#—Dionysiaca book 10

[bugwolfsstuff]

But fr

We have exactly two sources of Ampelos' existence in classical myth

Nonnus and *sighs* OVID

TWO SOURCES

DEUX

A DÓ

DOS

DUO

BOTH SOURCES CALL AMPELOS A LOVER OF DIONYSUS

RICKOLAS RIORDAN SOMEHOW MANAGES TO CALL THEM CHILDHOOD FRIENDS

RICK HOW???????

GENUINELY HOW THE FUCK???

Ovid has some wiggle room cause it says loved by Dionysus so you can say any form of love

BUT NONNUS HAS A SCENE WHERE DIONYSUS SAYS AMPELOS IS DEARER TO HIM THAN OLYMPUS AND THAT AMPELOS IS PRETTIER THAN GANYMEDE TO ZEUS

*angrily points at Dionysiaca book 10 and 11* LOOK AT IT RICKOLAS LOOK AT IT.

[anti-gravity-insanity]

Merry happy Ampelia!!

[noctilionoidea]

I like them a lot

Really I just wanted to play around with more dynamic poses. Parts of the anatomy may be off, but it at least gets across some aspect of intimacy and has a fun composition.

It’s loosely based on the dream in the Dionysiaca that Dionysos has about Ampelos, but it’s not exact depiction. I really love that passage. Nonnus depicts Dionysos with utter devotion to Ampelos. Imagine praying to the most powerful god, your father, and saying your boyfriend is hotter than his. Crazy. I’d suggest reading book 10 (albeit with the full awareness that Ovid’s work is more connected to the actual religion and stories than a 5th century Christian Greek living in Roman occupied Egypt. And ovid isn’t Greek. Ovid also depicts a variation of the Ampelos story, but it’s extremely different. Cool how stories change among different times and places!)

anyways it’s been awhile since I last made a piece with Ampelos and I very much need to remedy that. Made a few small changes to his design but you can’t really see it lol. Happy pride

[chubbygrape]

Public service announcement that Dionysos is an absolute simp in book 10 of Dionysiaca and its the most wholesome thing ever 💜

[aimee-maroux]

Greek Mythology FanFiction - Dionysos

As many people have, so I too learned a lot writing fanfiction. My first attempts were as horrible as all those written by young teenagers, but as I got older and wiser (*cough*) some of it ended up being quite enjoyable if I dare say so myself. If you can keep a secret: I even plagiarise my old erotic fanfiction sometimes. But I have never written mythology fanfiction - well, before publishing my mythology erotica.

Today, I want to share my favourite Dionysos fanfiction with you. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass of wine and make a toast to the God of Wine and Pleasure!

Fair warning: Most of these stories are actually quite harmless in terms of erotic content.

10 Bowls of Wine by Cori Lannam

Synopsis: Herakles and Dionysos engage in a drinking contest. One of them is bound to regret it.

Why I rec it: What I love about this story is the way Dionysos is written. He is playful and friendly, but there are also moments when his darker, dangerous nature shines through. The story is based on one of several art works from antiquity depicting said contest and I think the toasts are based on the Deipnosophistae by Athenaeus.

I also very much enjoy the vivid imagery and I confess I was heavily influenced by this story when I described Dionysos' dress in 'Apollo and Dionysos - Opposites Attract'.

Favourite quote: "A second toast, then," Dionysos said, accepting the second bowl from the serving boy and giving a caress in exchange. "To love, which guides our souls, and lust, which guides the rest of us."

Read the fanfic here!

Iakkos and Kallipygos by Alder_Knight

Synopsis: Aphrodite and Dionysos invent the strap-on.

Why I rec it: First of all, the idea to have Aphrodite and Dionysos invent the strap-on by combining existing myths is genius and super fun! I have been told strap-ons were already around and happily used in ancient Greece, so this is a beautiful way of 'explaining' the invention. I also like the way Aphrodite and Dionysos interact with one another. They seem to have a kind of 'friends with benefits' style relationship, which I love.

The story is surprisingly tame, considering the subject matter! Which is why I mean to write a very explicit version of Aphrodite and Dionysos inventing the strap-on - possibly as an add-on to 'Aphrodite's Boy Toy' or its sequel.

Favourite quote: It would not have been their first tryst, nor was it by far their last, but there came a pleasant afternoon when, deep in their cups, the affectionate pair spoke of each of these special apparatus - the wooden phallos, the leather belt.

Read the fanfic here!

Ariadne has Trust Issues by Transposable_Element

Synopsis: A modern retelling of Dionysos and Ariadne's first meeting in chat form.

