honestly, a characterization of dionysus where he is an outgoing party animal who's super chill most of the time but absolutely reminds you why he is technically a god of death and also of hallucinations when you fuck up sounds incredible. not only do you get a three dimensional character with a sense of mystery proper of a god, it also works as a reminder of both sides of drinking and partying.
I made a similar comment years ago and I was worried no one saw it, so I’m glad to see that about 1.8k since have had a similar thought. The line between intoxication and madness is pretty thin after all.
Another headcanon: Mycenaean Dionysus dies, reborns as Orphic Dionysus and calms down into Hellenistic Dionysus. Fits the whole death/rebirth as well as explaining diluted wine
@@Nobody-707 More head cannon Mycenaean Dionysus dies becomes Orphic Dionysus he dies and becomes Bacchus Dionysus who calms down to Hellenistic Dionysus for reasons above and a bit more specific
Doctor Who Writers: *takes all of the hallucinogenic drugs* ZAGREUSSITSINSIDEYOURHEADZAGREUSLIVESAMONGSTTHEDEADZAGREUSSEESYOUINYOURBEDANDEATSYOUWHENYOURESLEEPING
Right? Honestly, I'd play the heck out of that sequel, where instead of working with the Olympians to escape the Underworld, Zagreus is working with a slightly different set (say, remove Zeus and Poseiden; add Persephone and Apollo?) to take Zeus' throne. It'd be so cool.
I always forget that Aphrodite is part of the club! If they wouldn't get creeped out by and/or fight each other, the Furies, also born of Ouranos' blood (which technically makes them Aphrodite's SISTERS?!?!?!) would be in the club as well
@@puppies3330 nah the furies as far as I’m aware are not goddesses since the goddess of divine punishment is nemesis. But the furies also fill that role but live in the house of hades. The only time I could see them being called goddesses is if they’re getting the appallo and Artemis treatment with Helios and Selene
The illustrations made it seem like he went from middle-aged dude, to slightly less middle-aged dude, to edgy teenager, backstepping slightly to introverted millenial, and then finally going back forward to party animal teenager.
I like to think that Dionysus was raised by all those gods/titans/mortals you mentioned, and they had to keep passing him around because Hera was constantly going door to door looking for him. I picture it like a screwball comedy where he's always just barely ahead of her.
So, fun fact I just learned, apparently Dionysus is associated with the first recorded "He's right behind me, isn't he?" joke in history. In one of the many plays about Dionysus, there's a bit where Dionysus and a friend travel through the underworld and they talk about all the horrible monsters they could encounter. At one point, Dionysus's friend is describing a particularly horrible monster he doesn't want to meet and Dionysus starts acting like he's afraid of something off stage and the friend is like, "Oh, no! Please don't tell me that the monster is just over there now!"
@@Kelaiah01 I don't remember. It was referenced in another video I came across, but I don't remember the play's name. I'd have to see if I could find the video again.
I kinda like the idea that Dionysus is still a god of death, madness, going to overthrow Zeus, all that stuff, BUT, he's drunk/hungover all the time and all the other Gods/Goddesses conspire to keep him that way because they're terrified of what he might be capable of if he ever sobered up.
Fun fact: The game Hades actually acknowledges the connection between Zagreus and Dionysus by making it a joke that Zagreus and Dionysus play on Orpheus
The entire thing about the wine cult likely being as old as wine itself is interesting, but I love how this could be interpreted as the MINUTE that wine is revealed to get people CRAZY drunk they decided "hey, we could make a religion out of this!" And thus Dionysus' cult was born
i want a show with the three versions of dionysus as roommates. helenic dionysus as happy go lucky party boy, orphic dionysus as chaotic unhinged trickster, and mycenaean dionysus as a vaguely creepy but laid back dude.
Wine, guys, women, and wonderful vice (I know the line is, Wine and woman and wonderful vices, but I say that version because I am Bisexual, hope that's ok)
“Woah, Dionysus, the ‘70’s called, they want to know if they can borrow some of your stash.” I imagine you might want to specify which ‘70’s you’re referring to, Dionysus has probably experienced hundreds of 7th decades at this point.
Another intriguing thing about Dionysus is his relationship with Ariadne. Whether he threatened Theseus to abandon her on Naxos or he just found her after Theseus abandoned her of his own volition (everyone has their own interpretation), one constant with retellings of how they met is that Dionysus absolutely _loved_ this girl. He loved her so much that it appears that this hedonistic god _became monogamous_ when he married her. He loved her so much that when she died (whether it be suicide or murder, again based on interpretation) that he refused to let her stay dead. As in he went to the Underworld basically saying “Eff you, I’m taking my wife home” and just up and left with her. Oh, and he took his mom home with him for good measure too, and had them both turned into goddesses. Pretty heartwarming stuff.
I don't really think Hades would mind letting his nephew take his girlfriend back with him, or his mom, he's got enough of Zeus's ex-girlfriends to handle in Tartarus.
@@sonofjack6286 Hades do be quite chill. Besides kidnapping/arranging the marriage with Persephone he has consistently proved himself to be one of the most wholesome gods. He stays true to his wife, he does his job, he gives heroes planty of opportunities to save their loved ones and gotta love that according to research, the name of his GIANT THREE HEADED FUCK OFF HELL HOUND translates to Spot.
I love how someone said they like to think Dionysus was raised by a big group of gods. I can just imagine Hades being like "But he's so cute and funny! Can't we keep him for another century?" and Persephone just sighs like "No, Hades. I know he's adorable, but Hera is literally fighting Cerberus as we speak-"
Learning that Zagreus isn't an OC and the people behind the game Hades did their homework. The whole death and rebirth associated with Zagreus/Orphic Dionysus works so well in a roguelike
Plus that whole bit in the game where Dionysus and Zagreus play a prank on Orpheus to make him think they split from the same being really ties it all together in a really fun way
This makes me recall this one moment in the Percy Jackson books where Percy says something really antagonistic to Dionysus and the god turns around, there’s purple fire in his eyes and Percy sees visions that make him suddenly remember that Dionysus’ trait as a god of madness is a lot scarier than the trait of grumpy alcoholic that Percy has been envisioning him as for three books.
Soooo basically, he's actually not so much a god of drunkenness, and more a god of insanity, connected to wine through... well, the effects of being drunk or high. About right?
I’m imagining the campers just watching Dionysus sulk, thinking about the good days when he had horns & a crazed cult. The campers would be one-of-two things: confused or just not caring.
So basically Dionysus grew backwards, from "mature looking" edgy and moody teenager with destructive powers to "young looking" chill and party animal adult with destructive powers.
It's also worth mentioning that Dionysus spared one of the dudes on the boat because he immediately realized he was a god and was trying to get the other crewmen to set him free.
It's as I've always said; Cetaceans are probably among the only animals on earth able to both fully comprehend what evil is and willingly choose to act on it anyways.
One of my favorite Dionysus quotes is from PJO, when he tries to pour himself a glass of wine but it turns into water mid-pour, as an effect of his exile from Olympus to CHB. He says “y’know, the Christians have a guy that can do this in reverse. Now THATS A god!”
@@mohammedyousef4005 your correction is slightly incorrect depending on where you read it. In some sources it’s Meganöe and in others Melinoe. However your add on about the furies is accurate. Just thought I would mention it form one Greek mythology need to (presumably) another!
I work with dionysus, he is definately really interesting because he really does switch between the two way too often Like one moment he will be alll hyper and giddy then next thing I know he is like getting into some really dark shit and talking about insanity and whatnot and I just sit there like "👁👄👁 you amaze me in the greatest of ways sir"
@@cybernurgle6413 Wine Cult: Who are you? Mad God: Ah, don’t mind me. I was just passing through and saw you guys partying last night. Thought I’d join. Now… *snaps fingers and makes more wine appear* how about more wine? Wine Cult: You must be our god! WOOHOO!
"Closing Time" is actually PERFECT for Dionysus because although it's ostensibly a song about drunk people leaving a bar, it's actually a metaphor for birth. Lines such as "time for you to go out to the places you will be from," and "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end," imply that the bar patrons are children going out into the real world for the first time.
I’d like to think that Dionysus was raised from being fostered by Rea, Hermes, AND Persephone + Hades because he’s a good husband. Persephone gets him from Monday-Wednesday, Hermes gets him for the rest of the weekdays and Rea takes him in for the weekend. Having godly connections would be lit as your local illegitimate child.
