Week 4 Dionysus Part 2 Slides PDF

DON’T GET IN THE WAY OF DIONYSUS Madness if you resist him Tiryns – daughters of Proetus go mad, run around killing children and destroying things Melampus cures the madness by means of herbs and therapeutic dancing for the small fee of half the kingdom Ties to Agrionia festival...

DON’T GET IN THE WAY OF DIONYSUS Madness if you resist him Tiryns – daughters of Proetus go mad, run around killing children and destroying things Melampus cures the madness by means of herbs and therapeutic dancing for the small fee of half the kingdom Ties to Agrionia festival Orchomenus – daughters of Minyas. Women remained at home weaving rather than participate in rituals. Dionysus appears in disguise with warning Driven mad, tear people to pieces. Do not return to normal – become winged creatures Except for Clymene. We saw her as mother of Phaethon. HERODOTUS 2.49 Now then, it seems to me that Melampus son of Amytheon was not ignorant of but was familiar with this sacrifice. For Melampus was the one who taught the Greeks the name of Dionysus and the way of sacrificing to him and the phallic procession; he did not exactly unveil the subject taking all its details into consideration, for the teachers who came after him made a fuller revelation; but it was from him that the Greeks learned to bear the phallus along in honor of Dionysus, and they got their present practice from his teaching. I say, then, that Melampus acquired the prophetic art, being a discerning man, and that, besides many other things which he learned from Egypt, he also taught the Greeks things concerning Dionysus, altering few of them; for I will not say that what is done in Egypt in connection with the god and what is done among the Greeks originated independently: for they would then be of an Hellenic character and not recently introduced. Nor again will I say that the Egyptians took either this or any other custom from the Greeks. But I believe that Melampus learned the worship of Dionysus chiefly from Cadmus of Tyre and those who came with Cadmus from Phoenicia to the land now called Boeotia.  THE NATURE OF DIONYSIAN WORSHIP OVERVIEW HH 1: Fragmentary. Includes variant information. “Dionysus” combination of Zeus and Nysa (here in Egypt). Madness. HH 26: raised by nymphs at Nysa and becomes their leader. Core elements: Ecstatic ceremonies – release of emotion through music and dance Possession of followers/transformation Rendering apart of sacrifices and consumption of raw flesh – omophagy Female Maenads (who become more nymph when possessed) led by thiasus - often pictured as inebriated revelers.  “I’m a faun..” COMPANIONS Satyrs – part man, part horse/goat Horse tail/ears Goat beard and horns Dance, sing, love music, make and drink wine Perpetual state of sexual excitement Chase women (maenads) Sileni – older, more lecherous versions of satyrs Papposilenus Notable exception: Silenus, tutor of Dionysus. All revelers carry a thyrsus, wear animal skins and garlands, and aim for ecstatic ritual  SILENUS ON HUMAN EXISTENCE So, for example, they say that Silenus, after the hunt in which Midas of yore had captured him, when Midas questioned and inquired of him what is the best thing for mankind and what is the most preferable of all things, was at first unwilling to tell, but maintained a stubborn silence. But when at last, by employing every device, Midas induced him to say something to him, Silenus, forced to speak, said: “Ephemeral offspring of a travailing genius and of harsh fortune, why do you force me to speak what it were better for you men not to know? For a life spent in ignorance of one’s own woes is most free from grief. But for men it is utterly impossible that they should obtain the best thing of all, or even have any share in its nature (for the best thing for all men and women is not to be born); however, the next best thing to this, and the first of those to which man can attain, but nevertheless only the second best, is, after being born, to die as quickly as possible.” Plutarch, Moralia 27 HARVARD 1972.41 Attic Kylix (drinking cup) 500-480 BCE Example of popularity of Dionysus as artistic motif CONNECTION TO DRAMA ALTERNATE ORIGIN - ZAGREUS Protagonist of Hades Complicated backstory, but we’ll stick with textbook version Alternate birth story – Zeus mates with Persephone Hera, as usual, is angry and calls up the Titans Titans kill Zagreus (mirror, distract with toys) and devour his corpse Baby’s heart is saved by Athena, taken to Zeus Zeus swallows heart and we have a 2nd birth, AND humans are born from the ashes of the Titans. Dual nature of man – evil body with pure soul Elements of mysteries – sin, immortality, good/evil, reward/punishment NEXT MIDTERM Demeter moved to after midterm