Dionysus / Bacchus The God Of Wine ~ And History of Wine .
☥☽✪☾DAW ☽✪☾
2011/04/21 22:40:47
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Dionysus / Bacchus
often associated with the Celtic God The Green man
Dionysus is the god of wine, agriculture, and the fertility of nature, grape harvest, winemaking and wine, Dionysus had learned how to make wine when he lived in a valley, and traveled around to spread his knowledge. Dionysus had many followers, humans and animals both he is also the god of Theater and song
Dionysus' father is the god Zeus, and princess Semele.
He is the only god to have a mortal parent. Zeus came to Semele in the night, invisable, felt only as a devine presence. Semele was pleased to be a lover of a god, even though she did not know which one.
Word soon got around and Hera quickly assumed who was responsible. Hera went to Semele in disguise and convinced her she should see her lover as he really was. When Zeus next came to her she made him promise to grant her one wish. She went so far as to make him swear on the River Styx that he would grant her request. Zeus was madly in love and agreed. She then asked him to show her his true form. Zeus, was unhappy, and knew what would happen but, having sworn he had no choice. He appeared in his true form and Semele was instantly burnt to a crisp by the sight of his glory. Zeus did manage to rescue Dionysus and stiched him into his thigh to hold him until he was ready to be born. His birth from Zeus alone conferred immortality upon him
Word soon got around and Hera quickly assumed who was responsible. Hera went to Semele in disguise and convinced her she should see her lover as he really was. When Zeus next came to her she made him promise to grant her one wish. She went so far as to make him swear on the River Styx that he would grant her request. Zeus was madly in love and agreed. She then asked him to show her his true form. Zeus, was unhappy, and knew what would happen but, having sworn he had no choice. He appeared in his true form and Semele was instantly burnt to a crisp by the sight of his glory. Zeus did manage to rescue Dionysus and stiched him into his thigh to hold him until he was ready to be born. His birth from Zeus alone conferred immortality upon him
Dionysus problems with Hera were not yet over. She was still jealous and arranged for theTitans to kill him. The Titans ripped him into to pieces. However, Rhea brought him back to life. After this Zeus arranged for his protection and turned him over the mountain nymphs to be raised.
Dionysus is also one of the very few that was able to bring a dead person out of the underworld. Even though he had never seen Semele he was concerned for her. Eventually he journeyed into the underworld to find her. He faced downThanatos and brought her back to Mount Olympus.
Dionysus was a god known for his lightheartness and always offered his help to anyone in need. He was therefore very popular among gods and mortals and many festivals were being held every year in his honor.
Nevertheless, Dionysus was many times misunderstood.
Nevertheless, Dionysus was many times misunderstood.
Dionysus was one of the Olympian gods who actually did not live in Mount Olympus but was constantly travelling around the world together with Satyrs and Maenads in order to spread the secrets of winemaking to mortals 
A handsome young man with impressive hair (usually tresses falling below his shoulders) and a wreath of ivy on his head. In his hand he was holding a "thyrsos", which was a light staff wrapped with leaves of ivy and a pine cone on its top.
The sacred animal of Dionysos was the panther.
Dionysus became one of the most important gods in everyday life. He became associated with several key concepts. One was rebirth after death. Here his dismemberment by the Titans and return to life is symbolically echoed in tending vines, where the vines must be pruned back sharply, and then become dormant in winter for them to bear fruit. The other is the idea that under the influence of wine, one could feel possessed by a greater power. Unlike the other gods Dionysus was not only outside his believers but, also within them. At these times a man might be greater then himself and do works he otherwise could not
No one can know who made the first wine. The great classical civilizations of Greece and Rome traced it back into their prehistory, and built legends around its discovery. Ancient Egypt has left us wine lists and wall paintings. Indeed, the Egyptians recorded the vintage, vineyard and winemaker on individual jars of wine: the first wine labels. The Babylonians laid down laws to regulate the running of a wineshop, and wrote vivid descriptions of a magical, jewel bearing vineyard in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the earliest imaginative writing there is: it appears to have been written in the 18th centurv BC
Exactly where wine was first made is still unclear. It could have been anywhere in the vast region, stretching from Spain to Central Asia, where wild grapes grow. However, the first large-scale production of wine must have been in the region where grapes were first domesticated, Southern Caucasus and the Near East. Wild grapes grow in Greece, its often suggestion that Greece is the birthplace of wine.
Much modern wine culture derives from the practices of the ancient Greeks; while the exact arrival of wine in Greek territory is unknown, it was known to both the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures. Dionysos was the Greek god of wine and revelry, and wine was frequently referred to in the works of Homer and Aesop. In Homeric myths wine is usually served in "mixing bowls", in which strong wine was dilluted (presumably with water) in order to serve a large number of people
In Ancient Egypt, wine played an important role in ceremonial life. A thriving royal winemaking industry was established in the Nile Delta following the introduction of grape cultivation from the Levant to Egypt c. 3000 BC. The industry was most likely the result of trade between Egypt and Canaan during the Early Bronze Age, commencing from at least the Third Dynasty (2650 – 2575 BC), the beginning of the Old Kingdom period (2650 – 2152 BC). Winemaking scenes on tomb walls, and the offering lists that accompanied them, included wine that was definitely produced at the deltaic vineyards. By the end of the Old Kingdom, five wines, all probably produced in the Delta, constitute a canonical set of provisions, or fixed "menu," for the afterlife. The advent of wine in Europe was the work of the Greeks who spread the art of grape-growing and winemaking in Ancient Greek and Roman times.
