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Rejected titles for the article
19th Century Russian tapestry, Triumph of Bacchus Rejected titles for the article: Dionysos Philobarbaros Boreal Bacchus Zagreus in the land of Dracula and the Sky Bear A Furious Wind From the North A...
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polymorphōs
Woops. I initially wrote: Well, Homer did say he was blond … My bad. Homer in Hymn 7 describes him as follows: Dionysos appeared on a jutting headland by the shore of the fruitless sea, seeming like a...
View ArticleDionysos in the Northlands
Already in the works of Homer (among the earliest mentions of the God in the Greek language, not counting his appearance in a smattering of Linear B texts from Pylos and other Mycenaean poleis dating...
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feet striking the ground
The Martyrdom of Saint Theodotus 14 It was the custom among them yearly to bathe the images of the Gods in the nearby lake, and on that day was the chance for them to be cleansed along with their...
View ArticleHe blurs the line between real and unreal.
Erynn Kim, Dionysus as Metaphor: Defining the Dionysus of the Homeric Hymns In Hymn 7, however, the poet does not introduce the epithet first. Instead, the narrator describes how the transformed...
View ArticleCan you read it?
This passage reminded me of something; Dionysos in the Northlands isn’t just a random source dump. Great deliberation went into choosing the quotes as well as their arrangement. Combined, they tell a...
View ArticleHe knows.
Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 23 In one part of the constellation Cancer there are certain stars called Asses, pictured on the shell of the Crab by Liber with two stars only. For Liber, when madness was sent...
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saying the same words
Gospel of Matthew 26:36-44 36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the...
View ArticleCut loose
On the 28th of Auxiteion (May 13) we will be celebrating Agrionia. Ready to get wild?
View ArticleOn Agrionia
The myth that lurks behind Agrionia is perhaps one of the most gruesome in the Starry Bull repertoire – and that’s saying something! After Dionysos had demonstrated to the Thebans that he was a God, he...
View ArticleHades hath no fury
Medeia may just be the most controversial member of the Bacchic Orphic pantheon – and that’s saying something since Dirke is on the list! Most people are likely only familiar with Medeia from the...
View ArticleRitual outline for Agrionia
This is a two-part festival, designed with a smallish group in mind. Adapt as your circumstances require. Part one takes place indoors, while part two is all outdoor fun, preferably in a secluded...
View ArticleRecitation for Agrionia
Orphic Hymn 45. To Dionysos, Bassareus and Triennial ̓Ελθέ, μάκαρ ∆ιόνυσε, πυρίσπορε, ταυρομέτωπε, Βάσσαρε καὶ Βακχεῦ, πολυώνυμε, παντοδυνάστα, ὃς ξίφεσιν χαίρεις ἠδ’ αἵματι Μαινάσι θ’ ἁγναῖς, εὐάζων...
View ArticleTips for celebrating Agrionia
1. Include representations of the Toys at the Bakcheios idol to assist with purging madness. Make sure that they are a set that may be handled by strangers. 2. During the dance portion make available...
View ArticleRecipe for Agrionia
Homer provides the following recipe for kykeon: Fair-curled Hekamede prepared a mixture, she whom the old man had brought from Tenedos, when Achilles laid it waste, the daughter of magnanimous...
View Article10 songs for Agrionia
Sonic Youth – Little Trouble Girl Dusty Springfield – You Don’t Own Me Warpaint – Elephants Björk – Violently Happy PJ Harvey – 13 Snake Angel Haze – Cleaning Out My Closet L7 – Shitlist Sonic Youth –...
View ArticleA game to play for Agrionia
I like to call this one Chase the Shades. It’s basically your standard game of Tag, except that you tag the other players by stepping on their shadow instead of touching them. When you step on...
View ArticleSources for Agrionia
Apollodoros, Bibliotheka 2.2-3.1 Proitos had daughters, Lysippe, Iphinoe, and Iphianassa, by Stheneboea. When these damsels were grown up, they went mad, according to Hesiod, because they would not...
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