Some of the wines drunk by the Cult of Dionysus are also theorized to have been mixed with hallucinogens. Considering most users of heavy hallucinogens have a “death and rebirth” experience, this might help explain Dionysus’s connection with rebirth
I swear to God if it's the anumita muscaria mushrooms again I'm going to send a note to my college professor and ask if he can get me some. Cuz like EVERY single god damn time I get to an odd new religious practice around possible life and rebirth it's the SAME FUCKING MUSHROOM. Ex: the waters of everlasting life is drinking the urine of someone who ate the shrooms. Gets you not quite as high but you don't feel like you're gonna die first
@@fangsabre I've been told that this was practiced by Shamans, who would eat mushrooms, have a terrible trip, then the rest of the village would drink their piss after it had been through a liver and have a much better trip. My biggest questions with this is *who in the hell worked this out and why were they drinking Shaman piss??*
@@nyxshadowhawk I'm kinda use to the whole incest thing in mythology. It's just that a relationship between a parent and a direct child is still pretty hard to stomach.
I feel like this should make Zagreus and Dionysus total bros. I feel like that's a promising friendship, the extreme extrovert who loves partying and the quiet kid who doesn't know how to handle gatherings larger than just him and his parents and also their trusty dog Spot.
@@selenopheria there’s this thing called trial of the gods where you have to chose between gods and the other one gets mad at you and if you dont choose dio hes like “zag man.. i thought we were buddies :(“
I mean, to be fair, I'm pretty sure Zeus's affair count is a lot higher than Odin's, and I don't think Odin ever hung Frigg off a tree because she made him mad (did hang himself off a tree though...)
Parvati: You think that's bad? SHIVA KILLED MY SON!!! Isis: Your husbands are still alive? (But for real, I can't believe Red hasn't done a video on Ganesha)
Holy fricking shiet. So Dionysus used to be a full blown lovecraftian god of madness, death, rebirth and intoxication to ascend to a higher state of existence. And eventually became the cute drunkard boy who would occassionally cause mass chaos and insanity. I didn't expect this, wow.
The pre-Hellenic view of the underwood was quite different. It was a meadow here the souls of the dead could be care-free or something like that. The asphodel meadow and the Elysian Fields were probably outcrops of this earlier optimistic view of death. Wine libations were also common. In the Odyssey, Odysseus prepares the ritual of talking to the dead by making a libation of wine before filling a hole in the ground with a ram's blood. Libation cups are very common finds from Minoan, and also Mycenaean sites and there are also depictions on frescoes from that period (and even in some Egyptian wall paintings was well).
This actually made me appreciate Percy Jackson even MORE. I had always thought of him as Wine first with some cool madness wild cuz parties. It didn't really occur to me that the insanity and vindictive nature came first, then the wine. Which if you read the PJO books, Mr D comes across as a being who's really very spiteful with hints of true and unsettling power, but then it comes back to him not being able to drink anymore. It's the difference between "party god is grumpy cuz no party anymore" and "someone who is very capable of being vindictive, brutal, and unpredictable but is mostly just grumpy these days because of the universe's worst hangover"
@@urbainleverrier1 I don't think there is enough evidence to say one way or another. Zagreus and Dionysus share other details than that. Such as the Zeus and Persephone parentage, and the underworld ties.
Yeah I know the books have zero problem leaning into that angle (such as his frequent threats to turn people into dolphins, when he drove Atlas' men crazy in Titan's Curse, etc) but I didn't know until this video how much of his history and personality that actually was. Rick Riordan takes a few liberties with the god's powers and divine domains so I think I just chalked it up to that
8:12 Ok, but after playing Hades (the game) this picture is even better, because if you give Dionysus enough nectar, he and Zag will convince Orpheus that they're actually the same person as a sort of prank. Only it gets a little out of hand because Zag has been bragging to Orpheus for a while and he believes everything you tell him.
The best part is that it becomes difficult to tell if Orpheus is just that gullible, or if he's playing along with Zagreus as part of their friendship.
One more thing I fucking love how you're against painting a "one true' narrative. Its so refreshing and informative. The idea of a bunch of different narratives syncretizing and evolving and branching is so much more interesting anyways dont you think.
I’m feeling devious, You’re looking glamorous, Let’s get mischievous, And polyamorous. Wine and women and wonderful vices, Welcome to the cult of Dionysus
I like to think that if Dionysus' title of God of Madness was more renowned than God of Wine, he might have taken up that scary villain image that Hades was popular for. I mean when you think about him in the Bacchae, he desires his place of worship, makes certain people insane, and has them gruesomely tear his offender apart. And his art of making wine could have also been adapted as the art of chemistry in the area of hallucinogenic drugs. And he did not originally have a place in the Pantheon. He could have been Disney's Hercules' villain rather than Hades.
Honestly, I love these deeper, darker depictions of these gods, it gives them a more mysterious and truly godlike vibe rather than just being "god of thing"
God of thing that does [insert dumbass decision here] for shits and giggles and gives me the feeling that they are less godlike in the sense that most people nowadays consider but just "meh. I know you're there and I'm slightly worried of you power but whatever'
The transition of Gods through almost every century and still retaining their past characteristics is a really interesting concept. It shows true personalities who have experienced history as a whole, like dionysus seen as a chill and fun party god and still being able to show us how scary powerful he can be with vines, insanity and transforming dudes into dolphins. The transition of the gods also makes you question their existence in the real world, as in "they might have been actual crazy powerful beings that originated from the cosmos who change to hide their true origins" self-questioning, and its unique. But going back its more obvious that its the people, the worshipers and generally the society back then that change the perspective of gods, esspecially when it happens from a historical impact, like the dark ages, or the bronze age when people were giving shape to these gods. Either way its interesting in itself.
@Emily Barclay Wouldn't be shocked if I looked at the Olympian family tree and somebody who's his own grandpa on account of Zeus. This is what happens when you can't keep in your pants and swim in your own gene pool.
@Emily Barclay This is part of why I worship the gods of my Norse ancestors: no incest. If gods are eligible, just marry an attractive giant. Odin's dad, Bor, went that way, and his kids ended up creating the world and humanity, so I'd say he did good.
I like how HADES not only jokes about Zagreus and Dionysus being the same person, but also establishes the two as different aspects of the myths. Dionysus is just the god of wine but Zagreus is the one who becomes the god of rebirth
There's a game called Hades where you play as the God Zagreus, and a hilarious nod to the Zag/Diyonsus lack of continuity where you can actually trick the court musician Orpheus into thinking the two gods were one and the same. Lol
It goes even farther than that, Orpheus ends up creating a song about how Zagreb’s fought the Titans and got ripped apart and from his blood Dionysus was born ~ I think that whole affair is the devs’ way of making the whole confusion about Zagreus and Dio cannon in the game’s universe with the origin being those two playing a prank on Orpheus and he took it seriously.
Honestly, yeah. I think I like him for the same reasons I like Hades & Persephone. They’re cool. They’re scary, sure, but they have functional relationships & some-what likable traits about them. That definitely sets them apart from some of they’re other Pantheon members.
Well the God Pan also threw great parties. Why does nobody remember him? I mean he was also had a connection to madness (from fear) and had cool horns.
+Alina Rendon Its not like Persephone *knew* it was Ol' Dad Thunderbritches. Some interpretations of the story say Zeus disguised himself as Hades in order to lie with Persephone.
Athena is meant to represent the strategic aspects of war, while Ares embodies the madness of it. Extrapolating from that, he would probably represent sadism, violence, and the all-consuming terror that possesses someone in a life-or-death situation. Athena stands in stark contrast to those things, being a deity of the arts and overlaps in some ways with Hephaestus as embodying technology and the sciences.
Things I learned from this video 1. Zagreus in the game Hades is actually based of something and wasnt made up for the game. 2. Dionysus' portrayal in PJO is hilarious. It makes sense hes a grumpy old man given that in the series, the gods appearance represents their mental state, but still.
I like to think sober Dionysus is still that horrifying God of death and mayhem, but he's so hammered all the time that everyone on Olympus just sees him a a drunk party maker. Unwise to his true nature.
There is a story from the middle east about a goddess who drinks blood and to keep Her from killing everybody the people put red coloring in the beer (invented in the middle east) to fool Her into drinking it, She does and gets drunk and falls asleep, the day is saved.
I know this is supposed to be a reference but yes, actually he _is_ all of those things! Though in some myths he ditches the “polyamory” part after learning it upsets his wife.
@@CJCroen1393 gee, who would have thought that infidelity was upsetting (unless you have a cuckold kink in which case I put this here cause I HAVE seen it before)
I like that Zeus's one night stands are so common, that, according to this retelling of the story, it is plausibly possible that regular dudes can go around telling hot women that they are Zeus to convince them to bang
Kinda of makes me want to see a myth of some guy who goes out to be a hero and does a bunch of cool stuff because he believes he's the son of Zeus, only for an Olympian to be like "No, dude, your dad just said that to get laid. You've just been INSANELY lucky."
Which version of Frigg are you talking about? Freya, Frigg, Frigga, Fricka ... Snorri took the same goddess name from different languages and turned them into different people.
