He is supported in this by Philostratus who states that the Indians call Dionysus the God of Nysa, which is located in India 10. He identifies Dionysus with Shiva, the Indian Mount Nysa as the mountain of Shiva, and that Nisah is an epithet of the Hindu deity 9. However, Herodotus dates Dionysus’ birth to the sixteenth century BC, which fits well with the mention of the deity on a linear B tablet which will be examined in this exhibit 7.ĭaniélou avers that the worship of Dionysus was established sometime in the sixth millennium BC, during the Neolithic period 8. In other words, Dionysus is Egyptian.Īlthough the Greek Dionysus is one of the last to enter the pantheon, the Egyptian one was much older, with a claim being made that he was possibly 15,000 years older than Amasis 6. The practices were undoubtedly foreign and, therefore, could not possibly have originated in Greece they must have come from Egypt, where similar traditions existed 5. He claims that the name and worship of Dionysus, including the phallic procession, were introduced to Greece from Egypt. The three Homeric hymns to Dionysus all mention that he is the son of Zeus and Semele, which may have been because the rites and traditions associated with his cult were not very Greek in nature 3.Īccording to Herodotus, the Egyptian god Osiris is Dionysus 4. Dionysus was the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Semele, however, as seen in Euripides’ Bacchae, not only is he identified as foreign, but even his divinity is brought into question 2.
When looking at the myths of Dionysus, there is one aspect which is especially striking: he is persistently identified as being foreign. A deity who easily lends himself to inspection is Dionysus, one who is often labelled an outsider. Therefore, it stands to reason that there is a possibility that the underlying meaning of ancient Greek culture could be misconstrued if examined solely through the lens of Western monotheism.īy its very nature, polytheism embraces multiple and varying symbols and myths, even when they centre around a single deity.
Although on the surface the cultural values of a westernized polytheistic individual may seem similar to a westernized monotheistic individual, their motivations and viewpoints can be vastly different. Greek religion was polytheistic and to look at it through the world view of monotheism is limiting. A study of the ancient religion could reveal the relevance of certain traditions and practices, and thereby give insight into the mind of an ancient Greek. Ancient Greek culture and religion were intrinsically tied to one another and therefore, in order to understand the culture and the people, it is necessary to understand the religion.
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