Dionysus
Down in the mortal world, there lived a beautiful woman named Semele. All the townsfolk praised her, some even comparing her beauty to that of Hera. Naturally, Hera found out about this and was deeply insulted that any mere mortal could be compared to a god.
More and more, Hera found Zeus leaving the palace to travel down to the mortal world. One day, Hera watched as he traveled and saw him sneak into Semele’s hut in a different form. She knew right away what was going on and was infuriated. She knew that she must punish Semele; however, punishing her so directly would bring the wrath of Zeus down upon her, so she thought and thought. As Zeus left Semele’s hut, Hera changed form and traveled down to the ground.
Hera, disguised as an old woman, knocked on Semele’s door.
“Old woman, you must be cold,” Semele exclaimed. “Come in, come in!”
“Semele!” Old Lady Hera warbled, staring at the elegant walls and tapestries. “How did you get so rich?”
“Well,” Semele blurted out, “it’s my new boyfriend. I think he’s a god but don’t tell anyone. It’s supposed to be a secret.”
“How do you know this fellow is a god?”
“Oh, well, I just take him at his word,” Semele hesitated. “He does seem very godlike.”
“Make him promise to show his true godly form,” Hera suggested. “Then you can be truly happy knowing full well he is a god.”
“Thank you for your words of wisdom, Old Lady.”
Hera left smiling, having planted the seed of doubt in Semele’s mind.
Soon after, Zeus arrived back at the hut and found Semele distraught.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
“You’re a god, right?” Semele questioned.
“Of course!” Zeus said surprised. “I give you my unbreakable word. And I will give you anything you want to prove it.”
“Anything?” Semele repeated.
“Of course!”
“Then appear in your true godly form.”
Zeus’s smile vanished. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“Then I’m afraid you’re not a god,” Semele replied snarkily.
“If I appear in my godly form, then you will burn to ashes.”
“I can handle it,” Semele insisted. “You gave me your word.”
“Well... I guess I have no choice,” Zeus agreed reluctantly.
Then he changed into a form of pure energy and light. Semele burned up as all mortals would have, leaving a pile of ash next to Zeus.
Semele was very pregnant at the time and when she burned up, the unborn child lay there immobile, very clearly unprepared for the world. Zeus panicked and grabbed one of his bolts to cut open a hole in one of his thighs. He picked up the child and stuffed it into his leg, hoping to keep it safe until birth. After sealing the wound shut with the baby inside, Zeus made his way back to Olympus.
When the baby was finally ready for the world, Zeus used his bolt to cut open his thigh once again.
“Now what should I name this fellow?” Zeus asked himself.
The baby immediately began to scream and flail, “Bacchus!”
Zeus laughed to himself, “The Screamer. That will do.” Bacchus later became his Roman name.
Zeus decided to give Bacchus to a mortal couple, Ino and Athamas, whom he instructed to raise the baby as a girl to conceal it from Hera’s wrath. Zeus hoped this would divert Hera’s attention, but Hera found out anyway. Descending onto the earth, Hera went to the house of Ino and Athamas and inflicted madness upon the foster parents, driving them both insane and into the sea. Zeus quickly retrieved the young baby and gave him to a group of nymphs on the mountain of Nysa.
Growing up on the mountain with the nymphs and satyrs, the young demigod soon found that he could make anything out of plants. He could make juice from thornbushes or any other presumably undesirable food. This talent gained him a good reputation on the mountain, and he was soon fully immersed in the culture.
One day, Bacchus and his good friend Ampelos were roaming the woods looking for anything to do. They were walking by a tall tree when Bacchus, looking up at the branches of the tree, suddenly froze.
“What is that?” Bacchus marveled.
Ampelos looked up and responded, “Looks like a vine of some sort. I’ve never seen one before. Come on, let’s go.”
Bacchus kept staring at the plant, transfixed.
“If you really want it, I can get it for you,” Ampelos said.
Being a satyr, Ampelos was used to climbing things and began his ascension up the tree. When he reached the top, he wrapped his hands around the vine, ready to toss it down, but suddenly he lost his balance. With the vine in hand, Ampelos tumbled out of the tree and hit his head on a rock, killing him instantly.
Blood mixed with the grapevine bore a sweet, tasty fruit. Bacchus, in grief, tasted it and his mouth nearly exploded in delight. Bacchus had just made wine from the first grapes.
He raced home to show the other nymphs, and soon they were all getting drunk. In this new party mood, none of them noticed that Ampelos was gone. Soon all the nature spirits worshipped Bacchus as a new god. They called him Dionysus, or the god of Mount Nysa. Together, they hoped to spread the word about Dionysus, the new god of wine and parties.
The first city Dionysus visited was Thrace. Lycurgus of Thrace was a cruel ruler. He would whip his servants and subjects for annoying him or wasting his time. All the citizens of Thrace feared him but never revolted for fear of getting whipped or tortured.
Dionysus and his merry band of followers paraded into the town, where they were greeted with nervous glances from the townsfolk. They continued marching and partying onward toward the castle. Entering the courtroom of Lycurgus, they saw him lounging on his throne, cracking his whip aimlessly.
“My Lord,” one of the satyrs announced. “This is Dionysus, the twelfth Olympian, god of wine and parties. Build a temple to this new god, and he shall be your patron.”
“What is wine?” Lycurgus growled.
“Well, it’s this drink I--” Dionysus started.
“I don’t care,” Lycurgus interjected. “Guards!”
The entrances to the throne room were immediately blocked off, trapping them inside with no weapons. Soon, bodies of nymphs and satyrs were sprawled across the floor.
Dionysus scrambled toward the balcony and threw himself off into the ocean to escape. Thetis, a Nereid and sea spirit, caught Dionysus as he fell and tried to console the weeping god.
“What’s wrong?” Thetis asked gently.
“My friends-- they’re all dead,” Dionysus cried. “I thought I was supposed to be a god, but gods should be able to protect their friends.”
“Well, if you are the god you think you are, then you already possess the power to overcome any mortal.”
“Really?” Dionysus paused.
“Yes, so prove that you are a god,” Thetis challenged.
With that, Thetis healed Dionysus’s wounds and tossed him back toward the castle, where he burst open the doors to the throne room. Lycurgus’s son was asking about the mess of nymphs and satyrs all over the floor.
“You!” Lycurgus growled. “Have you come back for more?”
“No,” Dionysus said under his breath.
“What are you going to do? Make me drink wine?” Lycurgus mocked.
“No,” Dionysus repeated, his voice shaking. “I will inflict you with madness.”
“Oh, that’s so scary,” Lycurgus jeered.
As soon as his words came out, Lycurgus let out a scream and was brought to his knees. He looked up at his son, now a growing column of grapevines.
He stumbled around, screaming, “They’re everywhere! The grapes are everywhere!”
Lycurgus grabbed his axe and started swinging at all the grapes, now appearing to be in every direction. Spotting an especially thick column of grapes, he thought if he cut that one down, he could destroy all the grapes at once. With one mighty swing, the illusion disappeared. Lycurgus looked down to find the crumpled corpse of his son. Still a little mad, Lycurgus jumped off the balcony but with no sea nymph to catch him.
“Build me a temple, or else your plants will not grow and you will have no crops to feed your families,” Dionysus decreed.
The citizens of Thrace heard Dionysus’s order but didn’t think much of it until months later. They were starving and remembered the strange proclamation made by the god that had wandered through their town months ago. With no hope left, they started to build a temple to that very god.
Dionysus was watching from afar and smiled to himself. When the temple was finally complete, he allowed for the crops to grow once again and grapes to grow in numbers. Dionysus had become the twelfth Olympian.