I guess thoe two things are kinda connected. Like, you can't even imagine what a crazy shit people can do when they get drunk. Some of it is peaceful, and the other one...Well, I had to clean up the blood from floor after such an incident. So yeah, that makes sense to me
Wait a second, was the "let's pretend Zagreus is secretly Dio to make Orpheus look like a fool" joke in the game Hades supposed to be a reference to the fact Zagreus might actually be synchronus or an aspect of Dionysus?
Not only that, but the song Orpheus writes is about zagreus getting torn apart from the titans, with Zeus saving his heart to ressurect him as dionisus, which is accurate to the myth
Not only that, but the song Orpheus writes is about zagreus getting torn apart from the titans, with Zeus saving his heart to ressurect him as dionisus, which is accurate to the myth
Zagreus literally tells Orpheus that he and Dionysus are the same god to get him to sing. I think Zag also says its his biggest secret and it's never brought up again. This might also explain why the Olympian gods want Zag to join them on Olympus.
I find it strangely tempting to re-interpret Dionysus as a lovecraftian being. "Then the liberated Old Ones would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom."
KANAME Yup. Basically Dionysus has gone from being a Hippy to being a misanthropic psychopath first, then being a goth / punk / emo and then becoming a drunken bishy.
OH MY GOD! So the joke in hades where Zagreus decides to play a prank on Orpheus and says “Don’t tell anyone but Dionysus and I are actually the same person.” And Orpheus responds with “of course! You sound so similar!” Is based off the fact that Zagreus IS Dionysus
If you go down the rabbit hole, you will find that a zagreus is a hunter who catches living animals (Artemis makes a comment about him being some kind of hunter). And something else to the Ionian word zagre signifies a "pit for the capture of live animals.". So besides those links, we also have Zagreus with Hades, possibly as Hades' son or as Hades himself."So, in the end, we just have different bits of a lot of different versions but with no clear picture of Zagreus ( and this really doesn't help with what Red covers with Dionysus). And somehow, the studio (I think ) makes some kind of reference in one way or another (like how Poseidon called Zag Little Hades)
@@rangerofthewasteschaoticne6888 Zag and Dio don't share the same VA, however Zag is voiced by Daren Korb who is the voice of skelly, the singing voice of Orpheus, composer and main performer of all of Supergiant's games, and apparently the fastest of the dev staff at the game.
@@awittypseudonym2520 Darren Korb is such a fuckin' badass. (And Ashley Barrett, too, can't forget her.) I've done some critical listening of each of his soundtracks, and it feels like there's ALWAYS something new to find in them.
Also if I’m not mistaken, Zagreus told Orpheus that one time Titans ripped his heart and from it was born Dionysus. I believe after it Orpheus tell that they are similar, but it turns out that the joke itself is a reference to this
Alan Valschi not really, no, but the Dionysus Cult mixed their wine with funky mushrooms to mix intoxication with weird visual and auditory hallucinations that would probably shorten their lifespan a couple decades.
Quick note: I'm sure you've heard the phrase "dead drunk." That's the cthonic connection. Blackouts are super scary. And since death=scary, that would be the reason that Dionysus/Zagreus wasn't really so much worshiped as dreaded in early times, so you just didn't talk about it. Or write it down. Still, there's the whole tune in/turn on/drop out thing going on throughout this era, and a bunch of people ignoring social norms and getting together to get drunk and talk about stuff during mystery rites, so I can kind of see "dude, what if Dionysus is actually this, like, really cool guy who gets drunk and parties instead of this super scary god of life, sacrifice and rebirth stuff!" Of course, since the kids are continuing to shake up the status quo, every priest and his brother attempts to quell the cult, but the party doesn't stop, and here we are with Dionysus today.
Nobody is goona talk about how DIONYSUS IS A FAITHFUL HUSBAND?? TO ARIADNE?? AFTER UPSETTING HER?? THAT ALL OF THE OFFSPRING HE HAS MAJORITY CAME FROM HER??
@@ives6622 Well Theseus basically dumped her and left her behind on an island. I believe that's when Dio meets her; he hears her crying and asks why she's all alone
@@servantprincess3079 While Theseus and Ariadne was sleeping Dionysus whispered in Theseus's ears and said to leave the island now without Ariadne. So Theseus left when she was still sleeping. When Ariadne woke up Dionysus was all like "oh no your boyfriend left you what a douche wanna marry me instead". Not trying to start an argument here but that's just what I read.
I'm sorry, can we all just take a moment to appreciate the beautifully eerie transition at 13:45? Red, your art and animation gets better with every video. I mean, DAMN.
Other Olympians: *having a serious discussion about Olympian stuff* Dionysus: *stumbling in drunk and high as hell, while also recovering from a hangover the night before*
Does anyone else want Red to make one of these for Hades? He seems pretty interesting, given the whole, "not originally part of the pantheon" thing." And also how he ended up married to Persephone and part of the original children of Kronos and Rhea.
Yeah. I feel like there are plenty of interesting gods to touch upon, such as Hecate for instance. The way she started and the way she ended were vastly different.
Oh, Dionysus had no problem being androgynous. In The Bacchae, Pentheus explicitly mentions the god’s long blond hair that flows down to his shoulders and comments that his figure is “not like that of a wrestler) (this is when Pentheus has taken Dionysus, whom he assumes is just the mortal leader of the Bacchae, prisoner).
I like to think Dionysus is just as angry and powerful as he always has been, but only when he's sober.
Like the Hulk.
Or he is far superior in strength compared to all the other gods when sober
Amen
That’s why they have to keep him drunk. Otherwise he’d overthrow Zeus.
@@Breidablik06 since his an og god, he might just be
"what does feral wildlife and crippling insanity have to do with a fine chardonnay?" Well, someone's *clearly* not going to the right parties
I died when I read that
Dionysus invented raves and furry conventions.
Drunken Furry Convention After-Parties?
@@TORchic1 I was actually thinking bush doofs but you know what? You're absolutely right.
Or did not play Fallout Series or The Elder Scrolls Series.....
And: 1001 - Sweet Nights, Sherezade.
So Dionysus is like snails or lobster: mostly for the poor people until someone rich and powerful noticed and wanted in
Nice analogy
Rich people; ruining everything for everyone since forever.
Or black people music
@@julianbello8376 except those time they also made it a privilege
ye
honestly, a characterization of dionysus where he is an outgoing party animal who's super chill most of the time but absolutely reminds you why he is technically a god of death and also of hallucinations when you fuck up sounds incredible. not only do you get a three dimensional character with a sense of mystery proper of a god, it also works as a reminder of both sides of drinking and partying.
and when the mood takes him being completely unhinged
He generally a god of insanity. In Greece they didn’t know why people acted weird after drinking wine, so they decided “oh Dionysus”
✍️ jotting this down for Dionysus's appearance in my story tysm
"I am the lizard king... I can do anything! Raise your hand if you understand!"
I made a similar comment years ago and I was worried no one saw it, so I’m glad to see that about 1.8k since have had a similar thought. The line between intoxication and madness is pretty thin after all.
Headcanon: Mycenaean Dionysus dies, becomes Orphic Dionysus. Orphic Dionysus dies, becomes Hellenistic Dionysus. Fits with his whole death/rebirth thang.
i like that
Another headcanon: Mycenaean Dionysus dies, reborns as Orphic Dionysus and calms down into Hellenistic Dionysus.
Fits the whole death/rebirth as well as explaining diluted wine
@@Nobody-707 makes sense
@@Nobody-707 More head cannon Mycenaean Dionysus dies becomes Orphic Dionysus he dies and becomes Bacchus Dionysus who calms down to Hellenistic Dionysus for reasons above and a bit more specific
The Hellenistic Dionysus drank too much and forgot he was connected with madness and rebirth
"Alexander The Pretty Alright", that has to be the best comparable name ever.
If you think that is good watch blue’s video on him
I like to watch it as well
Cattery no last name given it’s great I don’t believe he ever reuses a name
I know I laughed my ass off, I do ever time hear it,😂😂 also love her choice of music
It is Alexander the great not the pretty alright in history
Ancient Mycenaean texts: “Zagreus, highest among the gods”
Supergiant Games: *write that down, write that down!*
Doctor Who Writers: *takes all of the hallucinogenic drugs* ZAGREUSSITSINSIDEYOURHEADZAGREUSLIVESAMONGSTTHEDEADZAGREUSSEESYOUINYOURBEDANDEATSYOUWHENYOURESLEEPING
no wonder Zagreus and Dionysus get along well in the game. They're pretty much the same person.
holy crap, that prank that the two of them pulled on Orpheus had some truth to it?!
@@ignitedrowlets5776 that's the reference, yes
Right? Honestly, I'd play the heck out of that sequel, where instead of working with the Olympians to escape the Underworld, Zagreus is working with a slightly different set (say, remove Zeus and Poseiden; add Persephone and Apollo?) to take Zeus' throne. It'd be so cool.
Athena: Welcome to the Esoteric Birth Club! We got Aphrodite!
Dionysus: Uh...where's everyone else?
