunderstood.

Dionysus was one of the Olympian gods who did not actually live on Mount Olympus, but was constantly travelling the world with Satyrs and maenads to discover the secrets of wine making.

Origin from Dionysus' name

The origin of Dionysus' name remains an unsolved mystery to this day. According to the poet Pindar, it is probably derived from the words "Zeus", the father of Dionysus, and "Nysa", the mountain on which Dionysus was born and raised.

Appearance of Dionysus

Dionysus was a handsome young man with imposing hair (the braids usually fell below his shoulders) and a wreath of ivy on his head. In his hand he held a "thyrsos", a light staff wrapped with ivy leaves and on the tip of which was a pine cone.

Symbols of Dionysus

The symbols of Dionysus were the thyrsos (a wooden staff wrapped with ivy leaves and vines), the flute, and the wine casks. His sacred animals were the panther and the tiger.