Bacchus: God of Wine and Intoxication

Bacchus: God of Wine and Intoxication

Much to many parents' dismay, teenage drinking is a very common and infamous trend of the times. Many teenagers illegally consume alcoholic beverages weekly. However, instead of linking this problem to the media or peer pressure, one may want to take a look back to the days of ancient Rome; more specifically the god Bacchus.

Bacchus, the God of Wine and intoxication, is known in Greek mythology as Dionysus, and is also known by other names such as Bakchos and Liber. His name means "twice born" or "child of the double door." Bacchus was born to Zeus and Semele. Hera, wife of Zeus was jealous and tricked Semele into killing herself. Hermes, the messenger God, saved the unborn baby and sewed him up in Zeus' thigh. After he was born, he sat at the right hand of Zeus. Apparently, his appearance was quite striking, though no specific descriptions were found of his actual looks. Bacchus is to whom we owe the thanks of inventing wine. He appears in numerous myths, almost always accompanied by Centaurs, Satyrs, and Maenads, or women who always seemed mad with joy. Bacchus has his own festival aptly named Bacchanalia. This festival is celebrated on March 16 and 17. During Bacchanalia, orgies in honor of Bacchus were introduced in Rome around 200 BC. These infamous celebrations, notorious for their sexual and criminal character, got so out of hand that they were forbidden by the Roman Senate in 186 BC. His attributes in iconography include a drinking vessel, an ivy wreath, grape vines, and the thyrsos (a long fennel stalk topped with ivy leaves). Bacchus was also associated with resurrection because he is identified with Zagreus, son of Zeus and Persephone who was killed, dismembered, and eaten by the Titans. His heart was saved and he was reborn through Semele.

One of the most famous myths involving Bacchus was when pirates captured him while he was standing on shore, for they thought he must be a prince by his stunning appearance. However, no chains that the pirates used to try to hold him worked, and only then did they realize that he was not a prince, but a God. Vines began to grow, wine began to flow, and Bacchus turned into a lion. The pirates jumped overboard and were turned into dolphins. As this, and many other stories suggest, Bacchus was often depicted as traveling throughout Greece, and often arriving