Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
Bacchus—Ariadne explained
This chapter recounts the birth and adventures of Bacchus, son of Jupiter and Semele, including his nurturing by nymphs, discovery of the vine, madness inflicted by Juno, and his triumphant journey to establish his worship in Greece.
What happens
This chapter recounts the birth and adventures of Bacchus, son of Jupiter and Semele, including his nurturing by nymphs, discovery of the vine, madness inflicted by Juno, and his triumphant journey to establish his worship in Greece. It details the punishment of the Tyrrhenian sailors who tried to kidnap him and the tragic fate of King Pentheus, who opposed his rites. The chapter also tells the story of Ariadne, abandoned by Theseus on Naxos, who is consoled by Bacchus and made his wife, with her crown becoming a constellation.
Themes in this chapter
Hubris and Divine Retribution
Pentheus' arrogant defiance of Bacchus and his refusal to heed warnings lead to his violent death, illustrating the punishment of hubris against a god.
Love and Transformation
Bacchus' love for Ariadne transforms her grief into joy, and her mortal crown is transformed into an immortal constellation; also, the sailors are transformed into dolphins as a punishment.
Mortality and Immortality
Semele's mortal nature cannot withstand Jove's divine radiance, while Ariadne gains an immortal lover and her crown becomes a permanent fixture in the heavens.
Characters to notice
- Jupiter
Father of Bacchus; reluctantly fulfills his oath to Semele, resulting in her death, and later places the Hyades among the stars.
- Bacchus
Central figure; son of Jupiter and Semele, discoverer of the vine, driven mad by Juno, and later establishes his worship in Greece; transforms the Tyrrhenian sailors into dolphins and marries Ariadne.
- Juno
Resentful toward Semele, she disguises herself as Beroë to trick Semele into demanding Jove's full splendor, leading to Semele's death.
- Semele
Mother of Bacchus; persuaded by Juno's trick to ask Jove to appear in his divine glory, resulting in her being consumed by his radiance.
- Pentheus
King of Thebes who opposes the worship of Bacchus; after ignoring warnings, he is torn to pieces by the Bacchanals, including his own mother Agave.
- Ariadne
Daughter of King Minos, abandoned by Theseus on Naxos; consoled by Bacchus, becomes his wife, and her crown is placed among the stars as a constellation.
Key passages
“Juno, to gratify her resentment against Semele, contrived a plan for her destruction. Assuming the form of Beroë, her aged nurse, she insinuated doubts whether it was indeed Jove himself who came as a lover.”
Juno, seeking revenge on Semele, disguised herself as the old nurse Beroë and planted suspicions that Semele's lover might not truly be Jove.
Juno's deception leads directly to Semele's fatal request.
“The whole crew became dolphins and swam about the ship, now upon the surface, now under it, scattering the spray, and spouting the water from their broad nostrils.”
Every sailor was transformed into a dolphin, leaping and diving around the vessel, blowing water from their wide nostrils.
Bacchus' punishment of the treacherous sailors is a vivid metamorphosis.
“As a marriage present he gave her a golden crown, enriched with gems, and when she died, he took her crown and threw it up into the sky. As it mounted the gems grew brighter and were turned into stars, and preserving its form Ariadne’s crown remains fixed in the heavens as a constellation.”
Bacchus gifted Ariadne a jeweled golden crown; after her death, he cast it into the sky, where the gems became stars, forming the constellation Corona Borealis.
This etiological myth explains the origin of the constellation.
