[619]. B.M. B 345, E 444; Berlin 2278; Reinach, i. 203; Ath. Mitth. 1889, pl. 1.
[620]. Forman Sale Cat. 364.
CHAPTER XIII
DIONYSOS AND MISCELLANEOUS DEITIES
Dionysos and his associates—Ariadne, Maenads, and Satyrs—Names of Satyrs and Maenads—The Nether World—General representations and isolated subjects—Charon, Erinnyes, Hekate, and Thanatos—Cosmogonic deities—Gaia and Pandora—Prometheus and Atlas—Iris and Hebe—Personifications—Sun, Moon, Stars, and Dawn—Winds—Cities and countries—The Muses—Victory—Abstract ideas—Descriptive names.
§ 1. Dionysos and his Associates
The most important deity in Greek mythology outside the Olympian circle is undoubtedly Dionysos; but the part that is played by him and his attendant train in Greek art is out of all proportion even to this, at least in the vase-paintings. Apart from what we may regard as strictly mythological subjects, such as the Birth of Dionysos and scenes in which other gods or heroes are introduced, the number and variety of the themes are so great that an exhaustive enumeration is quite impossible; nor indeed would it repay the trouble to give a complete list of what may for convenience be termed Dionysiac scenes. Suffice it to say that they occur with equal frequency on the vases of all periods from the middle of the sixth century onwards.
The personages with whom we have to deal in this section are, besides Dionysos himself, his spouse Ariadne, Pan, with his “double” Aegipan, and the motley rout of Satyrs, Seileni, and Maenads, who appear either in the wine-god’s company or by themselves. Dionysos is generally accompanied by one or more Maenads or Seileni, whether engaged in some definite action, such as pouring wine or playing flutes, or no; but he is also not infrequently seen as a single figure.[[621]] On the earlier vases he is elderly and bearded, but on the later youthful and beardless. He is occasionally represented with horns,[[622]] or in the form of a man-headed bull.[[623]] He is depicted sacrificing at an altar,[[624]] pouring a libation,[[625]] or slaying a fawn[[626]] or goat χιμαιροφόνος[[627]]; banqueting,[[628]] or playing on the lyre.[[629]] He rides on a bull,[[630]] goat,[[631]] mule,[[632]] or panther,[[633]] or in a winged chariot[[634]]—in one case drawn by Gryphons, in another by a Gryphon, bull, and panther[[635]]—or in a chariot shaped like a ship[[636]]; or is carried by a Seilenos.[[637]] On a beautiful cup by Exekias[[638]] he sails over the ocean in a boat, the mast of which grows into a vine. We are reminded in this scene of the Homeric hymn (xix.) and the story of the Tyrrhenian pirates, a subject which, according to one interpretation, is represented on a vase at Athens.[[639]]
His birth is not often represented, and chiefly on R.F. vases[[640]]; it has been referred to already in detail, in reference to Zeus. When handed over to Hermes,[[641]] the newly born infant is conveyed by that god to Nysa, where he is finally delivered to a Seilenos, to be nursed by the Nymphs of that place.[[642]] Or he is handed directly to a Nymph by Zeus,[[643]] or, by a curious error or confusion on the artist’s part, to Ariadne, his future bride.[[644]] There is a possible representation of the Indian Dionysos or Bassareus,[[645]] India being the land whence he was fabled to come; and other vases represent various events connected with his first manifestation of himself in Greece: such as the madness he brought on Lykourgos, who refused to receive him,[[646]] and his subsequent sacrifice after his triumph[[647]]; the death of the similarly contumelious Pentheus (the story on which the plot of the Bacchae turns)[[648]]; or his supposed visit to the Athenian Ikarios.[[649]] He sometimes appears with his mother Semele, whom he brings back from Hades[[650]]; in one or two instances their heads are seen rising from the ground to indicate their return from the nether world.[[651]] They are then solemnly introduced into Olympos.[[652]]
Dionysos is frequently grouped with various deities, such as Apollo, Athena, and Hermes[[653]]; or they are seen in his company at a banquet.[[654]] He sometimes appears at the birth of Athena,[[655]] the apotheosis of Herakles,[[656]] and his marriage with Hebe[[657]]; or in heroic scenes, such as the Judgment of Paris,[[658]] or the combat of Herakles and Kyknos.[[659]] He appears with the Seileni who attack Hera and Iris,[[660]] and brings back Hephaistos to Olympos.[[661]] He frequently takes part in the Gigantomachia, usually in single combat,[[662]] being aided by his panther, and sometimes by Seileni and Maenads.[[663]] Sometimes he is seen preparing for this event, wearing a cuirass, while Satyrs or Maenads hold the rest of his armour.[[664]] He is also grouped with Gaia Κουροτρόφος,[[665]] and with Poseidon and Nike[[666]]; or accompanies the chariot of Athena[[667]]; and is seen in more than one assembly of the Olympian deities.[[668]]
His wooing and consoling of the deserted Ariadne[[669]] is an attractive and popular subject, and several vases seem to represent the nuptial ceremonies between the pair,[[670]] or the preparations for the same, with Eros assisting at the bride’s toilet.[[671]] Numerous are the instances in which he is seen grouped with Ariadne, often in loving embrace,[[672]] and generally surrounded by his cortège,[[673]] but also alone. Or, again, he and Ariadne drive in a chariot drawn by lions,[[674]] panthers,[[675]] stags,[[676]] or goats[[677]]; in two cases Ariadne drives her own chariot alone,[[678]] in another Dionysos is seen alone in a four-horse chariot.[[679]] They are also seen reclining together at a banquet,[[680]] sometimes accompanied by Herakles and other deities.[[681]] On a vase of quasi-Etruscan style[[682]] we see the sleeping Ariadne surrounded by Dionysos, Satyrs, and Maenads. This presumably refers to the scene in Naxos.