Dionysus

Birth: Dionysus' mother was Semele the mortal daughter of King Cadmus of Thebes. His father was none other than Zeus. The birth of Dionysus is one of the stranger accounts in Greek mythology. The story begins with Hera discovering the affair between her husband, Zeus, and the mortal woman Semele. Appearing as an old crone Hera convinced Semele to request Zeus to appear before her in his true form. Semele didn't know that Zeus was the father of her unborn child since being a god Zeus had to appear before Semele in a disguise. Semele would not retract her request to see Zeus in his true form and finally the god consented. Zeus appeared before Semele in his true form adorned in bolts of lightning. Being only a mortal Semele couldn't withstand the sight of a god so she perished in a blaze of fire giving birth to Dionysus prematurely. Zeus rescued the still barely formed Dionysus and sewed the newborn into his own thigh. After a few months Dionysus was born again as a healthy newborn when Zeus released the child from his thigh. This is why Dionysus is called the "twice-born" god. His mother gave birth to him initially, but a few months later Zeus gave birth to Dionysus agian, even if it was an unusual birth.

Childhood: There are many different versions of what happened to young Dionysus after his unusual birth. The one thing that every myth agrees on is that Hermes delivered the newborn child to a mortal family so that Hera wouldn't be able to kill the child in her rage. Many of these tales agree that in order to keep Dionysus safe he was raised as if he were a young girl and that is why in many paintings and sculptures Dionysus is presented as having a slightly feminine quality about him. Whatever his childhood was actually like Dionysus survived his childhood and grew up to be the god that we read about in ancient Greek and Roman literature.

Major achievements: Dionysus caused the dismemberment of Pentheus when he questioned the new god's divinity. He taught the art of winemaking to Ikarios even though this almost immediately lead to the man's death. He did avenge the death of his first apprentice and forced the people to make offerings to Ikarios. Fell in love with Ariadne. Journied to the underworld to save his mother and/or wife. Lead a campaign against the Indians.

Attributes of Dionysus: Dionysus is often looked at as the god of wine and other alcoholic drinks even though he has many other attributes. Dionysus is considered to be a god of resurrection although this is probably due to his status as someone who was "twice-born". Dionysus is a god who is one with nature which means that if you need a god to help with the plants then Dionysus is one of many gods that you may sacrifice to. There is much mystery concerning the followers of Dionysus and what exactly involved in the ritualistic practices that occurred as a worship to the god. It is true that the general public were wary of the cults that followed Dionysus since they would often become drunk and unruly.

Modern likeness: In the series //Percy Jackson and the Olympians// Dionysus is portrayed as a god who is in trouble for previous indulgences. He has been imprisoned in Half-blood Camp as a caretaker and stripped of his right to make alcoholic beverages. This character is annoyed that he has to take care of demigods that he cares little about and forced to survive on Diet Coke instead of his favorite drink. This is a nice modern version of what Dionysus might be like in modern times. I would probably keep his ability to make any kind of beverage he wants since that is an idea that is easy to work with. Instead of being in trouble with the more powerful gods I would have Dionysus be a god who is trying to stay "on the wagon." How difficult would it be to avoid alcohol for an alcoholic that can create the best wine by simply wishing for it? I think this concept would flesh out the character a bit more and make him a more sympathetic character.