Dionysus' Adventures
After the struggle with Typhon, Zeus began to look more anxiously for the hero in which Prometheus said. For Prometheus also prophesied about the giants coming back to Olympus, and if Typhon was so terrible, the war with the giants might be much tougher than he thought! Zeus was quite certain that the hero would be born at Thebes, and in Thebes lived the lovely Semele, daughter of Prince Cadmus and Harmonia. Zeus decided to marry her.
This made Hera, Queen of Olympus and wife of Zeus, very angry. She was jealous, and was also afraid that if Zeus and Semele had a son, he might be made an Immortal of greater power than her own sons Ares and Hephaestus. So she made up her mind to destroy Semele and the child. One day she disguised herself as an old woman and went to meet Semele. She spoke kindly at first, and after a while asked who her husband was. When Semele told her that he was Zeus, she laughed and said, "Are you sure? May it be some ordinary man who is pretending to be Zeus? Does he visit you in his shining glory as he does on Olympus?"
Semele was troubled, and the next time Zeus came, she said, "You made me a promise when we were married, that you would grant me one wish."
"I did, and I swear by Styx that you may have it," answered Zeus.
"Then come to me in the same glory you wear among the Immortals," begged Semele.
Zeus sorrowed, but he could not break his oath, though he knew that it was Hera who was behind this. So in a moment he was transfigured with light so fierce that being mortal, Semele could not bear it and died. Zeus took the child, named him Dionysus, and asked Hermes to take care of him. Dionysus grew to boyhood on Mount Nysa, and became friends with the Satyrs. Dionysus discovered how to make wine out of grapes, and the Satyrs were the firsts to taste this new drink, and to grow intoxicated by it.
One day, Silenus, leader of the Satyrs, drank too much and fell asleep in the garden of King Midas, who treated him so kindly that Dionysus promised him any gift he may ask.
"Let everything I touch turn to gold!" Cried greedy Midas, and the wish was granted. Midas turned his house and garden with all its trees and flowers to gold, but when he found that even his food and drink turned to gold as soon as he touched them, he realised he was wrong. So he sought out Dionysus and begged him to take back his magic gift.
Dionysus later went out to teach mankind how to grow grapes, and how to make the grapes into wine. When he came to Greece, several kings prevented him from teaching their people how to make wine. The reason was to prevent drunkenness, like what happened to the Satyrs. One of these kings was Lycurgus, who drove Dionysus into the sea, where the sea-nymphs rescued him. Dionysus came to Thetis, on the opposite side of the sea, and hired a ship to carry him across. But the sailors were actually wicked pirates who were in search of slaves, and Dionysus seemed a fine prize. So the captain ordered the binding of Dionysus, but the ropes fell from his hands and feet as soon as they had been tied. They ignored this incident, and threw him into the dark hold of the ship instead. But strange things began to happen, grape vines began to grew almost everywhere on the ship. When the pirates saw this, they became afraid and set sail for Greece immediately, but Dionysus changed into a lion and forced them over into the sea. All except Achaetes the helmsman, who was frozen in terror. Dionysus said to him, "Do not be afraid, good Achaetes. I am Dionysus, son of Zeus, and I travel to Greece bearing the gift of wine."
So Achaetes steer the ship to Athens. Back in Greece, Dionysus had many more adventures, as he tried to bestow the gift of wine while the kings attempted to prevent him. But there was one adventure just before he took his place on Olympus, and this adventure was the most famous of all his adventures. For when he came to Argos, King Perseus came against him fully armed and they fought.
Perseus was also a son of Zeus, also one of the greatest hero of Greece. In the end Perseus smote Dionysus a fatal blow, and as he died, Dionysus leapt into the lake of Lerna, which led to the Realm of the Dead. Dionysus made his way to the throne of Hades and cried, "Lord Hades! By the decree of my father Zeus that I shall take my place on Olympus. But I desire to take my mother Semele with me."
"That cannot be, unless you give in exchange for your mother your best beloved," answered Hades.
"My best beloved is here!" Cried Dionysus, and he took out a grape vine. Hades nodded, and Semele was given up to her son.
Thus Dionysus passed up to Olympus with his mother, and the Immortals welcomed him.