Omophagia
Encyclopedia
Omophagia, or omophagy is the eating of raw flesh. The term is of importance in the context of the cult worship of Dionysus
.
_01.jpg)
Omophagia is a large element of Dionysiac myth; in fact, one of Dionysus' epithets is Omophagos "Raw-Eater". Omophagia may have been a symbol of the triumph of wild nature over civilization, and a symbol of the breaking down of boundaries between nature and civilization. It might also have been symbolic that the worshippers were internalizing Dionysus’ wilder traits and his association with brute nature, in a sort of “communion” with the god.
Mythology sometimes depicts Maenads, Dionysus' female worshippers, eating raw meat as part of their worship; however, there is little solid
evidence that historical Maenads consumed raw meat. This depiction may have its origins in a "preserved . . . memory of ancient tribal savagery."
The Dionysiac diet of raw meat may be more properly attributed to Dionysus himself, rather than his followers—he received sacrifices of raw meat and was believed to consume them, but his followers did not share in the consumption.
.
Zagreus was the child of Zeus
and Persephone
, who was torn apart by the Titans in an act of sparagmos
. After tearing Zagreus apart, the Titans devoured him, except for his heart.
His body was then reassembled; this may be reflected in the story of Pentheus
, whose body parts were gathered together after his mother, aunt and other Maenads tore him apart in a Dionysic frenzy, and the story of Actaeon
, who was eaten by his own hunting dogs. Because the dogs grieved so deeply after Actaeon's death, an image of him was made to comfort them. All three stories show a common motif of reassembly of body parts following sparagmos and omophagia, and this motif may have been significant for religious ritual.
In Orphism, worshippers took part in an Orphic ritual which reenacted the story of Zegreus, using a bull as their victim (poorer worshippers may have used a goat instead). They considered the ritual to be "commemorative" of events in their god's existence. In his article "A New Ritual of the Orphic Mysteries", Michael Tierney says that "... by sacramental re-enactment of the god's death, a hope of salvation for his worshippers was obtained."
Dionysus became associated with Zagreus, and the story of having been torn apart and eaten by the Titans was applied to him as well.
Omophagia was the focus of the Dionysiac mysteries, and a component of Orphic ceremonies. In its beginnings, Orphism was influenced by the Elusinian mysteries, and it adopted stories from other mythologies as its own. The worshippers of Zagreus may have engaged in omophagia as an initiation rite.
’ play The Bacchae
focuses on the worship of Dionysus, including allusions to omophagia, and its companion sparagmos. In this play, the character Agave
tears her son Pentheus
apart while under the influence of Dionysus. In Dionysiac myth, this was known as sparagmos
, and would have been followed by omophagia of the torn animal. Because Euripides depicts Agave as engaging in sparagmos, he likely intended for the audiences to assume she engaged in omophagia as well: additionally, the character Cadmus
compares Agave’s actions to the story of Actaeon
, who was consumed by his own hunting dogs—this association further suggests that omophagia took place.
There is another possible instance of omophagia in The Bacchae. At one point in the play, the maenads go into a nearby town and carry off the children; it is possible that the maenads then consumed them. In art and myth, this incident is linked to omophagia; however, Euripides may not have intended this meaning in The Bacchae.
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
.
Mythology sometimes depicts Maenads, Dionysus' female worshippers, eating raw meat as part of their worship; however, there is little solid
evidence that historical Maenads consumed raw meat. This depiction may have its origins in a "preserved . . . memory of ancient tribal savagery."
The Dionysiac diet of raw meat may be more properly attributed to Dionysus himself, rather than his followers—he received sacrifices of raw meat and was believed to consume them, but his followers did not share in the consumption.
Orphism
The Orphic mysteries originated as a ritual which focused on purification and the afterlife; the mysteries were based on the stories of Dionysus ZagreusZagreus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, the obscure and ancient figure of Zagreus was identified with the god Dionysus and was worshipped by followers of Orphism, whose late Orphic hymns invoke his name....
.
Zagreus was the child of Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
and Persephone
Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone , also called Kore , is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld; she was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld....
