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The Wine Gods

POSTED May 15, 10:45 AM

baby wine While reading a chapter of one of my fifteen-year-old son’s textbooks, I came across a topic that sounded intriguing; one that I hadn’t thought about in a long time. The subject matter: “Wine Gods.” Steeped in ancient history, wine’s link with religion; from Roman and Greek custom, a direct line can be traced to Christian belief and practices. Drinking wine for the Sacrament had a direct link with Jewish ritual but the most pronounced resemblances are with the Greek worship of Dionysus (the god of wine) and his Roman counterpart, Bacchus. It was Dionysus who brought the first celebrated vines to Greece, from Turkey (then Asia Minor).

The son of Zeus—Dionysus—was mythically born twice, the second time to a mortal. His blood was wine; he was the vine. He was the lone god among many whose legends emerge in other cultures with undeniable consistency.

In Egypt, Osiris was the god of wine; though wine itself was at times called “the tears of [the god] Horus” or “the sweat of Ra,” the god of the sun. Christ legendarily spoke, “I am the true vine.” But the Jewish religion made no connection between God and wine. Wine is significant in Jewish sacrament but its abuse is frowned upon. Christians repressed Dionysus/Bacchus who became a cult figure of his time and evolved from wine god to Savior. Once Christianity became the principal religion, behavior at “Bacchic revels” declined.

Categories: Bacchus , Dionysus

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Leslie Cramer
Leslie Cramer has worked in the fine wine industry for twenty- something years. Known in some circles as "The Wine Wizardess," she'll cover topics from wine education, to trends o' the day and how to properly propose a toast, to health benefits of the grape.