Why I rec it: Yes, I thought this would be stupid too when I first saw it. But I clicked on it anyway and damn did I end up enjoying it!

It's a well-done transformation of the story into the modern world and with chat lingo no less!

Dionysos is definitely lying about not being into princes, though...

Favourite quote: ur a HOT princes! *princess haha i'm not into princes, usually. just a typo. :-)

Um…

i would totally give up princes for you. :-) :-) :-) ... Ariadne? ...

idk

is it about the princes?

Read the fanfic here!

The Golden Thread by Mlle Shiow Jen

Synopsis: A retelling of Ariadne's story

Why I rec it: I read this story at about the same time I wrote 'Dionysos and Aura', the very first book in the 'Taken by Greek Gods' series. The story is based in parts on the Dionysiaca too, and also features the Aura episode I was retelling, though much, much briefer.

What I enjoyed about the story is the theme of fate and the ill even the favour of the gods can bring about. I also liked the depiction of Dionysos' and Ariadne's relationship, which is in large parts quite rocky. I like complicated relationships more than perfectly romantic ones. This is probably the reason this story spoke to me more than all the other Ariadne/Dionysos fics that are way more romantic. I guess I'm a cynic that way.

Favourite quote: Beware the gods that would favour you.

Read the fanfic here!

Aiodos by silverr

Synopsis: Dionysos and Apollon disagree about many things - the true nature and ultimate fate of music being one of them:

"The centuries will bear out that I and my music are superior," Apollo said. "Oh?" Dionysus folded his arms. "Would you care to make a wager?"

Why I rec it: This story inspired me heavily when I wrote the relationship between Apollon and Dionysos in 'Apollon and Dionysos - Opposites Attract'. Apollon is so delightfully aloof and cold in this story, the perfect foil to Dionysos. The author clearly did his or her research, cites sources and, to my endless joy, uses footnotes!

Also, the author pointed me to '10 Bowls of Wine', which is a plus, because that story also became one of my favourites.

Favourite quote: "And what of it? Possessing things of no value - even a countless number of them - does not constitute wealth."

"I had forgotten you were a mathematician," Dionysus murmured. "Still, weigh well whether all I possess is worthless, Phoebus of the Shining Brow. Lovers come to my bed willingly - and stay there. I have no need pay bribes or punish them for unfaithfulness. Do you know why?"

Apollo scowled slightly.

"The truth is in your music as well as your countenance: you offer light without warmth. Lovers flee from you because they know you touch the kithara's strings the way that you would touch them. Detached, passionless."

Read the fanfic here!

Do you know any wonderful mythology fanfiction I should read? Let me know!

[ampelos-deserves-better]

book 10 of the dionysiaca, basically

dionysus: *takes deep breath*

dionysus: i love-

anyone who has spent five seconds around him and also selene: yes, you love ampelos, we know, you love ampelos so much, he's the light of your life, you love him so much, you just love ampelos, we KNOW this, dionysus. you love ampelos you fucking love ampelos ok we know, we get it, YOU LOVE AMPELOS. WE GET IT.

[sisterofiris]

Does Satan mean “truth” in ancient Sanskrit?

Its proven that the Greek God Dionysus is the Hindu God Shiva by the academic book “Gods of Love and Ecstasy: The Traditions of Shiva and Dionysus” by Alain Danielou (an academic scholar and professor who lived in India). What do you think?

I’m not sure whether these two questions were asked by the same anon, but I’m posting them together since they both relate to ancient India.

Disclaimer: I’m not sure what led this person/these people to think I’m competent to answer these questions in depth, since I’ve never studied Sanskrit nor Hinduism. I will answer based on my knowledge of linguistics, Ancient Greek religion and general academia, but I might miss some more nuanced points which better informed people are free to correct (@protoindoeuropean for the Sanskrit maybe?).

Okay, so the etymology of Satan. The theory that it means “truth” seems to be based on sat + an (short for ananda according to this link, or anna according to this one). The problem with this kind of etymology is that, while it makes sense superficially, it doesn’t work historically or linguistically. We call these “folk etymologies”, etymologies based on apparent similarities between words, and they’re incredibly easy to create. Plato considers dozens of them for the Gods’ names in his Cratylus.��I can even make up one of my own for Satan: what if the name came from Sumerian ša₃-ta-an, meaning “the sky from the heart”?

