Wine gods

Many ancient peoples had a god for wine, often in connection with love, joie de vivre, fertility, ecstasy and exuberant drinking. In ancient myths and religious works, many are depicted with a corresponding symbol, for example a cup of wine, a vine or a bunch of grapes. These gods (or famous rulers equated with the gods) brought wine to people as a divine gift. Wine also plays a central role in all denominations of Christianity (Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant) as part of the Eucharist in slightly different forms.

Weingötter - Bacchus, Dionysos, Osiris, Schiwa

Deities & rulers

Wine (as well as other alcoholic beverages) is therefore a sacred and godly medium in almost all religions of the world, with which a relationship to God (or the gods) is established in a mystical manner and often with excessive consumption. The most famous wine gods are the Roman Bacchus and the Greek Dionysus. The best-known gods and rulers of various peoples who are worshipped as gods in relation to wine are

Bacchus (Rome)
Jemschid (Persia)
Dionysus (Greece)
Hammurabi and Shamash/Šamaš (Babylonia)
Hathor (Egypt)
Hephaestus (Greece)
Osiris (Egypt)
Probus (Rome)
Saturnus (Rome)
Shiva, Man-Sotti-Wrata and Prithu (India)
Siduri Sabitu (Babylonia)
Silvanus (Rome)
Sucellus (Gaul)
Xeisuthros (Chaldea)

Further information

There are numerous patron saints of wine for each country and region. See also a complete list of relevant keywords under religion.

Bacchus: By Caravaggio, Public domain, Link
Dionysus: By Jack1956, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Shiva: By Deepak Gupta, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

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For my many years of work as an editor with a wine and culinary focus, I always like to inform myself about special questions at Wine lexicon. Spontaneous reading and following links often leads to exciting discoveries in the wide world of wine.
Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien

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Wine gods

Deities & rulers

Further information

Voices of our members

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