Bacchus, in Roman religion and mythology, god of wine; in Greek mythology, Dionysus. Dionysus was also the god of tillage and law giving. He was worshiped at Delphi and at the spring festival, the Great Dionysia. In Rome, the mysteries of his cult were closely guarded, and he was identified with an ancient god of wine, Liber Pater. Many legends connected with Dionysus were also used in the cult of Bacchus.

Greek god of vegetation and fruitfulness, known especially as the god of wine and ecstasy. His Roman equivalent was Bacchus. He was known to the ancient Mycenaens, and he became one of the most important of all the Greek gods. A son of Zeus and (according to the standard tradition) Semele, he was brought up by the maenads, or bacchantes. The first creator of wine, he traveled widely teaching the winemaking art, with a following of satyrs, sileni (see satyr and silenus), and nymphs. Festivities called Dionysia or (among the Romans) Bacchanalia were held in his honour; in their earlier years they were wild, ecstatic occasions, and they have often been the subject of artistic representation. Dionysus originally appeared as a bearded man, but later more often as a slim youth. His principal attribute was the thyrsus, a wand bound with vine leaves. The dithyramb, a choral hymn in his honour, is often seen as the basis of Western drama.

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Bacchus may refer to:

• Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and intoxication, known as Bacchus to Romans
• Saint Bacchus, Christian martyr, companion to Saint Sergius
• 2063 Bacchus, asteroid
• Bacchus (grape), white wine grape is grown in Germany and England
• Bacchus (comics), created by Eddie Campbell
• Bacchus (Marvel Comics), a group of Amazon villains in the Marvel Comics comic book X-Men.
• Bacchus-F, energy drink from South Korea.
• Krewe of Bacchus, an organization that parades during the New Orleans Mardi Gras
• "In Praise of Bacchus", song from the album October Rust by the Type O Negative
• Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, a town in Victoria, Australia
• Bacchus or Eko.Bacchus, also known as Eko.Lsa, a French rapper

Artwork

• Bacchus (Leonardo), painting of John the Baptist
• Bacchus (Michelangelo), marble sculpture depicting Bacchus in an inebriated state
• Bacchus and Ariadne, an oil painting by Titian
• Bacchus (Caravaggio), a painting held in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence
• Young Sick Bacchus, an early self-portrait by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, now in the Galleria Borghese in Rome

Software

• BacchusPOS, point of sale software for wine merchants

See also

• Backus (disambiguation)
• Backhaus (disambiguation)