Sanskrit Satan may be linguistically possible - though I can’t comment on how - but we have an alternative which is clearly plausible, Hebrew שָׂטָן (śāṭān). This word, meaning “opponent” or “accuser”, is used in the Bible to refer not only to Satan, but also to common enemies. Take for example 1 Samuel 29:4:

וַיִּקְצְפ֨וּ עָלָ֜יו שָׂרֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ לֹו֩ שָׂרֵ֨י פְלִשְׁתִּ֜ים הָשֵׁ֣ב אֶת־הָאִ֗ישׁ וְיָשֹׁב֙ אֶל־מְקֹומֹו֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הִפְקַדְתֹּ֣ו שָׁ֔ם וְלֹֽא־יֵרֵ֤ד עִמָּ֙נוּ֙ בַּמִּלְחָמָ֔ה וְלֹא־יִֽהְיֶה־לָּ֥נוּ לְשָׂטָ֖ן בַּמִּלְחָמָ֑ה וּבַמֶּ֗ה יִתְרַצֶּ֥ה זֶה֙ אֶל־אֲדֹנָ֔יו הֲלֹ֕וא בְּרָאשֵׁ֖י הָאֲנָשִׁ֥ים הָהֵֽם׃

But the Philistine commanders were angry. “Send him back to the town you’ve given him!” they demanded. “He can’t go into the battle with us. What if he turns against us in battle and becomes our adversary? Is there any better way for him to reconcile himself with his master than by handing our heads over to him?” (New Living Translation)

If Satan did originally mean “truth”, its use in contexts like this wouldn’t make much sense.

The theory also sets of my alarm bells for a major reason: I can’t find any academic articles looking into it, and all the websites that discuss it are clearly non-professional and biased. To quote my guide to online research: “Generally, you should look for websites that are focused on your topic, not websites that use your topic to prove a point.”

One of the web pages I linked above claims: “Abraham took a lot of pre-existing ideas and twisted them for a self serving, fabricated religion, which proceeded to then twist even more ideas (and generations of minds) and created 2 more religions which all literally demonize a pursuit of objective empirical Truth. Satan & objectivity are not our enemy. A historical conditioning in dishonesty is our enemy.”

Now think about what people want to gain from claiming Abrahamic religion’s adversary, Satan, is Truth. Think about what kind of ideology this can lead to. Think really hard about whether that’s something you want to associate yourself with.

*

Let’s move on now to Alain Daniélou and his theory that Śiva is Dionysos. This has more scientific basis, since Dionysos has strong associations with the East and particularly India (Nonnos’ Dionysiaca are a good example). The first to draw a parallel between Dionysos and Śiva seems to be Megasthenes, a Greek historian who travelled with Alexander the Great to India. In his Indica (preserved in fragments), Megasthenes describes several native Indian deities, including Heracles and Dionysos; however, this is not proof that Heracles and Dionysos are Indian, but rather an example of something called interpretatio graeca - calling foreign deities by their closest Greek equivalent. Herodotus does this a lot in Book 2 of his Histories, where he refers to Horus as Apollon and Isis as Demeter, among others.

Megasthenes was likely tapping into the similarities between Dionysos and Śiva, of which there are undoubtedly many. I could find a number of academic articles discussing them. However, only Alain Daniélou seems convinced that both Gods are the same entity - other scholars view them as deities with similar roles within their pantheon.

It is possible Dionysos and Śiva have the same origin, or that they influenced each other mutually. There was certainly contact between the Middle East and the Indus Valley, and between the Greek peninsula and the Middle East, as long ago as the Early Bronze Age. I don’t know enough to tell you how likely the adoption of an Indian deity into the Greek pantheon is, but, though I’m not opposed to the idea, I’m not likely to trust Alain Daniélou on it. Why? Because he tells me himself:

This book is not an essay on the history of religions. (p. 7)

This is confirmed by the lack of understanding he displays about archeology, linguistics, and the ancient Mediterranean/Near Eastern world. But more than his lack of scientific rigour, I want to draw attention to these three quotes from the foreword:

The dark forces which seem to rule the modern world have shown great ability in diverting, deforming and annihilating all man’s instinctive urges toward basic realities and the divine order of the world. (p. 8)

The way of Shiva-Dionysus is the only way by which humanity can be saved. (p. 9)

There is no other true religion. (p. 10)

Again, think about what he’s trying to gain by writing this book. Think carefully about how this influences its content. Can religious ideology really be considered academic “proof”?

