At the same time, Dionysus is the god of an emotional exuberance that gives the sense of mental powers being set in motion and the dissolution of one’s everyday identity. In depictions, he is shown living amidst nature in its most vivid form—in the mountains, in the forests, and alongside wild animals. He embodies the changing seasons of nature in his very being.
What God truly symbolises is the relationship between humanity and nature, and it is a magical power that grants humanity access to the mysteries of nature.
The cult of Dionysus continued in Hellenistic Greece, albeit with various differences. In Rome, however, Dionysus took the name Bacchus, and the Bacchanalia festivals were held in honour of the god. Dionysus was identified with the Roman god of the fields, Liber Pater, and the cult of the god began to spread after the 2nd century BC.
Among the symbols of the god known as Bacchus, who was identified with Liber Pater in Rome, are the cista mystica—a chest containing mystical objects used in the cult—and the thyrsos (ϑυρσός); a two-handled wine vessel kantharos (κανϑάρος); the nartheks (νάρϑηξ) in which Prometheus brought fire to mankind; the phallus (φαλλός), symbolising fertility; the serpent, representing rebirth and wisdom; and the cradle of the infant Dionysus.
