DIONYSOS Exciter to Frenzy: A study of the history and myths of the God Dionysos / Vikki Bramshaw
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“There was ‘no god more present’ than Dionysos: that is, out of all the ancient gods Dionysos was one of the few who people felt that they could reach out and touch” ~ Vikki Bramshaw
Dionysos: Exciter to Frenzy is a phenomenal and scholarly exploration of one of the most complex, liminal and paradoxical gods of the ancient world. The author Vikki Bramshaw guides the reader through the mysterious world of the multifaceted Dionysos, revealing his hidden faces and forms and his presence in different cultures, the growth cycles of nature, the establishment of theatre and the ancient Greek calendar.
The roots of the wine god Dionysos, like his vines, spread throughout the ancient world. From the Cretan Zagreus, to the Thracian Sabazios and the Egyptian Iachen, his stories permeated the myths and traditions of both the untamed wilderness and the culture of cities such as Athens. Joined by slaves and rulers, wild flesh-ripping Maenads and vegetarian Orphics, wine-makers and hunters, the thrice-born Dionysos danced his way through the challenges of rebirth and initiation, with the liberating ecstasy of trance and possession.
The god Dionysos unites opposites, he is many-formed, dying yet eternal, chthonian and heavenly. His ancient myths, mystical symbols, pagan rites and incarnations represent a uniquely detailed and relevant perspective of the transformation he brings through prophecy and personal liberation which is still relevant today.
A Short Extract: From “Chapter 1 – Who is Dionysos?“
Who is Dionysos? Portrayed as the leader of lustful processions and drunken debauchery, he appears a hedonistic god, at best – but this is a gross generalisation, and negates the true complexity of Dionysos’ nature.
Dionysos can certainly be described as a ‘complex’ character. He is Dionysos Dimorphos, ‘dual-formed’, and Dionysos Dimetor, ‘born of two mothers’. His dual nature bestows him with the authority of a liminal god: he who stands on the threshold between the worlds as a god of prophecy and initiation, and he who traverses the processes of birth, life, death and rebirth. As an ascended god Dionysos occupies the heavens, yet he also dwells in the depths of the underworld acting as a guide for souls, spirits and shades. As the bull-formed lord of death and rebirth, he is Dionysos Dikerotes ‘the two-horned one’. He is the hunter, yet also the hunted – and he is dead, yet also alive; these cycles of opposition were the driving force behind his cult rites. Dionysos offers us the joyous freedom of choice, yet he is also the toxicity that we ourselves administer by our erroneous decisions; he is Dionysos Bromios, ‘the roarer’ and loud-shouting god of pandemonium; ‘yet silence and stillness often fell upon those who were possessed by him’.[1] Often symbolic of extreme and contrasting states of being, he embodies the primal emotions that drive us and makes us who we are.
Neither was the cult of Dionysos a small one; his following was perhaps one of the most widely spread of the ancient mysteries, and stood as a serious rival to the emerging cult of Christianity. We find record of Dionysos’ worship to the west in Italy; to the east in Turkey; to the north in Romania and Bulgaria, and to the south in Libya - and pre-Dionysian ritual and culture relating to later Dionysos worship all over the Mediterranean. We also find striking similarities in terms of practice with shamanic cultures from other parts of the world, such as West Africa, the Caribbean, and even northern Europe.
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Dionysos: Exciter to Frenzy is a phenomenal and scholarly exploration of one of the most complex, liminal and paradoxical gods of the ancient world. The author Vikki Bramshaw guides the reader through the mysterious world of the multifaceted Dionysos, revealing his hidden faces and forms and his presence in different cultures, the growth cycles of nature, the establishment of theatre and the ancient Greek calendar.
The roots of the wine god Dionysos, like his vines, spread throughout the ancient world. From the Cretan Zagreus, to the Thracian Sabazios and the Egyptian Iachen, his stories permeated the myths and traditions of both the untamed wilderness and the culture of cities such as Athens. Joined by slaves and rulers, wild flesh-ripping Maenads and vegetarian Orphics, wine-makers and hunters, the thrice-born Dionysos danced his way through the challenges of rebirth and initiation, with the liberating ecstasy of trance and possession.
The god Dionysos unites opposites, he is many-formed, dying yet eternal, chthonian and heavenly. His ancient myths, mystical symbols, pagan rites and incarnations represent a uniquely detailed and relevant perspective of the transformation he brings through prophecy and personal liberation which is still relevant today.
A Short Extract: From “Chapter 1 – Who is Dionysos?“
Who is Dionysos? Portrayed as the leader of lustful processions and drunken debauchery, he appears a hedonistic god, at best – but this is a gross generalisation, and negates the true complexity of Dionysos’ nature.
Dionysos can certainly be described as a ‘complex’ character. He is Dionysos Dimorphos, ‘dual-formed’, and Dionysos Dimetor, ‘born of two mothers’. His dual nature bestows him with the authority of a liminal god: he who stands on the threshold between the worlds as a god of prophecy and initiation, and he who traverses the processes of birth, life, death and rebirth. As an ascended god Dionysos occupies the heavens, yet he also dwells in the depths of the underworld acting as a guide for souls, spirits and shades. As the bull-formed lord of death and rebirth, he is Dionysos Dikerotes ‘the two-horned one’. He is the hunter, yet also the hunted – and he is dead, yet also alive; these cycles of opposition were the driving force behind his cult rites. Dionysos offers us the joyous freedom of choice, yet he is also the toxicity that we ourselves administer by our erroneous decisions; he is Dionysos Bromios, ‘the roarer’ and loud-shouting god of pandemonium; ‘yet silence and stillness often fell upon those who were possessed by him’.[1] Often symbolic of extreme and contrasting states of being, he embodies the primal emotions that drive us and makes us who we are.
Neither was the cult of Dionysos a small one; his following was perhaps one of the most widely spread of the ancient mysteries, and stood as a serious rival to the emerging cult of Christianity. We find record of Dionysos’ worship to the west in Italy; to the east in Turkey; to the north in Romania and Bulgaria, and to the south in Libya - and pre-Dionysian ritual and culture relating to later Dionysos worship all over the Mediterranean. We also find striking similarities in terms of practice with shamanic cultures from other parts of the world, such as West Africa, the Caribbean, and even northern Europe.
Now you can buy Books online in USA,UK, India and more than 100 countries.
*Terms and Conditions apply
Disclaimer: All product data on this page belongs to
.No guarantees are made as to accuracy of prices and information.
