In Ancient Greek mythology and religion, Zagreus (Ancient Greek: Ζαγρεύς) was a god sometimes identified with an Orphic Dionysus, a son of Zeus and Persephone, who was dismembered by the Titans and reborn. In the earliest mention of Zagreus, he is paired with Gaia and called the "highest" god, though perhaps only in reference to the gods of the underworld. Aeschylus, however, links Zagreus with Hades, possibly as Hades' son, or as Hades himself. Noting "Hades' identity as Zeus' katachthonios alter ego", Timothy Gantz postulated that Zagreus, originally the son of Hades and Persephone, later merged with the Orphic Dionysus, the son of Zeus and Persephone.
Etymology and Origins[]
According to Martin Litchfield West, the "most plausible etymology" derives "Zagreus" from zagre, which is "properly a pit for catching animals, but perhaps also one used for depositing animal remains or offerings to a chthonic deity", making Zagreus literally the "god of pitfalls". Based on this etymology, Karl Kerényi concludes that zagreus was the Greek word for a "hunter who catches living animals", and that "an exact translation" of "Zagreus" would be "catcher of game".
As West notes, the word zagre, which only survives in Hesychius, has an Ionic ending. So if "Zagreus" does derive from zagre, then this would suggest an Ionian origin for Zagreus. But, according to Kerényi, Hesychius' definition of zagre, "proves that the name contains the root zoë and zoön", the Greek words for "life" and "Living thing", and according to West "the vocalism, Zā- for Zō-, points to a Doric or North-west Greek home for the god".
The tenth-century Etymologicum Gudianum interpreted the name as "great hunter", deriving the word from za- ("very") and agreuein ("hunt"), an etymology rejected by both West and Kerényi. Which, while noting that this etymology "seems to be very plausible ... (such avatars of Dionysos as Aqht and Actaeon were famous hunters)", also says "the prefix za- normally goes with adjectives and not with nouns, while agreus is a noun".
Others have suggested a relationship with the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. While Michael C. Astour suggests a derivation from the Ugaritic Sġr (pronounced ṣaġru?) meaning "the Young One".
Underworld[]
The early notices of Zagreus, which happen as it were in parts from misplaced works, interface Zagreus with the Greek underworld. The most punctual is in a single cited line from the (6th century BC?) epic Alcmeonis:
Mistress Earth [Gaia], and Zagreus highest of all the gods.
This may be referencing him as the highest of gods in the underworld.
Apparently for Aeschylus, Zagreus was, in reality, a chthonic god. In a part from one of Aeschylus' misplaced Sisyphus plays (c. 5th century BC), Zagreus appears to be the child of Hades whereas in Aeschylus' Egyptians (Aigyptioi), Zagreus was clearly distinguished with Hades himself. A part from Euripides' misplaced play Cretan Men (Kretes) has the refrain portray themselves as starts of Idaean Zeus and celebrants of "night-ranging Zagreus, performing his feasts of crude substance".
Orphic Dionysus-Zagreus[]
A statue of Silenus holding the young Dionysus.
The Zagreus from the Euripides part is suggestive of Dionysus, the wine god child of Zeus and Semele, and in truth, in spite of the fact that it appears not to happen anyplace in Orphic sources, the title “Zagreus” is somewhere else distinguished with an Orphic Dionysus, who had an awfully diverse convention from the standard one. This Dionysus was a child of Zeus and Persephone who was, as a newborn child, assaulted and eviscerated by the Titans, but afterward renewed as the child of Zeus and Semele.
The Sparagmos[]
The dismantling of Dionysus-Zagreus (the sparagmos) is frequently considered to be the foremost imperative myth of Orphism. As pieced together from different antiquated sources, the remade story, as a rule given by advanced researchers, goes as follows. Zeus had intercourse with Persephone within the form of a serpent, creating Dionysus. He is taken to Mount Ida where (just like the newborn child Zeus) he is protected by the Curetes. Zeus planning Dionysus to be his successor as ruler of the universe, but an envious Hera affected the Titans to slaughter the child. Diverting the newborn child Dionysus with different toys, counting a mirror, the Titans seized Dionysus and tore (or cut) him to pieces. The pieces were at that point bubbled, broiled and somewhat eaten, by the Titans. But Athena overseen to spare Dionysus' heart, by which Zeus was able to think up his resurrection from Semele.
