(Greek) Διονυσο, Dionysos, from dio, “god,” and nusa, “tree,” thus the name literally means “god of the [world] tree.” Also called Bacchus (“riotous”).
Originally, Dionysus was a Greek symbol in the secret mystical schools, and was related to sexual power and to wine in the same way that Jesus is related to wine in Christianity. Those traditions were dedicated to purity of character and the perfection of the human being by transforming the base animal desires into purified spiritual exaltation. Dionysus was related to the spiritual intoxication that resulted from the purification of the heart and mind, thus he and his followers were represented in states of ecstasy, dancing, “drunk” on the “wine” of transmutation. Later, through degeneration, the symbolism of Dionysus was corrupted by a wide variety of cults and hedonistic interests. As a god, Dionysus was represented as androgynous (having both masculine and feminine aspects, as also represented in the Hebrew word Elohim). This also was later seized upon as a justification for degenerated interests.
Like Jesus, Dionysus was