Greek Wall Plaque - Dionysos on a Donkey

Greek Wall Plaque - Dionysos on a Donkey

Dioynsos was the Greek god of fun and frolic! God of wine and ecstacy, Dionysos is the son of Zeus and Semele, the daughter of Kadmos, king of Thebai. His name appears on Linear B tablets, suggesting a very ancient Greek worship, and a the festival of wine called the Anthesteria, one of the oldest in the Hellenic world. Dionysos is the giver of joy and a soother of cares, experienced by worshipers through intoxication and ecstacy, a surrender of the everyday life. The mask is one of his symbols, used to represent a change in a persons identity and which became utilised in theatre. Tragedy and comedy are a part of Dionysic festivals (Dionysia and Lenaea). Followers of Dionysos, are known collectively as Bacchi (fem. Bacchae) and individually as Satyrs, Sileni, Maenads, and Bassarids. Dionysos is a creature of mystery, his very essence an enigma. His realm is shadowy, and his followers flirt with madness, drunkenness, and death. He is theGreek god who brings wine, but also an intoxication that merges the drinker with the deity. And, perhaps most significantly, his connection with a certain type of Greek cult activity, known as a "mystery", separates him from his fellow Olympians (with the exception of the goddess Demeter, who inspired her own mystery cult). This bizarre behavior accounts for this wild ride on the donkey!!