The Two Great Gods of Earth:
Demeter and Dionysus
Owen
A.Y.
Malayna
Camila
Brittany
What do Greeks believe are the two
basic gifts that Earth gives to man?
How are Dionysus and Demeter
different from the Twelve Gods of
Mythology
The other gods caused problems
for the mortals; whereas
Dionysus and Demeter helped
with food, soil, and life for Earth
How does the myth of Demeter
explain the seasons of spring and
winter?
Demeter’s daughter goes
down to the underworld for
four months a year, where
Demeter lets everything die
until she returns. This
represents the death and
resurrection.
According to the myth, how is Dionysus born?
How is this related to Dionysus’ association with
grapes and wine?
Zeus was madly in love with
Dionysus’ mother, but she wanted to
see him as a god. When she did she
died so Zeus took Dionysus. He was
born of fire and nursed of rain.
What is he known as, and what does
he teach humans?
He is known as the God of
the Vine and his other
name is Bacchus. He
taught the culture of the
vine and the mysteries of
his worship.
What are the two contrasting ideas
associated with the worship of
Dionysus?
That he would give them
good wine and partying, but
also that he was an
irresponsible minor god who
was very ill-tempered.
Why is Dionysus considered so
important to Greek Gods?
He gave humans grapes,
which made wine. He
also gave the humans
partying.
How does Dionysus become a symbol
of resurrection?
He became the symbol of
resurrection because crops
die in winter and return in
spring, Dionysus was seen
as a symbol of death and
resurrection.
What is the connection between
Dionysus and the Greek theater?
Dionysus was the god of
wine, and a little bit of
wine brings a lot of
sadness and violence. So,
Greek theater is the same
way; comedy and tragedy.
And, Dionysus introduced
theater to Greeks.