Semele: From Shame To Ecstasy

Angela and I explore the myth of Semele, Mother of Dionysus, and also called "The Mother of Frenzy."

Semele was the youngest daughter of Cadmus, an ambitious king with connections to Aphrodite, Aries and more. Semele dared to fall in love with Zeus, and was shamed for it by her sisters. Ultimately, she was duped into requiring Zeus to reveal his true divinity, thereby rendering her to dust. However, Dionysus, being the good son, ensured that she was transformed into a goddess.

At times called, "Thyone," meaning something like "Mother of Frenzy," we delve into the different types of frenzy, from panic to spiritual ecstasy. Semele's key themes: desire, shame, love, death, rebirth, frenzy, and ecstasy. Known as The Mother of Dionysus, Semele was venerated as an expression of The Great Mother in areas of the ancient Mediterranean where the cult of Dionysus was prevalent. In ancient Athens, she was honored during a minor festival. Generally, her origins are thought to be in Thebes. She is an expression of The Death Mother that is particularly potent, as she began as a mortal woman and then became a Goddess.

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