greek mythology moodboards: DIONYSUS

Bacchus ( Dionysus ) as Pater Liber, the joyful Deity of ancient Rome. 

Pater Liber - pre-Roman rustic agricultural God of fertility, vegetation, wine-making and freedom - at first received his personal praise individually via devotional sacrifices, offerings, local festivals and state-level celebrations alike, equally beloved by the authorities and commoners; honoring him marked the coming of Spring and reawakening of fertile nature.  

The cult of Bacchus, possibly rooted in the Greek colonies of ancient Sicily, brought along the air of maddening festivity, secrecy of Divine mysteries, liberation and complete and utter freedom of Bacchanalia. The roaring of bacchants and bacchantes alike, much disrupting the Republic, started the age of new order of worship in the Roman lands. 

Terrestrial goddess, wreathed in flowers, walking paths of stone through the underground; Celestial goddess, crowned in stars, ascending Olympos for your bridal feast; All the earth praises you, all the earth adores you as does thundering Dionysos: Fiercely, wildly, sweetly. Glorious Aridela, untamed enchantress who breaks all bonds and rouses all passions, Look down with favor on those who love you and shed your holy radiance on our lives.

Bright in the primal joy you cast,

You run the woods and sing the night,

Always hidden out of my sight,

But I feel you there on my skin,

Feel love and blood in my mind ring,

Love for madness,

And love for youth,

He is that feeling you get when you know you belong.

That flooding relief of finally having a place to call your own.

He's that warm loving embrace that holds you after a long day.

He's the feeling of enjoying a hearty meal, free of worry and stress.

He's that smooth drink that soothes your nerves, Tea or Alcohol, doesn't matter.

He's that comfort you feel when you realize you are no longer judged,

That sweet pull of freedom and release.

He's the smile of someone you love, the laugh that just warms your heart.

He's the relaxing feeling you get when you finally stretch out in bed after a hard day.

Dionysus is my home.

He's the one I return to at the end of the day.

He's the one I had felt homesick for.

He's the one I share my meals with, that loving company that washes away my anxiety and worry.

He's the one who keeps my mug full, knowing full well that warm tea is what I really need to chill out.

He's the one who holds me as we watch a movie, with a fuzzy blanket wrapped around my shoulders and a fire crackling in the fireplace.

He's the one who holds me, soothing all worries as I fall into Hypnos' gift of sleep.

Dionysus has always been my home.

He was the one my soul felt homesick for.

I finally belong.

Household worship is something very near and dear to me. Especially that of the Agathos Daimon. My Agathos Daimon is very dear to me too — it’s nice having a protective household spirit. Here is a collection of small rituals dedicated to the ever-guarding Agathos Daimon that I have crafted. 

An ritual of offering before a meal 

Gather a portion of the meal that you have made and set it upon a small plate. Light a candle or burn incense, and ready a libation if you wish. As the household protector and guardian of the pantry, the Agathos Daimon deserves praise.

Begin by lighting a candle for your Agathos Daimon. Then, say a prayer such as this one:

Agathos Daimon of my household, guardian and supplier, chthonian Serpent, I praise you for all that you have done. You bring delight with all that you have done and for this I offer [the meal] to you as a symbol of my gratitude. 

Then offer the meal and leave the candle/incense burning. Do not eat the meal, as the Agathos Daimon is a chthonic. 

A ritual for protection 

The Agathos Daimon is a protector of the household. Therefore, rituals can be done to ask the Agathos Daimon for protection. 

Begin by lighting a candle or burning incense. Gather a libation, preferably unmixed wine. Bring honey, fruits, etc: whatever you can bring. Lay out the offerings in an offering bowl. Then, utter this prayer:

My Agathos Daimon, Hear my cries, for it is I who offers you, for you are the spirit of my household. I call upon you for protection, from [the being who is threatening you]. I beg you to do this, for I fear what will happen if you do not.

After the prayer is complete, offer the libation and the other offerings. Leave them out and hope for protection.

A ritual for Agathos Daimon festival 

The day for the Agathos Daimon in the attic calendar is the last day of the Deipnon-Noumeneia-Agathos Daimon cycle. This is perfect for honouring the Agathos Daimon. Gather enough unmixed wine or other libations for three offerings.

Begin by getting the first libation. Then say this prayer:

Agathos Daimon of mine, thank you for your protection. For this I give you this libation.

Pour out the first libation. Then, ready your second libation and say this prayer:

Agathos Daimon of mine, thank you for your diligence. May you continue to guard my pantry well. For this I give you this libation. 