Athena: They were born the old fashioned way.
I always forget that Aphrodite is part of the club! If they wouldn't get creeped out by and/or fight each other, the Furies, also born of Ouranos' blood (which technically makes them Aphrodite's SISTERS?!?!?!) would be in the club as well
If we’re talking gods only then yes that would be good but if we’re including non gods the furies (megeara, Alecto and tisiphone)
aren’t the furies goddesses of divine punishment?
+the primordial gods that came from chaos would also be included
@@puppies3330 nah the furies as far as I’m aware are not goddesses since the goddess of divine punishment is nemesis. But the furies also fill that role but live in the house of hades. The only time I could see them being called goddesses is if they’re getting the appallo and Artemis treatment with Helios and Selene
@@adrianfigueroa6788 ohhhhhhhh
Damn, Dionysus aged like fine wine. He progressively kept getting younger than his previous selves
How fitting.
He pulled a weird Al
He did a Benjamin Button
The illustrations made it seem like he went from middle-aged dude, to slightly less middle-aged dude, to edgy teenager, backstepping slightly to introverted millenial, and then finally going back forward to party animal teenager.
He's the Doctor lol
I like to think that Dionysus was raised by all those gods/titans/mortals you mentioned, and they had to keep passing him around because Hera was constantly going door to door looking for him. I picture it like a screwball comedy where he's always just barely ahead of her.
as of oct 14th 2019, today...that is my new Greek comedy
BigBadSeed I love the headcanon thanks
That’s similar to what I headcanon where the gods pass him along for the week. The fact that Hera would’ve looking for him just makes this even better
He always gets out of the house _just_ as she gets there
Sitcom title:hide the baby
Our theater teacher gave us 3 words to remember this guy:
The God of Sex, Drugs, and Rock n Roll
Thats 5
@@nunyabisness7055 it was theater, not math
Your theatre teacher hasn’t even heard of Zeus if he’s the god of sex
@@nunyabisness7055 uhh
So Dionysus is Slaanesh. Got it
So, fun fact I just learned, apparently Dionysus is associated with the first recorded "He's right behind me, isn't he?" joke in history. In one of the many plays about Dionysus, there's a bit where Dionysus and a friend travel through the underworld and they talk about all the horrible monsters they could encounter. At one point, Dionysus's friend is describing a particularly horrible monster he doesn't want to meet and Dionysus starts acting like he's afraid of something off stage and the friend is like, "Oh, no! Please don't tell me that the monster is just over there now!"
Oh my gosh, that is all kinds of hilarious and awesome! What play was that?
@@Kelaiah01 I don't remember. It was referenced in another video I came across, but I don't remember the play's name. I'd have to see if I could find the video again.
@@cheezemonkeyeater Ah, that's too bad. Oh well. Hopefully one of us will find it! :)
@@Kelaiah01 I'm pretty sure the video was specifically about the history of the "He's right behind me" joke.
was the video by TREY the explainer? i think its the play called the frogs by artistophanes?
I kinda like the idea that Dionysus is still a god of death, madness, going to overthrow Zeus, all that stuff, BUT, he's drunk/hungover all the time and all the other Gods/Goddesses conspire to keep him that way because they're terrified of what he might be capable of if he ever sobered up.
Nicola Heekin lol
that is now my personal head cannon, thank you for the hilarious image of Athena intentionally getting drunk just so Dionysus stays drunk XD
So both Sanguine and Sheogorath can be seen as being based on him.
I just created a story in my head based on this idea.
Thats me
"Also, Dionysus was a major cutie."
Literally every male character you draw is.
Can NOT argue that. XD
Well said, Oculus.
@@robertminnie782 Thank you very much.
2:10 for anyone interested
Yep
Ethanotor Oculus exactly what I was thinking
"God of Wine" seems more like an honorary title so that Zeus doesn't have to admit Dionysus is essentially the ultimate town drunk who won't leave.
I personally call him the God of the Vine.
Or maybe the request to be called "God of Madness and Evisceration" didn't go over so well.
Wait, does this make Dionysus the murder hobo god...?
Just Some Guy with a Mustache Holy crap it's you again!
Just Some Guy with a Mustache I swear, you always have the best comments
+Alderick van Klaveren: I accept Dionysus as the God of Murder Hobos as the most canon of canon here and on ward.
Fun fact: The game Hades actually acknowledges the connection between Zagreus and Dionysus by making it a joke that Zagreus and Dionysus play on Orpheus
Confusing the canon
It's little references like that that make the game pure gold
I would love to see a modern take on Dionysus that leans more into him being a terrifying god of madness and insanity.
Yes. Love the name btw.
I think you mean, "I would love to see Jim Morrison"
me too oh my hdi
James Elton Jones huh?
@@jameseltonjones4499 Hit the nail on the fucking head!
Hera: "You, sir, are a drunkard."
Dionysus: "And you, Hera, are unhappily married. But in the morning I'll be sober!"
I hate you for planting an image of wiston churchill as a bacchae. I hate you.
I know you're imagining him naked in one of those marble frescoes...
I'll go get the brain bleach.
And the shot glasses
@@eugenio5774 Haha, sorry. XD
@@kieranh2005 Shot glasses. How appropriate since this is a vid about Dionysus. ;D
Ha! No. Dionysus is never sober.
The entire thing about the wine cult likely being as old as wine itself is interesting, but I love how this could be interpreted as the MINUTE that wine is revealed to get people CRAZY drunk they decided "hey, we could make a religion out of this!"
And thus Dionysus' cult was born
Bill Wurtz reference?
@@memersnas8684 the world is a bill wurtz reference, if you think about it
the first ever use of this phrase
@@eep_eep The universe is a bill wurtz reference, my friend.
When a group of human got intoxicated for the first time, it's probably not hard for them to make something out of a trippy experience?
i want a show with the three versions of dionysus as roommates. helenic dionysus as happy go lucky party boy, orphic dionysus as chaotic unhinged trickster, and mycenaean dionysus as a vaguely creepy but laid back dude.
That'd be a dope sitcom ngl
Zagreus is their next door neighbor
Love it. "All My Avatars"
@@cloudbounc3I offer: Zagreus is Orphic Dionysus' twin. ~ C
The background noises (laugh track and stuff) are a Greek chorus
He’s feeling devious he’s looking glamorous
Let's get mischievous, and polyamorous...
Wine, guys, women, and wonderful vice (I know the line is, Wine and woman and wonderful vices, but I say that version because I am Bisexual, hope that's ok)
@@luannenoir4453 hey, the lyric fits and I'm sure Dionysus would be proud
Welcom to the cult of Dionysus
Yes
From terrifying monster to cute party guy...
Dionysus was just the vampire of ancient times
Holy crap it all makes sense now...
That is fascinating how his "true self" seemed to always be there, just hidden behimd glamour.
“Woah, Dionysus, the ‘70’s called, they want to know if they can borrow some of your stash.”
I imagine you might want to specify which ‘70’s you’re referring to, Dionysus has probably experienced hundreds of 7th decades at this point.
He probably doesn't remember more than one or two of them, though.
Just 70 AD obviously
Plot twist: every '70's secretly had a whole drug thing going on.
Dude Jim Morrison was Dionysus 🤙
8th decades.
Another intriguing thing about Dionysus is his relationship with Ariadne. Whether he threatened Theseus to abandon her on Naxos or he just found her after Theseus abandoned her of his own volition (everyone has their own interpretation), one constant with retellings of how they met is that Dionysus absolutely _loved_ this girl. He loved her so much that it appears that this hedonistic god _became monogamous_ when he married her. He loved her so much that when she died (whether it be suicide or murder, again based on interpretation) that he refused to let her stay dead. As in he went to the Underworld basically saying “Eff you, I’m taking my wife home” and just up and left with her. Oh, and he took his mom home with him for good measure too, and had them both turned into goddesses. Pretty heartwarming stuff.
I don't know about the monogamous part, but it definitely says a lot that a god of sexual liberty would get married
My favourite love story from greek mythology 💜🖤🍷
I don't really think Hades would mind letting his nephew take his girlfriend back with him, or his mom, he's got enough of Zeus's ex-girlfriends to handle in Tartarus.
Ah, got to love how the god of partying and insanity treats women better than zeus.
@@sonofjack6286 Hades do be quite chill. Besides kidnapping/arranging the marriage with Persephone he has consistently proved himself to be one of the most wholesome gods. He stays true to his wife, he does his job, he gives heroes planty of opportunities to save their loved ones and gotta love that according to research, the name of his GIANT THREE HEADED FUCK OFF HELL HOUND translates to Spot.
I love how someone said they like to think Dionysus was raised by a big group of gods. I can just imagine Hades being like "But he's so cute and funny! Can't we keep him for another century?" and Persephone just sighs like "No, Hades. I know he's adorable, but Hera is literally fighting Cerberus as we speak-"
I think I'm gonna die from cuteness
Yeah, that makes a lot more since than just one deity raising him, especially since hera was on his tail
Hades: but he and Zagreus are getting along so well! Look I even got them matching outfits!
