For my research paper, I will be enlightening you on the god of wine and fertility, otherwise known as Dionysus. Now, in Greek mythology, there are believed to be gods for everything, known to us as "supernatural forces", such as lightning and water. Dionysus' birthday is shared with a Christian figure, Jesus. He was born on December 25th, as was Jesus. Dionysus is credited with being the god of fertility and wine. As you probably know, wine has two sides to it, a sense of joy or happiness, or anger beyond belief, which is why he is considered to bring joy and divine ecstasy, or brutal and blinding rage.
Most mythological figures are born from other mythological figures, but not Dionysus. Dionysus is one of the most known gods of Greek mythology simply due to the fact that he is the only god believed to be born from a god and a mortal. The god parent, dad, was Zeus, and the mortal parent, mom, was named Semele. Now, Dionysus was not expected to be born so soon, as he was nowhere close to being considered a developed embryo. After Dionysus was conceived, Zeus took charge and attached Dionysus to his thigh until he was ready to go out on his own, as he was born prematurely. Sadly, Dionysus never got to meet his mother, as Zeus unknowingly took her life.
After Dionysus was born, Hera began to get angry when she saw Semele had given birth to a god, so Hera devised up a plan. Her plan was to get Zeus and Semele alone, and then force Zeus to reveal his true form to Semele, thus killing Semele. Now you are probably wondering, "How can that kill someone?" The answer is simple; mortal eyes cannot bestow upon a god's true form. .
As soon as Hera saw an opportunity to make her plan a reality and watch it play out, she took it in a heartbeat. Zeus and Semele were taking a romantic walk, alone, in the woods when Hera's voice rang in Zeus's head. "Reveal yourself." As you may know, if a god is asked by another god to reveal their true form to someone or something, they can't refuse.
