DIONYSUS Dionysus, or to the Romans, Bacchus, was the son of Zeus and Semele, a mortal woman. He is the god of wine, cheer, wild behavior, dancing, fertility, resurrection, drama, song, vegetation, and all-around merrymaking. He was a very popular god because of his jolly disposition and carefree attitude. It is said that Dionysus's mother, Semele, was killed before his birth, so Zeus snatched her unborn child and sewed him into his own thigh. He …showed first 75 words of 342 total…

…showed last 75 words of 342 total…worshippers, but brought madness and destruction to those who spurned him or the fanatic rituals of his cult. Wine miracles were reputedly performed at his festivals. According to tradition, Dionysus died each winter and was reborn each spring. To his followers, this cyclical revival, accompanied by the seasonal renewals of the fruits of the earth, embodied the promise of the resurrection of the dead. Bibliography BIBLIOGRAPHY- Funk & Wagnall's Encyclopedia 1982 edition the internet(various web sites)