@@brandonporter8509 persephone:dear he's going to be in danger if he stays here
Hermes: Uh, Hera just beat up your dog and is coming for you right now, so, yoink.
Learning that Zagreus isn't an OC and the people behind the game Hades did their homework. The whole death and rebirth associated with Zagreus/Orphic Dionysus works so well in a roguelike
Plus that whole bit in the game where Dionysus and Zagreus play a prank on Orpheus to make him think they split from the same being really ties it all together in a really fun way
@@CrownofMischief which is funny that ‘Orphic’ Dionysus/Zagreus was a prank played on Orpheus
I literally came here today for this after finding that part in Hades. Blew my mind. Supergiant DOES their homework well, and is a GREAT developer.
@@scdolence DUDE supergiant is amazing. apparently for hades they had forced vacations to combat crunch culture
Meanwhile this episode explains AT LENGTH the context of the joke. Several layers deep, that humor
This makes me recall this one moment in the Percy Jackson books where Percy says something really antagonistic to Dionysus and the god turns around, there’s purple fire in his eyes and Percy sees visions that make him suddenly remember that Dionysus’ trait as a god of madness is a lot scarier than the trait of grumpy alcoholic that Percy has been envisioning him as for three books.
Mr. D is a pretty scary god. Hell, he had a lot of his “insanity powers” before he became a god! People underestimate him a lot.
Quinn Sinclair lmao yes! I remover that
I love Mr. D, he is the best olympian in the novels
Quinn Sinclair yep, which is why I don't drink!:)
That was the best Dionysus moment EVER
Dionysus: *casually turns his kidnappers insane via loud flutes and snakes*
Also dionysus: "this grape juice is very strong"
"I bet Frigg doesn't need to put up with this.."
That, Hera, is one of the perks of being married to an absolute nerd
Odin is not just a nerd, he's an *emo* nerd
Actually, Odin was just as big a horndog, though he was a BIT more subtle about it...
Actually he did have lots of kids with others.
@@connorgolden4 then again Frigg also slept around. Notably with the other two creator gods, Odins brothers Vile and Ve
Open marriage vs cheating
Soooo basically, he's actually not so much a god of drunkenness, and more a god of insanity, connected to wine through... well, the effects of being drunk or high. About right?
So he's cocaine
i mean what is being drunk or high but controlled insanity?
@@mendaxMultorum Controlled? Ever heard of addiction?
@@Jake007123 i mean feasibly if you had enough resolve you could stop whenever you wanted, it just takes initiating the quitting process
In fact there is a goddess of Drunkeness and is considered dionysus daughter
I really like the young, volatile god of madness aesthetic he had around the middle of his transformation
If tumblr was there, theyre gonna gurn him into a tumblr sexyman honestly
I really do too haaaaaa
SAMEEEE CAN WE PLEASE BRING THAT BACK
@@Fisinocean yes.
Same! Best features of both
I'm just imagining Dionysus sitting in camp half-blood, drinking diet coke and remembering the good old days where he had a literally insane cult
Haha yes
I’m imagining the campers just watching Dionysus sulk, thinking about the good days when he had horns & a crazed cult. The campers would be one-of-two things: confused or just not caring.
"Had" implies strict past-tense. For some odd reason, I don't think that's entirely right. ~ P
Dionysus: I used to be an eldrich horror, you know
the diet Coke is mixed with booze. Dionysus is incapable of being sober.
Can we just take a moment to admire how beautiful and aesthetically pleasing Orphic Dionysus's design is?
Gamzee Makara. (audible dot)
@@luctlapt6590 A Homestuck reference! I havent seen one these in ages!
PizzaFace12456 Yes. He is.
I was getting some Dio Brando/ Danny Avidan vibes.
Yes.
So basically Dionysus grew backwards, from "mature looking" edgy and moody teenager with destructive powers to "young looking" chill and party animal adult with destructive powers.
the destructive powers stayed
@@BREEZYTHAPROF what do you mean at least , cutie Dionysus is way better than edgy Dionysus :3
He’s drunk Benjamin button
@@flameconvoy7424 i thought this as well. May your day be pleasant, and may you find happiness along your youtubeing path freind!
I mean, every dude looks younger when they shave (y'know, until wrinkles start coming in).
It's also worth mentioning that Dionysus spared one of the dudes on the boat because he immediately realized he was a god and was trying to get the other crewmen to set him free.
@Emma Utterback Hey I mean he did still kidnap the guy
01:21 It's so funny to imagine Dionysus and Athena bonding over the fact that both of them were born from one of Zeus body parts
If we take into account that "'leg wound' is an euphemism" theory, then they both were even born from one of two of Zeus' "heads" xD
Aphrodite’s in that camp, too
Also, just to add that Dionysus, god of wine, madness and parties still has a more loving and functional marriage than Zeus. 😌
Doesn’t anyone though 😂
@@flamebunny6511 it’s not exactly a very high bar to pass.
@@SorowFame nope it isn’t 😂
Wait who did he marry?
@@ghost_fueled_scarecrow
Dionysos took as his wife the Cretan princess Ariadne, a daughter of Minos, son of Zeus, and his wife Pasiphaë.
“Alexander the pretty alright”
I’m fucking dying.
Have you seen their video on Alexander the Great yet. Basically the only Alexander the......... That isn't used is the great.
it never gets old ^^
My favorite bit they do
@@itarry4 well he uses it at the end of the video
As soon and red said that i read your comment and i was like *WOOOAAAHHH* thats was cool
"Turns men into Dolphins"
You know.... after hearing how bad dolphins can be, I'm not surprised the Greeks thought this.
I was looking for this comment!
Dolphins are some pretty, umm, “handsy” (“flippersy”?)characters from what I’ve heard!
plus dolphin brains are terrifyingly close to human ones
I hate dolphins.
It's as I've always said; Cetaceans are probably among the only animals on earth able to both fully comprehend what evil is and willingly choose to act on it anyways.
One of my favorite Dionysus quotes is from PJO, when he tries to pour himself a glass of wine but it turns into water mid-pour, as an effect of his exile from Olympus to CHB. He says “y’know, the Christians have a guy that can do this in reverse. Now THATS A god!”
Pretty sure that's just the movie, but still a great line.
My headcanon : That was his son
We do not talk about those movies
@@keolas6916 The one good thing to come from those movies.
When your character is played by Stanley Tucci, you know that he's gonna be that good part of an otherwise bad movie.
Persephone’s reactions are priceless, also hades geeking out over being a new dad is adorable
Fun fact hades actually had a few daughters
@@mohammedyousef4005 yes! Meganoë and Macaria are really the only confirmed ones though.
@@breadonatuesday9520 melinoe* also the furies are his daughters in certain versions
@@mohammedyousef4005 your correction is slightly incorrect depending on where you read it. In some sources it’s Meganöe and in others Melinoe. However your add on about the furies is accurate.
Just thought I would mention it form one Greek mythology need to (presumably) another!
@@breadonatuesday9520 thanks man
Is it just me or are the older versions of Dionysus with horns, madness power and underworld connection a lot cooler than drunk, party-animal Dionysus
I mean he still has the madness connection it's just not as important
.... Ye
I work with dionysus, he is definately really interesting because he really does switch between the two way too often
Like one moment he will be alll hyper and giddy then next thing I know he is like getting into some really dark shit and talking about insanity and whatnot and I just sit there like "👁👄👁 you amaze me in the greatest of ways sir"
I purpose the reason dionysus gets drunk, is to hold back the madness
@@keithhagen7571 the madness comes from being drunj
Dionysus born from Zeus leg
Athena: Welcome to the club baby bro
"leg"
I imagined she’s his designated driver when he goes out partying
@@sarahstevens4931 cause she doesnt get drunk as a god of wisdom
Hm? I was always taught Athena was born from Zeus' head, being a literal "brain-child."
i HiD hIm In mY lEg- Zeus, king of the gods
The cult of Dionysus was especially known for feeling devious, looking glamorous, getting mischievous, and polyamorous.
So he can MC gay pride then. 🏳️🌈
I was so sad that red didnt do that song at the end
With wine and women and wonderful vices
Welcome to the cult of Dionysus 🎶
Unfortunately I cannot like this comment, because it currently has 69 likes
SCP Foundation:
“Oh man there’s no canon it’s sooo cool and unique!”
Greek Theologians:
“Hold my wine.”
Merc at Arms this is a very underrated comment
A _lot_ of the SCP Foundation was inspired by mythology and Lovecraftian fiction.
(Claping)
Vocaloid: We did that too, btw.
9:35
"Hey in order to become an actual cult you need a God to worship"
"Screw you we'll use this guy"
"Who is that?"
