Greek mythology scholars have called Dionysus the most cosmopolitan of the Greek gods. According to the ambassador of King Seleucus, who, like Alexander, discovered India and its divinities, only Dionysus could match the power of the god Siva. Both Dionysus and Siva were thought to be benevolent as well as terrible. They were viewed as terrible because they reaped death in every victim sacrificed. Also, when some contemporaries of Plutarch, the Gentiles, evoked the god of Israel, they named Dionysus as the overseer of the harvest and the gathering of fruits (Detienne, 1989, p. 1).
Of all the Greek gods, Dionysus is the least sedentary. Dionysus was conceived in Thebes by the mortal woman, Semele, who carried him there in her belly for several months. Since he was a nomadic god, he never resided in his birthplace. However,- when he wears the mask of the god, he is not very mobile because he dons many medals and becomes shrouded in incense (Detienne, 1989, p. 2). Dionysus is a wandering god who roams freely throughout villages and provinces. And he has a second mother, the goddess Rhea. Rhea lived on the outskirts of Sardis and the slopes of Tmolos, and Dionysus would visit her there and mix water with wine before giving it to her. Dionysus often traveled with a panther, with whom he also shared his wine. But Dionysus is not confined to Tmolos; Dionysus also visits Argos, Lesbos, Eleutherai, Olympia, Thasos, Delphi, Orchomenos, and a mysterious island off of the Atlantic coast (Detienne, 1989, p. 2). Greek myths portray him dancing, leaping, grabbing, and sowing madness. He is the god who snatches his victim by surprise, and trips his prey before murdering and defiling it. But Dionysus is not all bad. He also is the god of vines that miraculously ripen in a single day. Dionysus also rules over fountains of wine that are effervescent and intoxicating. Thus Dionysus is a god with a split personality; and each personali...