Bacchus

Literally 'clamour'. The Greek God of wine, representing chaos, ecstasy, and fertility.

Already his birth indicates his exceptionality: During her pregnancy, his mother Semele, a mistress of Jupiter, was told by Juno, the wife of Jupiter, that the man from whom she was pregnant was not Jupiter, but an impostor. To make sure, she should aks him to show himself as he did in front of the other Gods. Semele asks this favour from Jupiter after he had sworn that he would fulfill her any wish. Eventually, Semele was burnt to ashes by the real appearance of Jupiter. Jupiter hid the baby she carried in his thigh, from which Bacchus was born three months later.

Bacchus was brought up by nymphs, satyrs, and muses. He initiated viticulture (i.e. the cultivation of wine) and travelled around accompanied by drunken, celebrating satyrs and Maenads, i.e. dancing, raving women. Bacchus' sign is a staff entwined with wine leaves (Tyrsus-Stab), and his head is crowned with wild wine and ivy. His shoulders are covered with the fur of a panther or tiger. He either rides a panther or drives in a chariot drawn by one. Usually, Bacchus is depicted young and serene, with an almost feminine body, i.e. not muscular like e.g. Mars or Jupiter, but rather soft and round. Bacchus "ist nichts anderes als die zeugende, in üppiger Fülle überströmende, den Menschen aus dem nüchternem Gange der Bildung und des geistigen Strebens herausreissende, berauschende Kraft der Natur" (Vollmer 93). He is the counterpart to Apollo, the god of light and order. Although the latter one is usually associated with the fine arts, it is Bacchus (or in Greek mythology: Dionysos) who is the God of the theatre. From the 6th century BC onwards, the Dionysian plays were celebrated to honour him.

These were festivals during which poets presented their latest plays, which were written for this special occasion. The Great Dionysian plays were celebrated in the month elaphebolion, i.e. around March/April. They lasted three days. On each day, three tragedies and one comedy were performed. After these three days, a commission of ten men decided which poet is to be awarded the first, second and third prize. Interestingly, the plays of Aischylos, Sophokles, Euripides and Aristophanes, which constitute no minor part of the classical canon today, were all specially written for this single occasion of the Dionysian plays.

Bacchus is one of the most manifold Gods, revealing also darker aspects of his personality: There were cruel punishments for those who tried to prevent or prohibit the worship of him. King Pentheus of Thebes was torn to pieces by his mother Agave and sisters while they were under the influence of Bacchus (he did not want them to take part in the cult). Thus, Bacchus stands also for a power which will not submit to any other(s).

This ambivalence of ecstasy and undeterred violence has become the focus of quite a few recent adaptations of the myth of Dionysos/Bacchus. Most famous example: Caryl Churchill and David Lan's play A Mouthful of Birds (1986).

Sources:

Grassinger/Scholl (eds.). Die Rückkehr der Götter. Berlins verborgener Olymp. Berlin 2008 (Ausstellungsband). Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book III. Vollmer, Wilhelm. Wörterbuch der Mythologie aller Völker. Reprint Verlag Leipzig 1871.