A note about Charles before we start: the real reason Aphrodite is Charles's second least favourite Olympian is because of a gossip that I am forbidden to say. By the way, it's James here. Now, let's start! Dionysus was a son of Zeus, the King of the Gods and Semele. Because of his mortal mother, his birthplace Thebes refused to acknowledge him as an immortal at first. His wife is Ariadne, the princess of Crete, and some of his children that had became quite famous is Priapus, Phthonus, and Deianira.
Dionysus was a god known for his lightheartness and always offered his help to anyone in need. He was therefore very popular among gods and mortals and many festivals were being held every year in his honor. Nevertheless, Dionysus was many times misunderstood. Dionysus was one of the Olympian gods who actually did not live in Mount Olympus but was constantly travelling around the world together with Satyrs and Maenads in order to discover the secrets of winemaking.
The origin of Dionysus's name remains an unsolved puzzle until today. According to the poet Pindar, it probably derives from the words Zeus, the father of Dionysus, and "Nysa", the mountain on which Dionysus was born and raised. The symbols of Dionysus were the thyrsos (a wooden stick wrapped with ivy leaves and vines), the flute and the wine barrels. His sacred animals were the panther and the tiger. If you want to know more about Dionysus, it is best to know more about wine, since Dionysus is the god of wine, and he would be examining you whenever to drink any!
