Written By Priestess Hypatia
For Coven Life
19/12/2019
Priestess of Bacchus, John Collier (taken from Wikimedia commons), 1886
In Thebes the birth place of Dionysus, the God of wine, the Maenads were born. They were known as the Priestesses who were part of the Dionysus cult and performed ecstatic dance. Roaming the mountains of Thebes, trancing and dancing in fawn skin dresses and panther throws, snake crowns and barefoot. Snakes in ancient times were used as healers.
The list of Maenads is long in history, these women that maintained the Dionysian cult with ecstatic ceremonies were distinct to the Hellenic world. A religious cult unlike no other, the women maintained a frenzied state of ecstasy. Extended periods of dancing (usually to the point of absolute and utter exhaustion) and drinking wine, the Maenads participated in orgiastic celebrations dancing naked through the forests of Thrace.
Dedicated to the God of debauch and fertility the Dionysian followers such as the Maenads experienced states of sexual drunken pleasure that allowed them to become closer to their God.
As members of a respected cult in Hellenic society the Maenads were actually celebrated for their sexual promiscuity, a welcoming change from the ever virtuous virgin Goddesses. Their sexuality gave them power and position more so than many other women in the Hellenic world.
Dancing Maenad. Detail from an ancient Greek Paestum red figure skyphos, made by Python, ca. 330-320 BC. British Museum, London.
Enchanted Circle of Witches® 
That was so interesting to read! I never knew that.
The only thing I always remembered was that story about Dionysus wanting this one goddess (I can’t remember the name but it’s like Amethyst) because she knew he wanted her & that this goddess wanted to remain virtuous & chaste. So she went to pray to another goddess (one for virtue, etc) who then turned her into a beautiful white crystal. When Dionysus heard this he was touched & to honor her, he poured his wine over the crystal statue this giving the Amethyst its beautiful purplish color. Thus it’s also the crystal for sobriety.
I hope I retold that somewhat correctly. Amethyst always has been my favorite crystal. Plus it’s my daughter’s birthstone. 💜
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Happy Solstice
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This is so interesting! The Maenads are mentioned in my favorite book The Secret History by Donna Tart. They are a reference to Greek Mythology. I would love to learn more about them because I am so fascinated by their ceremonies.
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I discovered these interesting women on my last visit to the National Museum in Athens. Like many other cultures, Helenistic art is a deep dive into the ethos of their existance. Priestesses were revered in the ancient cults of the Helenic world, a far cry from the present day religious conformity.
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Reblogged this on Witches Of The Craft®.
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