"Lol idk some death God or smth"
Seems legit
They just got so drunk they picked up a madness god along the way and didn't realize it till later
@@cybernurgle6413 Wine Cult: Who are you?
Mad God: Ah, don’t mind me. I was just passing through and saw you guys partying last night. Thought I’d join. Now… *snaps fingers and makes more wine appear* how about more wine?
Wine Cult: You must be our god! WOOHOO!
"Alexander the Pretty Alright"
I see Blue's refusal to refer to him as his most common moniker extends to Red as well
I just call him by his name from Fate/Zero... Iskandar, King of Conquerors!
Alexander The Meh
Alexander the pretty not bad ngl
@@stupiderandunnecessarier Alexander the dunked on
Alexander the Amateur Tactitian
"Closing Time" is actually PERFECT for Dionysus because although it's ostensibly a song about drunk people leaving a bar, it's actually a metaphor for birth. Lines such as "time for you to go out to the places you will be from," and "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end," imply that the bar patrons are children going out into the real world for the first time.
I’d like to think that Dionysus was raised from being fostered by Rea, Hermes, AND Persephone + Hades because he’s a good husband. Persephone gets him from Monday-Wednesday, Hermes gets him for the rest of the weekdays and Rea takes him in for the weekend. Having godly connections would be lit as your local illegitimate child.
really don’t like being referred to as ‘it’ but ok
I think Hermes would raise him because he was raised secretly too.
Some of the wines drunk by the Cult of Dionysus are also theorized to have been mixed with hallucinogens. Considering most users of heavy hallucinogens have a “death and rebirth” experience, this might help explain Dionysus’s connection with rebirth
I swear to God if it's the anumita muscaria mushrooms again I'm going to send a note to my college professor and ask if he can get me some. Cuz like EVERY single god damn time I get to an odd new religious practice around possible life and rebirth it's the SAME FUCKING MUSHROOM.
Ex: the waters of everlasting life is drinking the urine of someone who ate the shrooms. Gets you not quite as high but you don't feel like you're gonna die first
I can't believe the parallels Jesus and Dionysus have, out of all the gods, smh
@@fangsabre I've been told that this was practiced by Shamans, who would eat mushrooms, have a terrible trip, then the rest of the village would drink their piss after it had been through a liver and have a much better trip. My biggest questions with this is *who in the hell worked this out and why were they drinking Shaman piss??*
@@atomicfusion8027 they were probably already high.
@@violettbellerose1173 Can you list any more parallels between them? I've found them to be a very similar pair of deities too
"Orphic Dionysus is the son of Persephone and Zeus"
Throws up in mouth.
same
Heh heh... Zeus f’ed his daughter...
Baby._.Sister._\ Cali *vomits*
I mean... Hades is her uncle.
@@nyxshadowhawk I'm kinda use to the whole incest thing in mythology. It's just that a relationship between a parent and a direct child is still pretty hard to stomach.
I feel like this should make Zagreus and Dionysus total bros. I feel like that's a promising friendship, the extreme extrovert who loves partying and the quiet kid who doesn't know how to handle gatherings larger than just him and his parents and also their trusty dog Spot.
Have you played Hades?
@@foureyesisafish7968 No, why?
@@selenopheria If you play Hades, you'll see you aren't wrong
@@ForrestFox626 Really?? Aww man that's so cool.
@@selenopheria there’s this thing called trial of the gods where you have to chose between gods and the other one gets mad at you and if you dont choose dio hes like “zag man.. i thought we were buddies :(“
Hera: “I bet Frigg doesn’t need to put up with this!”
Frigg: “Why do you think Odin is called the ALL-FATHER?!”
Also, I'm pretty sure every Æsir has a blood alcohol content of 99.999% at all times.
I mean, to be fair, I'm pretty sure Zeus's affair count is a lot higher than Odin's, and I don't think Odin ever hung Frigg off a tree because she made him mad (did hang himself off a tree though...)
Parvati: You think that's bad? SHIVA KILLED MY SON!!!
Isis: Your husbands are still alive?
(But for real, I can't believe Red hasn't done a video on Ganesha)
@@mandalorethemaximum1408 I wanna see the god-queens of mythologies have a woman's night out and hang out
@@redjirachi1 That'd be hilarious
Hellenized Dionysus: Adorable babbu; must protect. Desire to cuddle.
Orphic Dionysus: Hot damn, take me now. 10/10 would let do horrible things to me
Hellfire Studios - Demonwolf37 first yes second n o
First yes second Y e s
6:19
Hot damn indeed
Yes. Agreeeeeeeeeeed
Holy fricking shiet. So Dionysus used to be a full blown lovecraftian god of madness, death, rebirth and intoxication to ascend to a higher state of existence. And eventually became the cute drunkard boy who would occassionally cause mass chaos and insanity. I didn't expect this, wow.
New favourite God spotted.
God of Insanity...I though he was innocent I wasn't expecting him to have so many FORMS!
He goes from super death madness nature dad to Sheogorath to a boy who likes grape juice.
that pre-Dionysus video sounds amazing...
The pre-Hellenic view of the underwood was quite different. It was a meadow here the souls of the dead could be care-free or something like that. The asphodel meadow and the Elysian Fields were probably outcrops of this earlier optimistic view of death.
Wine libations were also common. In the Odyssey, Odysseus prepares the ritual of talking to the dead by making a libation of wine before filling a hole in the ground with a ram's blood. Libation cups are very common finds from Minoan, and also Mycenaean sites and there are also depictions on frescoes from that period (and even in some Egyptian wall paintings was well).
This actually made me appreciate Percy Jackson even MORE. I had always thought of him as Wine first with some cool madness wild cuz parties. It didn't really occur to me that the insanity and vindictive nature came first, then the wine. Which if you read the PJO books, Mr D comes across as a being who's really very spiteful with hints of true and unsettling power, but then it comes back to him not being able to drink anymore.
It's the difference between "party god is grumpy cuz no party anymore" and "someone who is very capable of being vindictive, brutal, and unpredictable but is mostly just grumpy these days because of the universe's worst hangover"
It gets even wilder, it is possible that the name Zagreus is a reference to the cult of the Zagros mountains that worshipped the ecstacy of wine.
@@keaganwheeler-mccann8565didn't the video mention that which turned out to be a complete coincidence, a nothingburger if you will
@@urbainleverrier1 I don't think there is enough evidence to say one way or another. Zagreus and Dionysus share other details than that. Such as the Zeus and Persephone parentage, and the underworld ties.
Yeah I know the books have zero problem leaning into that angle (such as his frequent threats to turn people into dolphins, when he drove Atlas' men crazy in Titan's Curse, etc) but I didn't know until this video how much of his history and personality that actually was. Rick Riordan takes a few liberties with the god's powers and divine domains so I think I just chalked it up to that
Zeus: has affair with woman
literally every other god: "oh lord, not again"
"Oh us, not again"
Basically Every Olympian sewing Hera plan her next attack: Ah s***, here we go again.
...not just women.
@@StergiosMekras not just the women, but the men and the children too!
@@StarboyJuno They'd probably say something like "oh Chaos" or "oh Gaia."
So,basically,he was a good child,went through an emo phase,and is now a hippie? Sweet
megan allen ... yes
Mood
That's a wide ass mood
that's me honestly
megan allen sounds like me lmfao
8:12 Ok, but after playing Hades (the game) this picture is even better, because if you give Dionysus enough nectar, he and Zag will convince Orpheus that they're actually the same person as a sort of prank. Only it gets a little out of hand because Zag has been bragging to Orpheus for a while and he believes everything you tell him.
The best part is that it becomes difficult to tell if Orpheus is just that gullible, or if he's playing along with Zagreus as part of their friendship.
@@kylenguyen7371 Or if it's "it's a good story and I made a cool song so Ima sing it who cares if it's true".
@@Duiker36 Or maybe it's "I doubted information before and look where it got me"
It gets better, when you try and tell Orpheus it was a joke, he doesn’t believe it was a joke and only becomes more convinced.
@@ametsunami4070 And that he believes that Zagreus was just that humble but he's just, _"Orpheus, please.............."_
One more thing I fucking love how you're against painting a "one true' narrative. Its so refreshing and informative. The idea of a bunch of different narratives syncretizing and evolving and branching is so much more interesting anyways dont you think.
"STOP THAT THIS INSTANT"
"SHAN'T" this just looks like the perfect drunk response. Don't know why. It just does.
This turned out so funny in my head thanks for the chuckle
The fact that I'm currently drunk *right* *the fuck* *now* and I found that part to be absolutely HIGH-LARIOUS only backs this theory up.
I’m feeling devious,
You’re looking glamorous,
Let’s get mischievous,
And polyamorous.
Wine and women and wonderful vices,
Welcome to the cult of Dionysus
Just got into that song. Nice choice.
I LOVE YOU
Damn! Color me impressed!