White Wine in Tutankhamun's Tomb
Wine in ancient Egypt was predominantly red. A recent discovery, however, has revealed the first ever evidence of white wine in ancient Egypt. Residue from five clay amphorae from Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb yielded traces of white wine.
the Roman Empire had an immense impact on the development of viticulture and enology. Wine was an integral part of the Roman diet and wine making became a precise business.
As the Roman Empire expanded, wine production in the provinces grew to the point the provinces were competing with Roman wines. Virtually all of the major wine producing regions of Western Europe today were established by the Romans.
Wine making technology improved considerably during the time of the Roman Empire. Many grape varieties and cultivation were known. Barrels were developed for storing and shipping wine. Bottles were used for the first time. And the early developments of an appellation system formed as certain regions gained reputations for fine wine.
Once the Roman Empire fell around 500 CE, Europe went into a period known as the Dark Ages. This was a period of invasions and social turmoil. The only stable social structure was the grape growing and wine making technology was preserved during this period. when Sanitation was outlawed by the church calling it heathen because the Pagans had invented sanitation to keep from being sick . Water was unsafe to drink as as result of no sanitation in cities it spread the disease known as the black plague resulting in over 300 million deaths . water being prone to carry the disease so the only alternative was Wine. or Beer .
wine became sacred to the church even thou the wine makers themselves who grew the grapes and made wine most of them were pagans themselves and the
church left them alone as a result
It is most likely that Beer and Wine most likely Saved Human Civilization from near extinction in a time period of social turmoil. and religious dictators gone mad with thier power
Top Opinion
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K-ZOOMI-----0 2011/04/21 23:08:17A gourmet meal without a glass of wine just seems tragic to me somehow
Ninkasi, the Sumerian Goddess of Brewing and Beer
What do you drink?
Its funny i waited till i was 21 to drink then everything i tried i hated it
all tasted Terrible to me im like why am i drinking this?
I started before 18, and enjoyed it, but I never smoked, so I guess that's a fair exchange.
http://www.sodahead.com/unite...
Wine is one of my passions and I've had the honor of sharing at least five of the best at a tasting with the great Alexis Lechine. Coincidentally, we belonged to a wine group in Atlanta named Bacchus.
The making of wine is an art form no less than painting, composing, or any of the others. There are so many "artists" that it's impossible to taste all of the creations, varieties, and origins, in a lifetime. However, the attempt can only be a journey into a delight for the senses.
First, there's the look. You see it in the glass, red or white. It can be a brilliant or subdued color. It sparkles as light plays off the surface and is transformed by the tint and hue of the liquid.
Secondly, the smell, or "nose". You pick up the aromas of fruit, melon, grass, herb, wood, coffee, chocolate, and more.
Third, the taste. Sweetness, sourness, bitterness, all combine to form a profile of the fruit and fermentation process that the grape has experienced. You can also get the "mouth feel" of the tannins and other characteristics that make this pleasant or not.
Fourth, swallowing. It can be a warm sensation in your throat, a felling of heat, smoothness, astringency, and a few others.
Fifth is a combination of taste mouth feel and smell that gives the af...
Wine is one of my passions and I've had the honor of sharing at least five of the best at a tasting with the great Alexis Lechine. Coincidentally, we belonged to a wine group in Atlanta named Bacchus.
The making of wine is an art form no less than painting, composing, or any of the others. There are so many "artists" that it's impossible to taste all of the creations, varieties, and origins, in a lifetime. However, the attempt can only be a journey into a delight for the senses.
First, there's the look. You see it in the glass, red or white. It can be a brilliant or subdued color. It sparkles as light plays off the surface and is transformed by the tint and hue of the liquid.
Secondly, the smell, or "nose". You pick up the aromas of fruit, melon, grass, herb, wood, coffee, chocolate, and more.
Third, the taste. Sweetness, sourness, bitterness, all combine to form a profile of the fruit and fermentation process that the grape has experienced. You can also get the "mouth feel" of the tannins and other characteristics that make this pleasant or not.
Fourth, swallowing. It can be a warm sensation in your throat, a felling of heat, smoothness, astringency, and a few others.
Fifth is a combination of taste mouth feel and smell that gives the after taste or finish. Some wines tend to linger and make you want another sip immediately. Some have that quality that can allow you to sit back and enjoy it with a lingering satisfaction that adds to the experience.
Is it a wonder the Greeks had a God whose total existence was dedicated to the enjoyment of wine? It makes perfect sense to me. Also, the Jewish and Christian religions use wine to enhance the spiritual aspects of faith. Who would ever deny the pleasure of enjoying the product of nature and work of the artist who is proficient in crafting such a wonderful libation?
"Red wine, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of "good" cholesterol and protecting against artery damage."
http://www.mayoclinic.com/hea...
Excellent information as always Daw, thanks!
Where ar the churches located, I want to join this religion, hell I'll even bring my own bottle, lol.