Pour out the second libation. Ready your third libation and say this prayer:

Agathos Daimon of mine, thank you for everything. May you continue to keep away things that seek to harm I and my household. For this I give you this libation, and end the ritual.

All prayers were written by me, with the credit and help of the clear-voiced mousai. I hope these rituals help you in your praxis. The Agathos Daimon is lovely and it’s always good to honour the noble household spirit. 

Begin by purifying yourself and your altar with khernips. Then light any altar candles you are using. Light some frankincense as an offering and repeat the Homeric Hymn to Hera, the Orphic Hymn to Hera, and the Orphic Hymn to Zeus. Place offerings of apples and/or pomegranates on the altar for Hera and Zeus and say:

“Lord Zeus, King of the Gods, Father of Man, I praise you on this holy day. Blessed are you, enthroned in the Heavens. Powerful are you, He who throws lightning across the skies, your voice bellowing thunder. Attended by eagles, strong as the unyielding oak, Lord Zeus, I honor you.

Lady Hera, Queen of the Gods, She who protects marriage, women, and rules the air, I praise you on this holy day. Blessed are you, crowned on Olympos. Powerful are you, She who rules over the heavens, both beautiful and stormy. Attended by peacocks, sacred as the chaste-tree, Queen Hera, I honor you.

King and Queen of the Heavens, whose names are revered above all others, I lay before you these offerings to worship you on this day which honors your divine union. Accept these offerings as a sign of my devotion unto you, and favor me. Favor me with love and fidelity, drawn into my life if not present, and strengthened where existing. Please look upon your loyal follower with kindness and bless me!”

Onto the shrine, have three chalices or cups. Pour wine, after drinking some yourself, into the first cup for Hestia and say:

“Lady Hestia, goddess of hearth and home, first and last, please accept this receive this libation kindly and bestow upon me and my rite your blessing.”

Pour wine into the cups for Zeus and Hera and say:

“Queen and King of Heaven, I give to you these libations to honor your marriage and the gifts you’ve bestowed upon mankind. Please look upon me with favor and bring abundance, love, and blessings into my life.”

Pour a final libation to Hestia and say:

“Hestia, first and last, I offer this final libation to you to end my rite.”

Continue:

“Oh great gods, ruling in Olympos, I end my rites and thank you for your benevolence.”

Theogamia

Roast dinner with my playlist going, singing along. Then, watching The Proposal over dessert (salted caramel banana nice-cream).

Hear me, wing-footed Iris, and rejoice!

Today we celebrate millennia of love in this cherished union.

This heiros gamos, this sacred marriage

Shines with hope and lasting cheer

Beloved Hera and Zeus, our King and Queen

Delight in their abiding alliance

I pray you fly fast, sweet messenger,

and sing of my felicitations

For the last post of this Hera series, I will be focusing on her Antheia epithet. This will be a rather short post, as information is limited, but I hope to cover the bases.

Antheia means “blooming” or “blossoming” and is a word obviously closely linked to vegetation, and flowers in particular. While, as an epithet, it shared by both Hera and Aphrodite, it is also the name of one of the Kharites/Graces, as the goddess of flowers and wreaths.

Hera only gets this same in her sanctuary of Argos, which happens to be one of the most important cult places of hers. In theory, it would seem that Hera, while being a fertility goddess, doesn’t have any explicit link to grain agriculture. In fact, her only link to vegetation is through her Antheia epithet, or in myth, through her link to apples.

In practice, it seems very different. A group of figurines called “flower-women” found in her sanctuary in Foce Sele have brought attention to her role as a fertility goddess in Magna Graecia (Southern part of Italy). Her realm clearly covered the fertility of both land, animals and humans.

The geography of this sanctuary has also indicated that there was a woody area and a cultivated land dedicated to her. It seems also likely that the myrtle has been introduced in the area by human activity and grew on that cultivated land. The area included also oat, wheat, willow and poplar trees. It seems logical, given this information, that Hera was worshipped as a vegetation goddess there.

As for the statuettes, their role is still unsure. Some seem to have been votives, and they probably doubled as incense burners, given their peculiar shape.

Further reading: 

Cantone F., The “Flower Woman” Figurines from the Foce Sele Hera Sanctuary. Ancient Coroplastic Digital Management, Analysis and Sharing, in: Archeologica e Calcolatori, 2015

de La Genière J., Héra. Images, espaces, cultes, 1993 (republished 2019)