Stories of Old Greece and RomeBaker, Emilie K. (Emilie Kip)
General
Stories of Old Greece and Rome
Baker, Emilie K. (Emilie Kip)
Mythology, Greek -- Juvenile literature; Mythology, Roman -- Juvenile literature
Having rescued his son from the burning palace, Jupiter first intrusted
him to his aunt Ino, who cared for him as tenderly as if he were her
own child. But the jealous hatred of Juno was not satisfied with the
death of Semele, and she tried to extend her vengeance to Bacchus by
sending the fury Tisiphone to goad Athamas, the husband of Ino, into
madness. As king of Thebes, Athamas had always been a kind ruler, but
when the frenzy, inspired by cruel Juno, took possession of him, he
imagined that his wife and children were wild beasts, and attempted to
kill them. He did succeed in slaying Learchus, but Ino and her other
son, Melicertes, escaped from his murderous fury, and afterwards became
deities of the ocean.[56]
[Illustration: Faun]
Not daring to leave the infant Bacchus in such a household, and fearing
the further persecutions of Juno, Jupiter took the boy to Mount Nysa,
where the nymphs--the Nysiades--guarded him faithfully. During his
youth, Bacchus was made god of wine and revels, and was intrusted to
the tutorship of Silenus, one of the most famous of the satyrs. This
jovial old man had a bald head, pointed ears, a fat red face, and a
body that was half man and half goat. As he carried a wine bag with him
wherever he went, he was generally tipsy, and would have broken his
neck long before reaching old age if he had tried to walk unsupported;
but some of Bacchus's chosen band of followers always held him up on
either side; or, when they themselves were unsteady, set him on an
ass's back. Thus protected, he roamed about with Bacchus, and taught
him all the craft of wine-growing and the making of choicest wine. The
young god soon became a master of revels, and had a large train of
followers composed of men and women, nymphs, fauns, and satyrs. They
were usually crowned with ivy leaves, and were always drinking wine,
eating grapes, singing, and dancing. The most unruly among them
were the Bacchantes, who, though women, were often so crazed with wine
and the excitement of their dancing that they committed such inhuman
crimes as tearing the musician Orpheus to pieces.[57] Wherever Bacchus
traveled--and it was far and wide--he taught the people the art of
cultivating grapes and making wine. He was always welcomed, and when
they knew he was approaching, men, women, and children flocked to meet
him and his merry company.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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