Dionysos

Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life (Archetypal Images in Greek Religion, Volume 2)

Carl Kerényi, Ralph Manheim

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2026
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Print ISBN:
  9780691281797
  9780691281780
• Subtopic: Greek Ancient History
• eBook ISBN:
  9780691290690

A landmark account of the Dionysos myth as an archetypal expression of indestructible life

No other god of the Greeks is as widely present in the monuments and ritual practices of antiquity as Dionysos. In this book, acclaimed mythologist and historian of religion Carl Kerényi presents an engaging history of the religion of Dionysos from its beginnings in the Minoan culture to its transition to a cosmic and cosmopolitan religion of late antiquity under the Roman Empire. From the wealth of Greek literary, epigraphic, and monumental traditions, Kerényi constructs a vivid picture of Dionysian worship, bringing to life the secret cult scenes of the women’s mysteries both within and beyond Attica, the mystic sacrificial rite at Delphi, and the great public Dionysian festivals at Athens. He shows how tragedy and New Comedy are high spiritual forms of the Dionysian religion and how the Dionysian element itself represents an important chapter in the religious history of Europe.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Introduction
• Part One: The Cretan Prelude
• Part Two: The Greek Cult and Myth
• Illustrations
• Abbreviations
• List of Works Cited
• Index
• A Note on C. Kerényi
• A Bibliography of C. Kerényi