<P> Dionysus ( / daɪ. əˈnaɪsəs / ; Greek : Διόνυσος Dionysos ) is the god of the grape harvest , winemaking and wine , of ritual madness , fertility , theatre and religious ecstasy in ancient Greek religion and myth . Wine played an important role in Greek culture , and the cult of Dionysus was the main religious focus for its unrestrained consumption . His worship became firmly established in the seventh century BC . He may have been worshipped as early as c. 1500 -- 1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks ; traces of Dionysian - type cult have also been found in ancient Minoan Crete . His origins are uncertain , and his cults took many forms ; some are described by ancient sources as Thracian , others as Greek . In some cults , he arrives from the east , as an Asiatic foreigner ; in others , from Ethiopia in the South . He is a god of epiphany , `` the god that comes '' , and his `` foreignness '' as an arriving outsider - god may be inherent and essential to his cults . He is a major , popular figure of Greek mythology and religion , becoming increasingly important over time , and included in some lists of the twelve Olympians , as the last of their number , and the only god born from a mortal mother . His festivals were the driving force behind the development of Greek theatre . </P>
<P> Dionysus ( / daɪ. əˈnaɪsəs / ; Greek : Διόνυσος Dionysos ) is the god of the grape harvest , winemaking and wine , of ritual madness , fertility , theatre and religious ecstasy in ancient Greek religion and myth . Wine played an important role in Greek culture , and the cult of Dionysus was the main religious focus for its unrestrained consumption . His worship became firmly established in the seventh century BC . He may have been worshipped as early as c. 1500 -- 1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks ; traces of Dionysian - type cult have also been found in ancient Minoan Crete . His origins are uncertain , and his cults took many forms ; some are described by ancient sources as Thracian , others as Greek . In some cults , he arrives from the east , as an Asiatic foreigner ; in others , from Ethiopia in the South . He is a god of epiphany , `` the god that comes '' , and his `` foreignness '' as an arriving outsider - god may be inherent and essential to his cults . He is a major , popular figure of Greek mythology and religion , becoming increasingly important over time , and included in some lists of the twelve Olympians , as the last of their number , and the only god born from a mortal mother . His festivals were the driving force behind the development of Greek theatre . </P>
the god of fertility wine and sexuality was
the god of fertility wine and sexuality was
Dionysus
Dionysus