, who was torn apart by the Titans in an act of sparagmos
Sparagmos
Sparagmos refers to an ancient Dionysian ritual in which a living animal, or sometimes even a human being, would be sacrificed by being dismembered, by the tearing apart of limbs from the body. Sparagmos was frequently followed by omophagia...
. After tearing Zagreus apart, the Titans devoured him, except for his heart.
His body was then reassembled; this may be reflected in the story of Pentheus
Pentheus
In Greek mythology, Pentheus was a king of Thebes, son of the strongest of the Spartes, Echion, and of Agave, daughter of Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, and the goddess Harmonia....
, whose body parts were gathered together after his mother, aunt and other Maenads tore him apart in a Dionysic frenzy, and the story of Actaeon
Actaeon
Actaeon , in Greek mythology, son of the priestly herdsman Aristaeus and Autonoe in Boeotia, was a famous Theban hero. Like Achilles in a later generation, he was trained by the centaur Chiron....
, who was eaten by his own hunting dogs. Because the dogs grieved so deeply after Actaeon's death, an image of him was made to comfort them. All three stories show a common motif of reassembly of body parts following sparagmos and omophagia, and this motif may have been significant for religious ritual.
In Orphism, worshippers took part in an Orphic ritual which reenacted the story of Zegreus, using a bull as their victim (poorer worshippers may have used a goat instead). They considered the ritual to be "commemorative" of events in their god's existence. In his article "A New Ritual of the Orphic Mysteries", Michael Tierney says that "... by sacramental re-enactment of the god's death, a hope of salvation for his worshippers was obtained."
Dionysus became associated with Zagreus, and the story of having been torn apart and eaten by the Titans was applied to him as well.
Omophagia was the focus of the Dionysiac mysteries, and a component of Orphic ceremonies. In its beginnings, Orphism was influenced by the Elusinian mysteries, and it adopted stories from other mythologies as its own. The worshippers of Zagreus may have engaged in omophagia as an initiation rite.
The Bacchae
EuripidesEuripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
’ play The Bacchae
The Bacchae
The Bacchae is an ancient Greek tragedy by the Athenian playwright Euripides, during his final years in Macedon, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. It premiered posthumously at the Theatre of Dionysus in 405 BC as part of a tetralogy that also included Iphigeneia at Aulis, and which...
focuses on the worship of Dionysus, including allusions to omophagia, and its companion sparagmos. In this play, the character Agave
Agave (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Agave was the daughter of Cadmus, the king and founder of the city of Thebes, Greece, and of the goddess Harmonia. Her sisters were Autonoë, Ino and Semele, and her brother was Polydorus. She married Echion, one of the five Spartoi, and was the mother of Pentheus, a king of...
tears her son Pentheus
Pentheus
In Greek mythology, Pentheus was a king of Thebes, son of the strongest of the Spartes, Echion, and of Agave, daughter of Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, and the goddess Harmonia....
apart while under the influence of Dionysus. In Dionysiac myth, this was known as sparagmos
Sparagmos
Sparagmos refers to an ancient Dionysian ritual in which a living animal, or sometimes even a human being, would be sacrificed by being dismembered, by the tearing apart of limbs from the body. Sparagmos was frequently followed by omophagia...
, and would have been followed by omophagia of the torn animal. Because Euripides depicts Agave as engaging in sparagmos, he likely intended for the audiences to assume she engaged in omophagia as well: additionally, the character Cadmus
Cadmus
Cadmus or Kadmos , in Greek mythology was a Phoenician prince, the son of king Agenor and queen Telephassa of Tyre and the brother of Phoenix, Cilix and Europa. He was originally sent by his royal parents to seek out and escort his sister Europa back to Tyre after she was abducted from the shores...
compares Agave’s actions to the story of Actaeon
Actaeon
Actaeon , in Greek mythology, son of the priestly herdsman Aristaeus and Autonoe in Boeotia, was a famous Theban hero. Like Achilles in a later generation, he was trained by the centaur Chiron....
, who was consumed by his own hunting dogs—this association further suggests that omophagia took place.
There is another possible instance of omophagia in The Bacchae. At one point in the play, the maenads go into a nearby town and carry off the children; it is possible that the maenads then consumed them. In art and myth, this incident is linked to omophagia; however, Euripides may not have intended this meaning in The Bacchae.