Dionysus was the god of wine, the son of Zeus and Semele. When his mother perished in Zeus's divine glory, he was still an infant. Zeus entrusted his upbringing to mountain nymphs, who cared for him diligently. Under the tutelage of Silenus, the satyr, Dionysus learned the secrets of nature and the art of winemaking.
He traveled widely in a chariot drawn by wild beasts, reputedly reaching India and Ethiopia. His presence was always marked by music, song, and revelry. His followers, the Bacchantes, were notorious for their raucous and disorderly conduct. They formed a wild, noisy crowd, drinking, dancing, and singing without restraint. The female Bacchantes were particularly infamous for their immodesty and frenzied excitement.
In their states of madness and intoxication, they committed acts of brutal violence. They tore the gifted musician Orpheus limb from limb. King Pentheus of Thebes, who disapproved of the worship of Bacchus (Dionysus) in his kingdom, met the same fate at the hands of these fanatical women, led by his own mother.