Local Cultus 3: Dionysus without grapes

Same disclaimer as my previous post on local cultus: This will not be informative unless you’re interested in how I approach the issues I’m trying to solve. Note that obviously this is stuffed with UPG. The grapevine (vitis vinifera) doesn’t naturally grow in this northern part of the world. While there is some wine production

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

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

Anacreontic lyrical poetry and drinking songs

Anacreontic poems are so underrated among hellenic polytheists and it’s honestly quite surprising. So I just wanted to raise some attention to them. Who was Anacreon? The poet was born in the city of Teos, probably somewhere between 575 and 570 BC. We know little of his life in general, as sources are sparce and/or

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

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

Better wines among the pines: Agroforestry can climate-proof grapes, French researchers show

I came across this article this morning and damn there are interesting things to say from a religious, dionysian point of view.  First, the effect climate change has on the wine is described this way:  Higher average temperatures speed up the ripening of grapes, which leads to lower acidity and increased sugars in the fruit,