*

I hope I don’t come off as too harsh on these topics. It’s okay to get confused by what is trustworthy and what is not! The most important thing is to keep asking questions, both of yourself and to others. Don’t stop at the surface. If you’re not sure where to start, I really recommend checking out my guide to online research :)

[glaucussubmerged]

In Greek mythology, Eurymedon (Ancient Greek: Εὐρυμέδοντα; "ruling far and wide") was the name of several minor figures:

Eurymedon. in rare accounts, a Titan who fathered Prometheus by Hera.[1]

Eurymedon, king of the Gigantes, father of Periboea (mother of Nausithous by Poseidon). He brought destruction on his people and was himself destroyed.[2]

Eurymedon, one of the Cabiri, children of Hephaestus and Cabiro, a Thracian woman. He was the brother of Alcon. Eurymedon fought in the Indian War of Dionysus but he fled when attacked by Orontes.[3]

Eurymedon, possible father of Cinyras by the nymph Paphia.[4]

Eurymedon, one of the four sons of Minos and his concubine Pareia. His brothers were Nephalion, Chryses and Philolaus. Eurymedon was a resident of the island of Paros in the Cyclades but was slain by the hero Heracles.[5]

Eurymedon, son of Dionysus and Ariadne, one of the Argonauts.[6]

Eurymedon, father of Andromache who was one of sacrificial victims of Minotaur.[7]

Eurymedon, defender of the Hypsistan gate at Thebes during the military campaign of the Seven Against Thebes. He is the son of Faunus (Pan).[8]

Eurymedon, squire and charioteer of Agamemnon. He was the son of Ptolemy (Ptolemaeus), son of Peiraeus.[9] Eurymedon's tomb was shown at Mycenae.[10]

Eurymedon, servant of Nestor.[11]

Eurymedon, a surname of Poseidon[12], Perseus[13] and Hermes[14].

References

 Potter, Comment. ad Lyc. Cass. 1283; Eustathius, ad Homer, p. 987

Homer. Odyssey, Book 7.56ff

 Nonnus. Dionysiaca, Book 14.22; Cicero. De Natura Deorum, 3.21.

Scholia, ad Pindar, Pythian Ode, 2 28

Pseudo-Apollodorus. Bibliotheca, Book 2.5.9 & 3.1.2

Hyginus. Fabulae 14

Servius on Aeneid, 16. 4

Statius. Thebaid, 7.262, 8.356, & 11.32

Homer. Iliad, Book 4.228

Pausanias. Description of Greece, 2.16.5.

Homer. Iliad, Book 8.114 & 11.620

Pindar. Olympian Ode, 8.31

Apollonius of Rhodes. Argonautica, Book 4.1514

Hesychius. s. v.

[bugwolfsstuff]

I just remembered that in universe Percy wrote Percy Jackson's greek gods (and heros)

So that means my man really looked at ALL TWO sources of the Dionysus and Ampelos myth BOTH OF WHICH REFER TO AMPELOS AS DIONYSUS' LOVER and really somehow went

'nah fam they're childhood buds'

Do you think that when Grover saw/heard that he did an entire ass double take

Because as a satyr and a satyr under DIONYSUS' rule there is no way Grover doesn't know that story and knows full well they weren't just friends

Anyways if Percy really looked at all that and called Ampelos and Dionysus best friends then I think we need to give Grovercy a chance

[bugwolfsstuff]

Looking at Nonnus Dionysiaca Book 10 and 11 on specifically Ampelos/Ampelus and oh my gods they are down bad for each other

IT'S MAKING ME CRY BECAUSE I KNOW HOW IT'LL END FOR THEM (even worse because Nonnus kills Ampelos off by having him piss off Selene who makes a boar gore him to death)

Like what the fuckkkk

He had a sweet dream on his dreambreeding bed, beheld the shadowy phantom of a counterfeit shape and whispered loving words to the mocking vision of the boy. If his passionate gaze saw any blemish, this appeared lovely to lovesick Dionysos, even more dear than the whole young body; if the end of the tail which grew on him hung slack by his loins, this was sweeter than honey to Bacchos. Matted hair on an unkempt head even so gave more pleasure to his impassioned gaze. By day he was charmed to be with him; when night came he was troubled to part from him, when he no longer heard the familiar voice enchanting his hears, as he slept in the grotto of Rheia mother of mighty sons. —[264] DIONYSIACA BOOK 10, TRANSLATED BY W. H. D. ROUSE

THERE'S ALSO A FUCKING PARAGRAPH OF THEM WRESTLING IN THE BOOK

@thel1ghtningthief @smileyalater for once it's not me making other people cry

[you'll be happy to hear that for once i'm using my beLOATHED Ovid's version for most if not all of my pjo fics cause it's the version Rick uses and Dio cant exactly blame himself for it if it's Nonnus's version]

[bugwolfsstuff]

Let the children climb trees! They long for the trees!

Hc that Mr D does not let his kids climb trees, under any circumstance.

Everyone finds it weird compared to everything else he lets his kids do which is more dangerous.