I love this song
I was hoping Red would do this songs for the end card thingy. (You know how she does really good covers at the ends of her videos.)
OSP: "There is no canon, there is only an endlessly deep well of mysteries and fragmented mythology."
Dionysus: "Sick"
I like to think that if Dionysus' title of God of Madness was more renowned than God of Wine, he might have taken up that scary villain image that Hades was popular for. I mean when you think about him in the Bacchae, he desires his place of worship, makes certain people insane, and has them gruesomely tear his offender apart. And his art of making wine could have also been adapted as the art of chemistry in the area of hallucinogenic drugs. And he did not originally have a place in the Pantheon. He could have been Disney's Hercules' villain rather than Hades.
Or Hera, who was the actual villain of Hercules' life
@@tylermcneeley3136 That would be great, but then parents would have to explain to their kids why Zeus is Hercules's dad, but Hera isn't his mom.
Besides these two,Poseidon is Zeus's rival,and connected to the underworld,The sea is f*cking scary so he would be a villian.
Azula from Avatar:The Last Airbender:"The tides have already made up thier mind about ending you,while I'm still mulling it over."
I like that Red follows Blue's tradition of changing the title of Alexander the Kinda Successful. Also her drawings keep getting better and better!
Well... yeah. **Everything** is better than "the Great".
do you mean Alexander the now dead?
Alexander the almost quite kinda sorta successful, but not completely
It did make me smile every time she had changed Alexander the Pretty Alright's title.
Alexander the not too bad
Honestly, I love these deeper, darker depictions of these gods, it gives them a more mysterious and truly godlike vibe rather than just being "god of thing"
God of thing that does [insert dumbass decision here] for shits and giggles and gives me the feeling that they are less godlike in the sense that most people nowadays consider but just "meh. I know you're there and I'm slightly worried of you power but whatever'
Tbh, god of thing actually sounds like a fun title
Edit: omg I actually got 10 likes thx guys
The transition of Gods through almost every century and still retaining their past characteristics is a really interesting concept. It shows true personalities who have experienced history as a whole, like dionysus seen as a chill and fun party god and still being able to show us how scary powerful he can be with vines, insanity and transforming dudes into dolphins.
The transition of the gods also makes you question their existence in the real world, as in "they might have been actual crazy powerful beings that originated from the cosmos who change to hide their true origins" self-questioning, and its unique.
But going back its more obvious that its the people, the worshipers and generally the society back then that change the perspective of gods, esspecially when it happens from a historical impact, like the dark ages, or the bronze age when people were giving shape to these gods.
Either way its interesting in itself.
Zeus: The cause of probably the most awkward family reunions in the world of immortals.
"Raise your hand if Zeus is your father, grandfather, or great grandfather!"
*75% of Greek and Roman heroes raise their hands*
@@mutantmaster1 Hera: Zeusie, you've got some 'splainin' to do!
I will keep repeating this wherever relevant until OSP puts it on a t-shirt!
@Emily Barclay Wouldn't be shocked if I looked at the Olympian family tree and somebody who's his own grandpa on account of Zeus. This is what happens when you can't keep in your pants and swim in your own gene pool.
@Emily Barclay This is part of why I worship the gods of my Norse ancestors: no incest. If gods are eligible, just marry an attractive giant. Odin's dad, Bor, went that way, and his kids ended up creating the world and humanity, so I'd say he did good.
@@mutantmaster1 for 50% of them it's all of the above
I like how HADES not only jokes about Zagreus and Dionysus being the same person, but also establishes the two as different aspects of the myths. Dionysus is just the god of wine but Zagreus is the one who becomes the god of rebirth
And suddenly Dionysus went from being sort of cool to one of my favorite Greek gods. Excellent video.
Same
_Anyone else absolutely love when Red describes a character getting mad and we suddenly get a super detailed shot like the one at __2:18__ ?_
There's a game called Hades where you play as the God Zagreus, and a hilarious nod to the Zag/Diyonsus lack of continuity where you can actually trick the court musician Orpheus into thinking the two gods were one and the same. Lol
Where can you get it? Tell. Me. Now.
@@noattendance9801 Steam. Its about $25 AUS if I recall correctly.
@@noattendance9801 and switch
No Attendance it’s on steam epic and switch
It goes even farther than that, Orpheus ends up creating a song about how Zagreb’s fought the Titans and got ripped apart and from his blood Dionysus was born ~ I think that whole affair is the devs’ way of making the whole confusion about Zagreus and Dio cannon in the game’s universe with the origin being those two playing a prank on Orpheus and he took it seriously.
I really like the Bacchae Dionysus for some reason. He’s chaotic, powerful, and has horns, but also is young. I also like the madness stuff.
Honestly, yeah.
I think I like him for the same reasons I like Hades & Persephone. They’re cool. They’re scary, sure, but they have functional relationships & some-what likable traits about them. That definitely sets them apart from some of they’re other Pantheon members.
Yes! He’s my fav!
Ah yes another story where Zeus couldn’t control his little lightning bolt.
But it did give us a reason to *PARTAY!*
Ancient Greeks got their unhinged wine orgies, and we got a new Red video. High spirits all around.
Well the God Pan also threw great parties. Why does nobody remember him? I mean he was also had a connection to madness (from fear) and had cool horns.
Did we all forget Persephone was Zeus' daughter...?
Little
_really?_
_how does he get the women?? Gods are huge_
+Alina Rendon
Its not like Persephone *knew* it was Ol' Dad Thunderbritches. Some interpretations of the story say Zeus disguised himself as Hades in order to lie with Persephone.
Daaaaaaaaang, Dionysus has more layers than a onion.
Bacchus is love!
Bacchus is life!
Tomoko Senpai 토모코 선배 some BODY once told me--
@@devont.silverninja301 The world was gonna roll me.
But I ain't gonna give a shit.
*insert Shrek reference here*
Tomoko Senpai 토모코 선배 he is an ogre
"Dumb War God- Smart War God"
*Athena is just Ares but with braincells change my mind*
Funny, considering Athena was born from Zeus’ brain.
@@greywalker505 She got all of Zeus' braincells.
J17 plus her mom’s (who was actually pretty clever)
Athena is meant to represent the strategic aspects of war, while Ares embodies the madness of it. Extrapolating from that, he would probably represent sadism, violence, and the all-consuming terror that possesses someone in a life-or-death situation. Athena stands in stark contrast to those things, being a deity of the arts and overlaps in some ways with Hephaestus as embodying technology and the sciences.
@@andrewwang8021
Funny that you mention terror, as two of Ares’ sons were Phobos (god of panic/fear) and Deimos (god of terror/dread).
Things I learned from this video
1. Zagreus in the game Hades is actually based of something and wasnt made up for the game.
2. Dionysus' portrayal in PJO is hilarious. It makes sense hes a grumpy old man given that in the series, the gods appearance represents their mental state, but still.
I like to think sober Dionysus is still that horrifying God of death and mayhem, but he's so hammered all the time that everyone on Olympus just sees him a a drunk party maker. Unwise to his true nature.
There is a story from the middle east about a goddess who drinks blood and to keep Her from killing everybody the people put red coloring in the beer (invented in the middle east) to fool Her into drinking it, She does and gets drunk and falls asleep, the day is saved.
No, they know exactly what his true nature is, that’s why they keep him drunk.
accepting that into my headcanon!
Okay but is he feeling devious, looking glamorous, and getting mischievous and polyamorous???
@Kyrlics Yes there are - Welcome to the cult of *pause* Dionysus!
I know this is supposed to be a reference but yes, actually he _is_ all of those things!
Though in some myths he ditches the “polyamory” part after learning it upsets his wife.
@@CJCroen1393 gee, who would have thought that infidelity was upsetting (unless you have a cuckold kink in which case I put this here cause I HAVE seen it before)
@@lemon_boii1074 Polyamory doesn't need to be infidelity if she had agreed to it too
Me, a Critical Role fan: Mollymauk?
I like that Zeus's one night stands are so common, that, according to this retelling of the story, it is plausibly possible that regular dudes can go around telling hot women that they are Zeus to convince them to bang
Kinda of makes me want to see a myth of some guy who goes out to be a hero and does a bunch of cool stuff because he believes he's the son of Zeus, only for an Olympian to be like "No, dude, your dad just said that to get laid. You've just been INSANELY lucky."
Dionysus is the Greek ‘Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass’ trope which I think is very neat
Hades staring at baby Dionysus in glee and being a Proud Papa™ makes me smile
Sheogorath: CHEESE! FOR EVERYONE!
Dionysus: WINE! FOR EVERYONE!
they look at each other and hug:
I can imagine this cute encounter 😭😭
I ship it
And hence, France was born of this union.
Vive le vin!
Et fromage! 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🍷 🧀
and thus charcuterie was born
"Do _you_ love shredding people too?!"
_"Do I ever!"_
"I should probably just make the Bacchae its own video."
