upwards of forty of his appellations. Some of the principal of them are, Bacchosa and Bromios, from the noise with which his festivals were celebrated; Bassareus, from the fox-skin dresses named bassara worn by the Thracians; Dithyrambos, from the odes of that name, or from his double birth (dis Oúpa); Eleleus and Euios, from the shouting; Lycos, as loosing from care; Lenæos, from the wine-press.

Dionysos was also called', 1. Muse-leader; 2. Bull-headed; 3. Fire-born; 4. Dance-rouser; 5. Mountain-rover; 6. Sleepgiver, etc.

It seems probable that in the original conception of Dionysos he was not merely the wine-god, for such restricted notions are contrary to the genius of the ancient Grecian religion, in which each people assigned its peculiar deities a very extensive sphere of action, as gods of the sun, the moon, the heaven, the earth, and other parts of nature. Dionysos was therefore, it is likely, regarded as a deity presiding over growth and increase in general; and as Hermes, who seems to have been originally of coextensive power with him, was gradually restricted and made a god of cattle alone, so Dionysos may have been limited to the care of plants, particularly the vinec.

Water and heat being the great causes of growth, we find this deity closely connected with both these elements. Thus the infant Dionysos is committed to the water-goddess Ino, and to the Hyades and to Silenos. His temples at Athens and Sparta were in places named marshes (èv Xíμvais), and he was styled Of-the-Marsh (Auvaîos), and Marsh-sprung (Aμvnyevns). In some places he was called the Rainer ("Tŋs)f;

a The maintainers of the Indian hypothesis observe that Bagis is one of the names of Seeva. According to Müller (Orchom. p. 384.), Bacchos (the same perhaps with Iacchos) was the rapedpos of Demeter of Thebes, and was totally distinct from the Thracian Dionysos.

5 1. μουσαγέτης: 2. ταυροκέφαλος: 3. πυριγενής: 4. ἐγερσίχορος : 5. ὀρειμανής: 6. ὑπνοδότης.

Among the epithets of Dionysos we meet Evкirns (from ovкos, fig, Athen. iii. 78.) and Aevopirns (Creuz. Sym. ii. 360.).

Sch. Aristoph. Frogs, 216.

f See Passow, s. v.

Strabo, viii. 5.

his festival, the Anthesteria, was celebrated in the spring, the season of showers, and it was so named from the flowers and blossoms, of which he was the author; whence he was named the Flowerya.

The relation of Dionysos to the celestial heat is expressed in the story of his birth, and also in the dog Mæra (Maîpa), another name for Sirius the dog-starb; the name of his companion Marône also seems to refer to heat; and perhaps the true origin of the god's own epithet, Mnpoyevns, usually rendered Thigh-born, lies in this word. It is not impossible that the real root of his mother's name may be σéλasd.

In favour of this god's presiding over cattle is alleged the well-known circumstance of the goat being the victim offered to him; his being in his infancy conveyed to Nysa in the form of a kid, and his being worshiped under that name. He also wore the goatskin dress of the goatherds; and in Attica and Hermione he was named Meλávaryis, a name which in the former place was connected with the fabulous origin of the festival of the Apaturia. Welcker is of opinion that Dionysos was originally the object of worship to the lower classes, the goatherds, and such like (in Attica the tribe of the Ægicoreis); and that as they gradually rose in consideration, their god was associated with those of the nobles; and that thence he always appeared of an inferior rank to those with whom he was joined. This critic accounts on the same principle for the very slight mention of Dionysos in the Homeric poems, namely, that he was of too low a rank to be an actor of importance in those aristocratic verses, which only told of kings and nobles, and the gods whom they adorede.

The name Dionysos is one of the most difficult to explain

a "Avotos (Paus. i. 31, 4.): 'Av0evs (Id. vii. 21, 6.): Evavons (Athen. viii. 563.): Davons (Eurip. Fr. Incert. 169.). A name of Dionysos was Eipapirns, which Schwenk (p. 150.) very ingeniously supposes to be equivalent to ciapopvúrns, Spring-born. Compare Welcker, Nach. zur Tril. 187, 188.

b See above, p. 214. Icarios would seem to be connected with ixμàs, ixŵp, and therefore to denote moisture. His daughter is Erigone (Spring-born).

d Schwenk, 147.

Welcker, Ueber das Satyrspiel (Nach. zur Tril. 186-211.), where much valuable matter on the subject of Dionysos will be found.