4. Place on the Mountain
Father: Zeus
Mother: Semele
Zeus had an affair with the mortal
Semele. Hera found out and
decided to kill Semele. Zeus
rescued the baby Dionysus and
implanted him in his thigh until he
came to term.
7. Personality
Dionysus was usually portrayed as a god who had a very laid-back go-with-the-
flow sort of attitude. Some legends state that Dionysus was a cruel god while other
sources say that he is the "joy-god" (Hamilton 71). In truth, these are both true.
This is because Dionysus is the god of wine. While wine does have its bad parts, it
has just as many good effects. Therefore, Dionysus' personality, is, in part, two-
sided.
8. Story: Dionysus and Ariadne
Ariadne, the daughter of the cruel king
Minos of Crete, risked her life and
position to help the great hero Theseus
navigate the deadly labyrinth. Theseus
promised to take her with him to his
hometown of Athens and make her his
bride. However, on the voyage home,
Theseus abandoned Ariadne on an
island and sailed off without her. She
was devastated and wept day and night.
One day, Dionysus saw the weeping
Ariadne and asked her why she was so
upset. She told him her sad story. He
fell madly in love with her beauty and
her noble sacrifice. He married the
abandoned Ariadne and (this is very
rare in Olympus) they lived happily ever
after.
9. Fun Facts
He turned sailors into dolphins
The Maenads are wild, crazy
women who follow him
everywhere
He took Hestia’s place on
Olympus
He is the only god to have a
mortal mother
10. Bibliography
Stevens, Sandra. Date with dionysus. Digital image. You call yourself a writer; me too. 22 Nov. 2008. Web. 8
Sept.2009.
Daly, Kathleen N. Mythology A to Z. New York City: Facts on File Inc., 2004. Print.
Philip, Neil. Myths and Legends. New York: DK Inc., 1999. Print
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston: Back Bay Books, 1998. Print.
"Family tree of the Greek gods." Illustrated Bulfinch's Mythology: Stories of Gods and Heroes. Web. 09 Sept. 2009.