Yes, please!
Yessssss, full score support
Idea for closing song: "Becoming Insane" by Infected Mushroom
Yea!!!
Yes please
After reading the Bacchae to see what all the fuss was about, OMG YES!
Poesidon became a great example of "boss when you have to fight them" and "boss when they become playable"
"I bet Frigg doesn't need to put up with this." - Hera 2018
Airmanon Frigg is actually the one who sleeps around
Which version of Frigg are you talking about? Freya, Frigg, Frigga, Fricka ... Snorri took the same goddess name from different languages and turned them into different people.
I was thinking of Frigg from the Poetic Edda
That because everyone is always drunk in Norse mythology...
Pretty sure their most famous quote is "hold my pint and watch this."
only a pint?
So, eldritch god of death and madness is quietly and surreptitiously integrated into the mainstream Pantheon, mostly because he is fun at parties.
I guess thoe two things are kinda connected. Like, you can't even imagine what a crazy shit people can do when they get drunk. Some of it is peaceful, and the other one...Well, I had to clean up the blood from floor after such an incident. So yeah, that makes sense to me
Surprice, look what has happen to Nyarlatoteph latelly
@@cedricrobertson2893 would you be referring to Nyarko-chan?
@@snowboundwhale6860 who else
Wait a second, was the "let's pretend Zagreus is secretly Dio to make Orpheus look like a fool" joke in the game Hades supposed to be a reference to the fact Zagreus might actually be synchronus or an aspect of Dionysus?
Yes it sure was
Not only that, but the song Orpheus writes is about zagreus getting torn apart from the titans, with Zeus saving his heart to ressurect him as dionisus, which is accurate to the myth
Not only that, but the song Orpheus writes is about zagreus getting torn apart from the titans, with Zeus saving his heart to ressurect him as dionisus, which is accurate to the myth
Zagreus literally tells Orpheus that he and Dionysus are the same god to get him to sing. I think Zag also says its his biggest secret and it's never brought up again. This might also explain why the Olympian gods want Zag to join them on Olympus.
I thought you were talking about Dio from JoJo and got really confused for a second.
I find it strangely tempting to re-interpret Dionysus as a lovecraftian being.
"Then the liberated Old Ones would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom."
Honestly, I would read it- 🙏
i mean the guy's already got cthonic (underworld) connections
isn't cthon a super important place in the lovecraft mythos?
Good idea!
Does anyone else agree that the way the various Dionysi are drawn makes them look absolutely amazing? Like, serious kudos, Red.
The Orphic Dionysus is Hot as fuck, And the Michenean one is basicaly....horned Jesus....
I also like them
Hermes Carraro Dibs on Bacchae-Dionysus (Bacchus?). Holy shit.
KANAME
Yup.
Basically Dionysus has gone from being a Hippy to being a misanthropic psychopath first, then being a goth / punk / emo and then becoming a drunken bishy.
KANAME I love it so
I think the drawing style is great
OH MY GOD! So the joke in hades where Zagreus decides to play a prank on Orpheus and says “Don’t tell anyone but Dionysus and I are actually the same person.” And Orpheus responds with “of course! You sound so similar!” Is based off the fact that Zagreus IS Dionysus
If you go down the rabbit hole, you will find that a zagreus is a hunter who catches living animals (Artemis makes a comment about him being some kind of hunter). And something else to the Ionian word zagre signifies a "pit for the capture of live animals.". So besides those links, we also have Zagreus with Hades, possibly as Hades' son or as Hades himself."So, in the end, we just have different bits of a lot of different versions but with no clear picture of Zagreus ( and this really doesn't help with what Red covers with Dionysus). And somehow, the studio (I think ) makes some kind of reference in one way or another (like how Poseidon called Zag Little Hades)
Also, they have the same voice actor in game! Orpheus too I believe!
@@rangerofthewasteschaoticne6888 Zag and Dio don't share the same VA, however Zag is voiced by Daren Korb who is the voice of skelly, the singing voice of Orpheus, composer and main performer of all of Supergiant's games, and apparently the fastest of the dev staff at the game.
@@awittypseudonym2520 Darren Korb is such a fuckin' badass. (And Ashley Barrett, too, can't forget her.) I've done some critical listening of each of his soundtracks, and it feels like there's ALWAYS something new to find in them.
Also if I’m not mistaken, Zagreus told Orpheus that one time Titans ripped his heart and from it was born Dionysus. I believe after it Orpheus tell that they are similar, but it turns out that the joke itself is a reference to this
"what does wine have to do with death and madness??" ummm...... idk how to tell you this.....
Dionysus, god of alcoholic coma
When you're drunk you sometimes hallucinate
Probably
...
...
I've never been drunk =w=
Alan Valschi not really, no, but the Dionysus Cult mixed their wine with funky mushrooms to mix intoxication with weird visual and auditory hallucinations that would probably shorten their lifespan a couple decades.
Mateo G. de A. People still do that to this day the so called triping on shrooms
Mateo G. de A. Hm. That's slightly suspiciously interesting
Quick note: I'm sure you've heard the phrase "dead drunk." That's the cthonic connection. Blackouts are super scary. And since death=scary, that would be the reason that Dionysus/Zagreus wasn't really so much worshiped as dreaded in early times, so you just didn't talk about it. Or write it down. Still, there's the whole tune in/turn on/drop out thing going on throughout this era, and a bunch of people ignoring social norms and getting together to get drunk and talk about stuff during mystery rites, so I can kind of see "dude, what if Dionysus is actually this, like, really cool guy who gets drunk and parties instead of this super scary god of life, sacrifice and rebirth stuff!" Of course, since the kids are continuing to shake up the status quo, every priest and his brother attempts to quell the cult, but the party doesn't stop, and here we are with Dionysus today.
Nobody is goona talk about how DIONYSUS IS A FAITHFUL HUSBAND?? TO ARIADNE?? AFTER UPSETTING HER?? THAT ALL OF THE OFFSPRING HE HAS MAJORITY CAME FROM HER??
*majority
Also he basically kidnapped her from Theseus didn't he
@@ives6622 Well Theseus basically dumped her and left her behind on an island. I believe that's when Dio meets her; he hears her crying and asks why she's all alone
@@servantprincess3079 Theseus was told to do that, though! By Athena! Because they stayed the night on that island, and it belonged to Dionysus.
@@servantprincess3079 While Theseus and Ariadne was sleeping Dionysus whispered in Theseus's ears and said to leave the island now without Ariadne. So Theseus left when she was still sleeping. When Ariadne woke up Dionysus was all like "oh no your boyfriend left you what a douche wanna marry me instead". Not trying to start an argument here but that's just what I read.
7:14 Hades looks like his heart is melting from the joy of seeing his son.
I'm sorry, can we all just take a moment to appreciate the beautifully eerie transition at 13:45?
Red, your art and animation gets better with every video. I mean, DAMN.
Ceridwen Aeradwr 250 likes and no comments because everyone agrees
Wait I ruined it
100% agree and thank you for putting the time of the transition so people like I who want see it over and over can do so
Ceridwen Aeradwr it is my favorite part of the video
It's just a fade though?
Other Olympians: *having a serious discussion about Olympian stuff*
Dionysus: *stumbling in drunk and high as hell, while also recovering from a hangover the night before*
As one does.
"Why did he transition so late?" Oh honey, it happens to the best of us
😔✊
This is really wholesome. :3
Macaroni and Cliches He was the god of homosexuality so it does make sense for him.
This made me picture a dude having sex and not being able to cum, then an hour later while he's asleep just blasts off...
@@Sweetumskitty1789 I think he was actually the god of transgender people, correct me if I'm wrong please
Does anyone else want Red to make one of these for Hades? He seems pretty interesting, given the whole, "not originally part of the pantheon" thing." And also how he ended up married to Persephone and part of the original children of Kronos and Rhea.
Yeah. I feel like there are plenty of interesting gods to touch upon, such as Hecate for instance. The way she started and the way she ended were vastly different.
@@multiplemysteries5242 That's really interesting! Could you elaborate?
Multiple Mysteries Please tell more!
@@multiplemysteries5242 tells meeeee3
Hey, the Supergiant game "Hades" just came out this week, staring Zagreus as well! Maybe she could do a whole Cthonic breakdown?
"Alexander the Pretty Alright"
That's all I will ever call him now.
Dante's Disco Inferno Imagine saying that in history and the teacher just looking at you in confusion 😂
The fact Dionysus had a femboy phase is probably my absolute favorite detail in all the greek mythology
Oh, Dionysus had no problem being androgynous. In The Bacchae, Pentheus explicitly mentions the god’s long blond hair that flows down to his shoulders and comments that his figure is “not like that of a wrestler) (this is when Pentheus has taken Dionysus, whom he assumes is just the mortal leader of the Bacchae, prisoner).
I'm sorry, but I need some mad *context and explination*