In spite of the fact that the extant Orphic sources don't say the title "Zagreus" in association with this dissected Dionysus (or anyplace else), the (c. 3rd century BC) artist Callimachus maybe did. We know that Callimachus, as well as his modern Euphorion, told the story of the dismantled child, and Byzantine sources cite Callimachus as alluding to the birth of a "Dionysos Zagreus", clarifying that "Zagreus" was the poet's title for a chthonic Dionysus, the child of Zeus by Persephone. The most punctual certain distinguishing proof of Zagreus with the dismembered Dionysus happens within the compositions of the late 1st century – early 2nd century Advertisement biographer and writer Plutarch, whereas the c. 5th century Advertisement Greek epic writer Nonnus' Dionysiaca, which tells the story of this Orphic Dionysus, calls him the "elder Dionysos ... illfated Zagreus", "Zagreus the horned baby", "Zagreus, the primary Dionysos", "Zagreus the antiquated Dionysos", and "Dionysos Zagreus".
The 1st century BC student of history Diodorus Siculus says that agreeing to "a few scholars of myths" there were two divine beings named Dionysus, an elder one, who was the child of Zeus and Persephone, but that the "more youthful one [born to Zeus and Semele] too acquired the deeds of the older, and so the men of afterward times, being unconscious of the truth and being betrayed since of the personality of their names thought there had been but one Dionysus."
Agreeing to Diodorus, this elder Dionysus, was spoken to in portray and form with horns, since he "exceeded expectations in adroitness and was the primary to endeavor the yoking of bulls and by their help to impact the sowing of the seed", and the more youthful was "called Dimetor (Of Two Moms) ... since the two Dionysoi were born of one father, but of two mothers". He moreover said that Dionysus "was thought to have two shapes ... the old one having a long whiskers, since all men in early times wore long whiskers, the more youthful one being young and womanly and youthful."
Cooking / eating[]
Several accounts of the myth included the Titans cooking and/or eating at slightest portion of Dionysus. Within the account ascribed to Callimachus and Euphorion, the dismantled pieces of Dionysus were bubbled in a cauldron, and Euphorion is cited as saying that the pieces of Dionysus were set over a fire. Diodorus too says that the pieces were "boiled" and the late 2nd century Christian author Compassionate of Alexandria says that the pieces were "to begin with bubbled" in a cauldron, at that point penetrated with spits and roasted. Arnobius, an early 4th century Christian defender, says that Dionysus' disjoined parts were "tossed into pots that he can be cooked". None of these sources specify any genuine eating, but other sources do. Plutarch says that the Titans "tasted his blood", the 6th century Advertisement Neoplatonist Olympiodorus says that they ate "his flesh", and agreeing to the 4th century euhemeristic account of the Latin celestial prophet and Christian defender Firmicus Maternus, the Titans cooked the "individuals in different ways and eaten up them" (membra consumunt), except his heart.
Resurrection / rebirth[]
Within the form of the story clearly told by Callimachus and Euphorion, the cauldron containing the bubbled pieces of Dionysus, is given to Apollo for burial, who "stowed it absent close to his tripod" at Delphi. And agreeing to Philodemus, citing Euphorion, the pieces of Dionysus were "reassembled by Rhea, and brought back to life", whereas agreeing to Diodorus Siculus, the reassembly and restoration of Dionysus was fulfilled by Demeter. Afterward Orphic sources have Apollo get Dionysus' remains from Zeus, instead of the Titans, and it was Apollo who reassembled Dionysus, instead of Rhea or Demeter.
Within the accounts of Clement, and Firmicus Maternus cited over, as well as Proclus,[42] and a scholium on Lycophron 355, Athena oversees to spare the heart of Dionysus, from which, agreeing to Clement and the scholium, Athena gotten the title Pallas from the still beating (πάλλειν) heart. In Proculus' account Athena takes the heart to Zeus, and Dionysus Is born once more from Semele. Agreeing to Hyginus, Zeus "ground up his heart, put it in a elixir, and gave it to Semele to drink", and she got to be pregnant with Dionysus.
Gallery[]
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| Chthonic deities in Greek mythology | |
|---|---|
| Theoi Chthonioi | Angelos • Gaia • Hades • Hecate • The Lampades • Macaria • Melinoë • Persephone • Zagreus |
| Erinyes (Furies) | Alecto • Megaera • Tisiphone |
| Autochthon (Earthborn) | Cyclopes • Gigantes • Hecatoncheires • Kouretes • Meliae • Telchines • Typhon |
| Apotheothenai | Aeacus • Amphiarus • Minos • Rhadamanthys • Trophonius • Triptolemus • Orpheus |
| Geographic deities | Acheron • Alpheus • Eridanos • Erebus • Kokytos • Lethe • Mnemosyne • Phlegethon • Styx • Tartarus |
| Other deities | Ascalaphus • Charon • Cerberus • Keuthonymos • Menoetes • Nyx • Thanatos |