Essay on Contrasting Apollo & Dionysus
Contrasting Apollo & Dionysus
In Greek mythology, Apollo and Dionysus are nearly opposites of one another, and as with many opposites, life would not operate just quite right without both of them. They each played a specific role for the Greeks. They had very different things associated with them.
Apollo was often associated with logic and the power of the mind. He was basically in charge of the Work section of the people. Logic is something the
Greeks used often, and when they didn't, things often happened for the worst. He is also associated with intellect. The followers of Apollo would consist of those who strongly believed in the things he was thought to control. These ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...Some things attributed to Dionysus are the dithyrambs, or choral hymns, sung for him but the people. This was how they praised him. Drama is also directly associated with him. Being the god of wine and the god of fertility led to some very strange things in situations where Dionysus prevailed over Apollo. Many drunken orgies took place during this time.
The Dionysion followers might be thought of as all the people who enjoyed wine, the people who attended and enjoyed the Festival of Dionysus
(leading to perhaps all current people who enjoy the drama), and to those who prayed for fertility. The Greeks also acknowledged the existence of Dionysus as much as they did the existence of Apollo, so everyone who worshipped them dually would also be a follower. This means that Dionysus probably had just as large a following as Apollo, of not more because of the social aspect of life.
The status of Dionysus for religion is that the is the god of fertility, so the dithyrambs that were in honor of Dionysus were also a way of praying for a good harvest or for many children. Like Osiris, he was reborn after dying, and it is believed that these festivals may be linked to ceremonies that took place in Egypt.
Most Greeks worshipped both Apollo and Dionysus. This acceptance of both their existences brings about a balance of the two forces. It is
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