where Dionysos dwells

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pansgrotto:

A ceiling fresco of a Dionysian Pan, in Rome, Italy.

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gwydionmisha:

Satyr Kantharos

Did I mention I love Dionysos, Grapes and Mythological babies?

(via ask-dionysus-ss)

3 notes / 1 week ago / Reblog

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ihavenohonor:

Mosaic of Dionysus in a vineyard with goat-legged satyr found in Vatican necropolis.
In 2003, construction workers at the Vatican were breaking ground to make room for a new employee parking garage when they accidentally came upon a hidden necropolis that had been buried beneath a mudslide for over 1800 years. Perfectly preserved due to the mudslide, the “little Pompeii” had originally been on the edge of an ancient Roman road called “the Triumphal Way.” The cemetery, holding 40 mausoleums and over 200 other tombs, dated back 2000 years to the time of Caesar Augustus, but other burial sites found nearly date to as late as the 300’s. Inside, archaeologists unearthed a black and white mosaic floor with a picture of a grape harvest scene with a picture of Dionysus along side a goat-legged satyr. The story appeared in Newsweek in October 2006 under the headline, “Pagan Graves in Vatican Basement! Relax, they’re 2,000 years old, and the Vatican’s so proud of them that it’s putting them on display.” Despite the conciliatory subtitle, Barbie Nadeau writes that the Vatican did not release any information about the sudden discovery until local residents complained about dump trucks leaving the site with tombstones in them. The article also says that Vatican state officials said very little on the subject afterwards but plans were eventually made during the end of Pope John Paul II’s papacy. These plans were then nearly scrapped by Pope Benedict until Vatican archaeologists insisted that he follow through with them in order to honor the former Pope’s wishes.
Those buried in the tomb are described as being a mix of both social class and religious beliefs. One Vatican museum archaeologist, Cristina Gennaccari, described the necropolis as belonging to people “on the verge of conversion to Christianity.” One sepulcher decorated with angels is believed by Vatican archaeologists to have belonged to a woman who was Christian. Another tomb of a 17-year-old Roman knight, portrays the picture of a woman with arms outstretched in prayer, a common depiction in early Christianity art known as “orant.” Gennaccari describes this as a potential belief in Christianity, saying, “It brings him into the Christian realm.” In another tomb, a pre-Christian symbol of resurrection, a hen’s egg left, is left beside the body of an infant. Another tomb belonged to the set designer for Pompey’s Theatre, where Julius Caesar was killed, as well as mailmen and an archivist under the employ of Nero.

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narcissusheart:

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paradoxethereal:

Celebration dedicated to Dionysus, Athens, Greece, June 2013

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oncebittentwiceborn:

Dionysus, Bacchus, Ampelos, Silenus and a Maenad by Robert Fagan Date painted: 1793/1795 Oil on canvas, 109 x 147.5 cmI saw the title of this, and did a double-take. Say what? Bacchus and Dionysus in the same picture? What the hell?But I thought more, and the more I’ve thought, the more I like it. I know that most historians consider the two analogous, but Bacchus and Dionysus are not remotely the same god to me. They have some shared attributes, and I see why They get lumped together for historical purposes sometimes, but the gods themselves are extremely different. I could never follow Bacchus. Nor would He want me, I suspect. What use could we possibly have for one another?Dionysus has called me, and I balked at first, because of the way the two deities, Bacchus and Dionysus, are often used interchangeably. I found myself confused and distressed, because I could not understand how I fit into that god’s world.I learned the difference. I am a very good fit as a Dionysian follower. The reasons are overwhelming. But they don’t have a whole lot to do with the things Bacchus and Dionysus have in common.Bacchus is an important deity, and I can understand His appeal. Dionysus is extremely multifaceted, and I’m sure that the side of Them with which some people interact is extremely similar to Bacchus. I think, originally, Bacchus was an epithet of Dionysus - the noisy, rowdy, wine-centric aspect of the god. I think many people connect with that aspect. That is not the case in my situation, however. I am feral, I cross genders, I am of mixed parentage, I liberate others through music and dancing and the stage, but I am not much of a partier, not in the way Bacchus is.So I actually really dig this painting. I like the more androgynous Dionysus and the hardier Bacchus leaning drunkenly on each other as They walk, each with Their own thyrsus, as others of Their shared retinue dance along. I like seeing art of Them as two distinct entities, close, enjoying one another’s company, but distinct.I am by no means an expert on any of this. I am extremely new to these gods in a lot of ways, and I cannot say any of this with authority. (Those with more experience and knowledge, please do feel free to send me an ask if I am in error.) But to the best of my understanding, Bacchus and Dionysus have much in common but are essentially different deities, and the one to which I am called is the earlier, less Romanized of the two.

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ivancrush:

new work 2013

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coppermonocle:

Issue no.09: Bacchanalia

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climbing-down-bokor:

1880 - Hermann Heid

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rickbaldwin:

©2013 Rick Baldwin

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cineminimized:

Bacchus, Caravaggio