Dionysus is a god of unity, love, and celebration.

Dionysus wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In fact, He was born from Zeus’ thigh, where he gestated after his own mortal mother was tragically vaporized. (It’s a long story.)

He is best known for wandering the earth and discovering the secrets of winemaking, which he then shared freely with mortals. He journeyed far and wide— even into the Underworld— before finally ascending to Olympus and becoming one of the Twelve.

Perhaps because of His status as a wanderer and an “Outsider” (most accounts say that we was born in Thrace and eventually migrated to Greece), Dionysus struck a special chord with followers who also felt “other”. His worshippers were primarily women, foreigners, and slaves, all of whom had limited power and freedom in ancient Greece.

In short, Dionysus gets it. He came to understand our mortal struggles in a way the other gods didn’t, and He chose to use His powers to help us break free from bondage and squeeze every ounce of joy from our perilous mortal existence.