Dionysus, this winter god

Having been a hellenic polytheist for several years has completely changed my way of considering the year. Because the Attic calendar’s New Year typically falls somewhere in July/August, I naturally consider the first Dionysian event of the year to be the Oschophoria, which I celebrated last month. I’ve often seen people be surprised by the

Rethinking the Anthesteria

I know it seems awfully early to talk about this festival, since, at least on my calendar, it won’t be before late February. The Anthesteria also happens to be one of my favorite festivals, and as much as I don’t want to change it, there’s a major issue about how to celebrate it in a

The Auloi

This post has been long in the making and kept being pushed back in the favor of other topics. Here we are finally, time to talk about ancient music. I have chosen the aulos, as you will see, it is more relevant to my interests, but hopefully soon, you should be able to read about

On satyrs

Satyrs have been a part of my posts for a while, whether as part of the dionysian retinue or through their direct association to Pan. However, I’ve never written only about them until now. First, let’s clear up the terminology: satyrs and silens are the same (not to be confused with the god Silenus). They

Dionysus and Hephaestus

I usually stick to writing about cult practices and avoid mythology, but this topic is a bit different. To be fair, the two gods we are going to talk about are also different from the rest of the Pantheon in their respective ways, so it makes sense. The myth is Hephaestus’ return to Olympos, so

Addressing the Dionysian Phallus

That’s a post I knew I had to make for years and kept postponing. But no, it’s really time we talk about what’s behind the Dionysian penis. Last time I briefly wrote about this was during the 30 days of Dionysus challenge last year. Today, we’ll be going into more details. A Dionysian phallus but

Maenadism, Artemis and Dionysus

An exploration of the mythical and cultic links between Artemis and Dionysus.

On Dionysian cult in Roman Britain and Northern Western Europe

Material available on the topic exists but is getting a bit old. Unfortunately, the main thesis about the topic is out of stock and nowhere to be found on the Internet. Maybe you can find it in a libary though:  Valerie J. Hutchinson, Bacchus in Roman Britain, Volumes i and ii: The Evidence for His

Dionysus of the Marshes

The information I have about the Limnaios epithet comes mainly from Isabelle Tassignon’s paper Vingt mille lieux sous les mers avec Dionysos et Télibinu. I have unfortunately not found an English translation. Briefly put: There is in myth a pattern in which we see Dionysus using water as some type of escape or refuge from the

Obscure Dionysus epithets for the curious practitionner

The most unknown ones (to practicionners, not necessarily to scholars) are the ones that are linked to the mysteries in some way. And it’s understandable, ressources are sparce and/or hard to have access to. Even Bakcheios, despite being a very popular epithet, has several layers of understanding. But you asked for obscure ones, so here