Dream Blog: the Trial of Dionysus
The first of (maybe) many posts about my dreams…
Dionysus is the God of the Grape Harvest and Wine. He also is the God of Ritual Festivity, Ecstasy, Insanity, and Fertility…the list goes on. Dionysus, or Bacchus to the Romans, has a very long and complicated history in Greek mythology. I became fascinated with him during my playthrough of Hades, and researched him for a few days to get to know the God a little better.
I had a dream about Him maybe a month or so after this, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since. In my dream, I was a fly on the wall, a third party entity that acted as my subconscious’s eyes while the dream progressed.
We appear in a nightclub. Neon lights and loud music, young people dancing and laughing and drinking…it’s a good time. A woman is behind the bar, but I don’t know her name. She has long black hair and untouched skin, as if she were carved from marble. The patrons that come every week know her well and know she’s the best bartender in Las Vegas. She loves her job, but hates the clientele. After all, college kids are rude and don’t tip.
A gorgeous, tall, sunkissed man walks in confidently. His long, lustrous hair the color of ripe grapes, his eyes vibrant and deep brown. He walks up to the young bartender and asks her, with no hesitation and no nerves, “Bring me the finest nectar you have, if you would please.”
“Nectar?” The bartender chuckles as she makes a cocktail for another guest. “We don’t have that here. I don’t even know what that is.”
The man frowns, forgetting that he is no longer at home. “What about wine?”
“Red or white?”
This night is busy, as usual, and the man does not get to talk to the bartender again. He sits at the counter, sipping his moscato, watching her move with such ease. Her smile was more intoxicating than the wine could ever be. Could she be a goddess, a nymph perhaps?
No, he thinks. He is too far away from home to believe that to be the case.
Last call comes sooner than she expects, and soon it is almost sunrise. She is mopping the floors one last time as she hears a knock on the door. She is alone. Could this be a trap?
The man opens the door with ease, even though it is locked. “Hey, we’re closed!”
“What is your name, please?” He has no tact, but she can sense that he will not hurt her. She tells him, but I cannot hear. The man smiles and nods, introducing himself as “Dionysus Eleutherios, the God of Wine!”
The woman obviously does not believe this, and goes to push him out of the bar. “Get out! I just want to go home!”
“Me too, me too! Please, listen!” He is strong, and does not budge while the woman shoves and shoves his mountain frame. He does not fight her, but lets her try her best. “I’m far from Olympus, and I need help getting back.”
“I don’t know what you’re on, but you need to leave.”
“Please, listen.” The tone has shifted. He has a quiet desperation in his voice that she seems to know well. She gives up and listens. “I’ve been banished until I can right all my wrongs. I can’t do it on my own, however.”
“What does that mean?”
“I believe you have the magic I need to get back home. I just need your help.”
We are now in the past, the woman begrudgingly following the young God through the streets of Lydia, a Greek-Turkish state from long ago. They are dressed in simple robes, to blend in. The city is vibrant, shining in all its golden glory. “We are here for the King,” Dionysus says to our bartender friend, and soon we are on the golden steps of the palace. They let the two in, knowing exactly who the God is in front of them.
“You! Why have you come back?!” King Midas is draped like a wet cloth on his golden throne, a beautiful statue of a young girl by his feet. “Don’t you see what you have done to me? To my daughter?”
“Please, let me help you,” Dionysus begged, kneeling in front of the King. The woman followed suit, unsure of how she would play a role in this situation she had become entwined in. “There is a river…the river Pactolus. Wash away my blessing in that river, and all shall be restored to you.”
“Blessing.” King Midas spat in the God’s direction. “This is but a curse you have laid upon me.”
As the God and the Bartender walked out of the city, the streets that were blinding in the sun became dirt once more, and the golden city was washed away.
It became dark. The entrance to the Underworld was before them, its waters murky and black. “I can’t go in there,” the woman said to Dionysus. “I’ll die.”
Dionysus smiled down at His companion, taking her hands in His. “I shall return soon with my mother, Semele. Please wait for me to return.”
And so she did. The night was long, and she wondered if the sun would ever return to the sky. The marsh they had sought out was narrow and she could see the sea beyond her perch. She traced her hands along the carved stone statues, the multi-headed snake being decapitated underneath her fingers interesting enough to hold her attention for a while. How long would she wait for Dionysus? How would she get back home if she didn’t?
As the sky began to turn purple, then orange, then brilliant and white as the sun rose above the horizon, she saw the violet head of Dionysus and felt a rush of relief. She then saw another person, a woman with grey in her curly brown hair, whose face resembled the God’s ever so slightly, though the Bartender could tell she was human, like her.
“Semele,” she breathed, and the older woman smiled at her kindly.
“Thank you for travelling with my son,” the older woman said, her voice rich with the patience and kindness found in every mother. “Shall we?”
The three traveled to Mount Olympus, arms intertwined, Dionysus happier than ever before. He was going home! With His mother and His companion, forever to live in the Land of the Gods.
Zeus waited for them at the gates, leering down at the three with all of His authority. “Choose one.” That was all He said to His son as He stood, waiting for the choice to be made.
Dionysus looked between Semele and his companion, devastated. Golden tears flowed from his beautiful eyes. “I cannot choose.”
“Then let me,” the Bartender said, softly kissing Dionysus’s tears away. “I will always remember this.”
And then I woke up.
Hello everyone! I’ve been having weird dreams lately, and I figured I’d start writing them down. This one in particular I’ve had on and off for a while, bits and pieces scattered amongst the disorganized office space that is my mind. Once I realized it was all the same dream I was reading over in my notebook, I had to write it all down in order. This was the result!
I hope you all liked the first of probably many more Dream Blogs! They’re not all going to be like this, obviously. I also don’t remember my dreams very often. I still think that there will be a hell of a lot more strange dreams coming my way soon (it’s that time of year for me!), so keep your eyes peeled for the next one!
If you enjoyed this blog post, feel free to follow me on Twitter for blog updates and meme retweets! I also have a Ko-fi that I’m still learning how to use. My tips are open, however! Every tip I receive will go towards self-publishing the novel I am currently working on. Don’t feel obligated to tip, but if you do, thank you so much!
I’ll see you all next week with something different! In the meantime, stay happy and healthy!
