Lord of Frenzy

DIONYSOS Exciter to Frenzy by Vikki Bramshaw
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Dionysus is the Lord of Frenzy, well actually a whole more than that. I realize that when I say Dionysus people tend to think of wine and vines, but that is only part of it. This wonder and informative book by Vicki Bramshaw opened up a whole new vista.

The origins of Dionysus seem to stem from the island of Crete, where there was a horned God called Zagrreuss. Yet Dionysus has another origin coming from Thrace, and this horned god was called Sabazios. In fact there are many gods who fed into the Dionysus current and included amongst those are Osiris and Tammuzi, of Babylon.

Dionysus is a true Lord of the Hunt, he is associated with animals and with hunting. In fact he is an eater of raw flesh. Yet he is also vegetarian. Dionysus was a true liminal god who embraced opposites.

According to Greek legend Dionysus was born from an illicit affair between Persephone and Zeuss. Zeuss took the form of a snake and then seduced her in a cave. From this union Dionysus was born. Hera in her jealousy wanted Dionysus destroyed. So she hired some Titans to do the job. They distracted him with a mirror and got his lightning bolts from him. They killed him and devoured him. Zeuss in his anger zapped them with a lightning bolt and from their ashes created man kind and he ate Dionysus’s heart. This represent one of the phases of Dionysus. The Zagreuss Dionysus from Crete who is associated with wine and mead is the Dionysus of the underworld. He brings winters relief from the summer’s scorching sun.

As things progressed Dionysus was reborn from a mortal woman named Semele. Hera in her jealousy convinced her to ask Zeuss if she could see him in real form. Zeuss’s real form was lighting and this quick view burned Semele to ash. Zeus then took Dionysus and put him in his thigh. Dionysus’s second birth corresponded to Sabazios or bromios. This was the hunter god who went into a frenzy and would devour raw flesh. Hew was the Lord of the Summer Sun.

Dionysus’s final form was that of Iachen, this too has some precedence in Egypt and Thrace. Dionysus goes down to the underworld to rescue Ariadne from death. He does so and ascends to Heaven.

Dionysus was a god of physical passions, mead, wine, hunting , protection and liberation. He was the only God of the Greek pantheon who could possess his follower. Often times they held their rights outside of the city and the government was not always favorable toward them. Dionysus fought many battle. Associated with Dionysus are pine, goats, bulls, grapes honey, snakes, panther and figs. This review is only the tip of the iceburg. Book is loaded with tons of information on Dionysus.


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