A Pantheon of Dionysoses

Written by thehouseofvines

I suspect that I am unique in my treatment of the different epikleses of Dionysos not just as different pathways to the deity, but almost as different Gods in and of themselves with unique attributes, associations, rules for engagement, personalities, etc. Now obviously they’re all Dionysos – or as the Gurôb Papyrus proclaims, “εις Διόνυσος!” – but they’re also … something else, which is why all of the divergent parentages, mythologies, local cultuses, etc have never really bothered me or inspired a need to artificially reconcile them. (Things get really interesting when you encounter two or more Dionysoi simultaneously, let me tell you!) Here are the forms of Dionysos which are represented in the Bakcheion. (Note that I am alphabetizing them according to their English transliteration, not the original Greek. Also note that I am not including the God’s mortal avatars, many of whom are included on the Retinue Shrine. Though not all, which is never possible where Dionysos is concerned. Likewise, these are not all of the forms of Dionysos that I honor, just the ones represented in the Bakcheion.)

Asterios (Ἀστέριος) = “Starry”
Bakcheios (Βάκχειος) = “Frenzied”
Choiropsalas (Χοιροψάλας) = “Cunt-plucker”
Choroplekes (Χῶροπλέκες) = “The Danceweaving One”
Chthonios (Χθόνιος) = “Underground”
Dendrites (Δενδρίτης) = “He in the Trees”
Di-wo-nu-so (𐀇𐀺𐀝𐀰) = “[Cretan] Dionysos”
Eubouleos (Εὐβουλεος) = “Of Good Counsel”
Kradiaios (Κραδιαῖος) = “Sacred Heart”
Liber Pater = “Father Freedom”
Lusios (Λυσιος) = “Who Brings Release”
Mainomenos (Μαινόμενος) = “Whose Madness Spreads”
Melpomenos (Μελπόμενος) = “Who Celebrates with Song and Dance”
Oinos (Οίνος) = “Wine”
Omadios (Ὠμάδιος) = “Eater of Raw Flesh”
Phanes (Φάνης) = “Manifestation”
Phleos (Φλέως) = “Who Causes to Swell”
Thurepanoiktes (θὐρεπανοίκτης) = “Opener of the Door”

14 thoughts on “A Pantheon of Dionysoses”

    1. Some did, such as Cicero who listed five Dionysoi (I believe) and Diodoros who relates a number of (largely irreconcilable) stories about the God, and (again, I think; it’s late and I’m too lazy to verify it) speaks of a Younger Dionysos who follows in the footsteps of the Elder, something you also find in Nonnos who splits him in three: Zagreus, Dionysos and Iakchos. However this seems to have been a minority view in antiquity, with most people emphasizing the God’s unity, just with differing local expressions. (I.e. the “mask” theory.) Except Pausanias who records an interesting custom on Lesbos or in Corinth (I think) whereby one aspect of the God is venerated to counteract the influence of another, which is the basis of my own practice of honoring Bakcheios and Lusios as polar (both conflicting and complimentary) forces. Polytheist theology is …. complex. Especially when you’re dealing with a God of madness (who is himself insane.)

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I often wonder when to consolidate and when not when discussing Gods and their various names. I believe Fortuna has separate identities but that Mars does not. I wonder besides where the different identities and forms of worship, what is being considered for consolidation or not.

        I do follow the Mesopotamian and Canannite Gods as well. For me, Ba’al Who has different forms of worship with each city should not be consolidated in one Ba’al. Even in the Old Testament, the prophets and writers keep referring to Baalim as plural of Ba’al..

        Like

        1. Oh yeah, the Baalim are all very different. I don’t know theologically, but I’ve had brushes with Ba’al Haddad and Ba’al-zebub, and at least energetically I’d never assume they were the same. (Again, not to say they aren’t – totally not my wheelhouse – just the impression I got.)

          Like

  2. Speaking of Liber Pater, since His festival is coming up I might as well ask for advice on a small matter of praxis: head covered or uncovered while praying to Liber Pater and Libera? I was thinking covered since these are particularly Roman forms of Dionysus and Ariadne but then again it appears that the Roman worship of Dionysus was done with Greek rites as far as I can tell so perhaps uncovered (and preferably with a wreath) would be better. Thoughts?

    Like

    1. I tend to cover my head when dealing with Italian divinities regardless of whether the Romans would have followed the ritus Graecus because I am not a Roman polytheist, however much that tradition may inform our household cultus, and my own personal practice to a degree. My preference is for freshly harvested flower-crowns, but in a pinch I’ll also cover my head with the cowl of one of the hoodies I’m always wearing. (One of the reasons I always wear them.)

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Makes sense. I bought an ankh robe for rituals that has a hood so anytime I need to cover my head I can just flip up the hood. I’ve been looking into purchasing a permanent wreath to wear for other rites. Obviously freshly picked would be best and at some point I’d like to do that but at the moment I’m not sure how feasible that is. Unless of course you have tips on that too!

        Other question though: how about with Egyptian Gods regarding head coverings? I’m under the impression it’s a no but I’ve never heard one way or the other. What would you recommend?

        Like

        1. Except for special regalia for priests performing specific functions one generally honors the Netjeru with head bare, especially within a domestic context. At least that’s what I’ve found. Traditional Kemetics may take a different approach, especially with how high protocol those Gods can be, but I never had any issues. Granted, my situation was somewhat unique, but other Kemetics I knew at the time didn’t cover their heads either, so it’s a fair assumption I think.

          Like

  3. Admittedly, I’ve tended to view the various forms and epithets as ways to recognize different manifestations of the god. I use them more as titles, based on what I’m doing. But I could see where this subtle shift of perspective and intentionally engaging with certain forms might allow one’s worship or work to be more focused – might have to experiment with this!

    Like

    1. That’s how I’ve always tended to see it, but then there were a handful of sources that seemed to suggest otherwise, and I wondered why, so I tried that different approach and got some interesting results. I don’t know which is more correct, or if it’s all contextual, but it’s certainly intriguing.

      Like

Comments are closed.