The actual reason is because of his first lover, a satyr called Ampelos/Ampelus died from falling out of a tree picking grapes and by the gods that is seared into his brain and he refuses to lose people he loves that way ever again

[bugwolfsstuff]

Why are we all fussing about Patrochilles and Persephone and Hades when

Ampelos and Dionysus or Ariadne and Dionysus are both right THERE

"Lovely Ampelos outshines Ganymedes, he has a brilliancy in his countenance more radiant – the Tmolian beasts the Idaian! There are plenty more beautiful lads in troops – court them all if you like, and leave one boy to Lyaios!” —Dionysus crying out to Zeus [292] Nonnus Dionysiaca book 10

*Lyaios—another name for Dionysus

And that's just a tiny snippet of an entire ass paragraph of him yelling about Ampelos.

Like you want the rapist and Patroclus (i know nothing of Patroclus) as your tragic queer greek myth when you have THIS WRITTEN DOWN IN ACTUAL MYTH????

And i'm not looking for an Ariadne myth rn but SERIOUSLY THEY ARE TEN TIMES THE HEALTHIER COUPLE THAN PERSEPHONE AND HADES LOOKING AT IT THROUGH A MODERN LENSE (which when handling ancient myths you shouldn't do but you people love doing it anyways)

[bugwolfsstuff]

Thyone (Semele), standing at the edge of the water: Ino, you have the sea, Semele has gained the round heavens! Give me place! I had an immortal husband in Cronides the plower of my field, who brought forth the fruit of my birth instead of me; but you were wedded to a mortal mate Athamas, the murderer of your family. Your son’s lot is the sea, but my son will come to the house of Zeus to dwell in the sky. I will not compass heavenly Dionysos with Melicertes down in the water! (Dionysiaca book 10)

Leucothea (Ino): ....*grabs her ankles* *Yanks her into the water*

-------------------------------------------------------------

Just formally mortal now godly sister things

[bugwolfsstuff]

You seem to know a lot about this kind of stuff more than I’d have the patience to do the Wikipedia delving for, so is there a god of homosexuality in Greek mythology or is that just Aphrodite and Eros

There technically (as far as I can tell) isn't one but sometimes Ganymede is portrayed as an erote/god of homosexuality and desire

Tho that might be a modern interpretation, so Aphrodite and Eros are your best bet

Also Theoi.com is good for Greek/Roman mythology things, it actually has some of the classical text (I like to read Dionysiaca book 10 on it for fun)

[bugwolfsstuff]

Myth Dionysus yells at the sky, addressing Zeus that Ampelos is better than Ganymede (will never let that paragraph in Dionysiaca book 10 go) and Myth Zeus doesnt do shit

If Pjo Dionysus were to do that pjo Zeus would have thrown him in tartarus before he could even finish his sentence

You ever think of Hera preventing Zeus from saving his son Sarpedon from his fated death and Zeus mourning by sending blood rain in the Iliad

and then in ToA

Zeus preventing everyone from saving his son and Hera/Juno's champion, Jason Grace from his fated death and Hera mourning by wearing a veil and scolding Zeus

@thel1ghtningthief @smileyalater @unubinary @bodeyeen2132

[noctilionoidea]

Can’t believe it took me this long draw ampelos ☠️ What kind of queer am I.

Read book 10 of the Dionysiaca today. It’s so,, cute like “My Satyr’s beauty is dearer to me than Olympus” and “I covert not the nectar, I want no ambrosia! I care nothing, if Ampelos loves me, even if Cronion hates me!” ohhhhhhhhh my heart. And then it’s like you know this ends with Ampelos being gored to death, and just aaaaaa-

nonnus is a writer that, as much as I love his work, I know I need to take critically. For one, it’s… a book. There’s a lot of purple prose and it’s not as well known as his predecessors for multiple reasons. Also it’s likely Nonnus was Christian, because prior to the Dionysiaca he wrote a paraphrase of John. But at the same time, a lot of other stuff does align with earlier myth, and there is another source for ampelos through Ovid’s Fasti, which is a wildly different recounting. So! Ampelos is not likely an invention. I am very content with this, because I like Ampelos I think he is very cool for his five seconds of fame

Nonnus also specifically described Ampelos and the other satyrs with horns and a tail. Usually I draw satyrs, minus specifically pans, slightly more aligned with red crater pottery depictions, but with hooves because why not? So Ampelos is a special boy lmao I went with Nonnus on that. Dionysos doesn’t have the grapes I usually depict in his hair (…yea) but I also put him in a very not accurate chiton thing. I was concerned about the lack of accuracy for a bit, but then I was like “bro…I’m the fuckin artist. I don’t need to be accurate if I’m not intending it that way”.