I'll Take a Second Coming With a Twist of Lime

In this hurly-burly, work-a-day world of ours, what with the internet, carbon dating and all those damnable rockets to the moon, its even easier than ever before to toddle out from under the skirt of organized religion and find oneself stuck in a the harsh and frightening world without a god. But don't worry, for all those people who'd prefer to scamper for cover, there's a new skirt in town, or in this case toga.

Here is a Modern Drunkard Magazine article regarding the slowly growing popularity of the Revived Order of Dionysus. For those of you not familiar with the Greek Pantheon, Dionysus is commonly remembered as the patron god of wine, women and song, to give you the Cliff's Notes version.


So, You Want to Worship Dionysus?

Much like all those who engage rather excessively in drink, Dionysus was a god of many facets, some having only tenuous relation to the others. He was a patron of wine, agriculture, fertility, nature, the Greek stage, civilization, death, rebirth, lawfulness, ecstatic fervor and passion, and bestial destruction. Anyone who has had decent experience with the many and varied effects of alcohol should be able to completely understand how a god of wine could come to have his hand in so many cookie jars.

Agriculture was his main job, make sure those grapes come in nice and healthy and the wine is robust with a fruity bouquet. From there, it is easy to see where the association with nature, fertility, death and rebirth come in. Much like the crop he protected Dionysus would catch a long nap through winter and wake up just in time to start planting.

Next we have one of my favorite side effects of spirituous beverages, socializing. Once the grapes have been harvested and turned to wine, it is time to sit back and enjoy the "fruits of your labors". With the imbibing of wine comes a natural desire to commune with your fellow human beings, in a variety of ways. Sometimes you want to enjoy the company of others in a relaxed, entertaining setting, hence the theater. What is a better way to spend an evening than with a few good friends, a large bowl of wine and a good poet telling stories? Or perhaps you'd rather commune more intimately with a specific person? Don't worry, Dionysus has already got all aspects of fertility covered, even if you don't intend to be fertilizing. Finally, maybe after all this communing you find that you're embroiled in some kind of society. Never fear, Dionysus is pro-civilization and pro-law, go ahead and continue to socialize, he's got you covered like a jimmy-hat.

Then we get to the more interesting aspects of Dionysus. There you are, after your fourth bowl of wine, naked and writhing in a mass of people, and you find that you've never been more sure that life is awesome and that there is purpose to the Universe. Ta da! Welcome to the realm of ecstatic belief. Worshippers of Dionysus often seek "deliverance from the daily world through physical or spiritual intoxication", and deliverance you shall have. You see, the religious experience is rooted in the awe and ease of spirit experienced while communing on mass with other people, isn’t that right, Emile Durkheim? Add to that the wonder felt in response to the natural world and the mystifying effects of intoxicants and we've got ourselves a happenin' party. Do that a couple times a week and you'll start to see why the Meanads are ripping non-believers apart.

People Like Miracles Involving Wine

Now that you have a basic understanding of who Dionysus is and what he does with his time, let's get on with the interesting stuff. Here is a rather poorly written article suggesting links between Dionysus and Christ, and here is an even equally poor article refuting the idea. Also, here is a little blurb that I like, and here is a nice juicy Wikipedia link.

The main points:

- Dionysus was born from the coupling of a mortal woman and the king of the gods.

- Dionysus was known for death and rebirth, due to the agrarian association as well as a myth in which he is born, sacrificed and reborn.

- Dionysus was known to magic up a little wine from time to time.

- Worshippers of Dionysus conducted rituals in which they ate of his flesh and drank of his blood.

Some Good Advice

Whether the cult of Dionysus had some influence on the mythology and rites of Christianity or whether it all just comes down to religious archetypes common to the human experience, I think the important idea here is best summed up in the words of a drunken boob quoted in the MDM article, responding to whether or not he believes in Zeus as well: "You can believe in whatever you like, that's the thing. I believe in Bacchus". Thank you, drunken reveler, for putting things into perspective.