Dionysius (later worshipped by the Romans as Bacchus) was the son of Zeus and a Theban princes, Semele. He was associated with fertility, wine and ecstasy, and probably originated in one of the ancient fertility cults. In Greek and Roman times he was especially associated with women. His female followers, known as Maenads (later Bacchae) on his feast days used to run through the city, wildly drunk and attacking any man who approached them. (Orpheus, the great singer, is said to have been killed in this way.) There were various attempts to prevent the rites of Dionysius; Pentheus, king of Thebes, even tried to lock him up, but the prison doors refused to close. Pentheus was later torn to pieces by the maenads.
In Roman times, Ovid's "Metamorphoses" is based on the refusal of some women to join in the feast of Dionysius (now Bacchus.) They sit at home, spinning and telling stories, until at the end they are punished for their disrespect when their looms are turned into vines and the women themselves into bats.
In Roman times, Ovid's "Metamorphoses" is based on the refusal of some women to join in the feast of Dionysius (now Bacchus.) They sit at home, spinning and telling stories, until at the end they are punished for their disrespect when their looms are turned into vines and the women themselves into bats.
