This small exhibit has demonstrated that there are most certainly parallels between aspects of Hinduism and ancient Greek religion, specifically between the cults of Shiva and Dionysus. The gods share many symbols, including a bull cult, leopard skin attire, ecstatic dancing, and Mount Nysa. Mount Nysa of India was mentioned fairly late in the Greek tradition, appearing only in the Hellenistic period when Alexander the Great was said to have discovered it. Nonetheless, the mountain itself is consistent throughout Dionysiac myths. As de Jáuregui points out, the location of the mountain is always away from Greece and by not being tied to a particular Greek location, Dionysus becomes panhellenic and universally appealing1. The many foreign locations of Mount Nysa also serve to identify Dionysus as foreign and lend credence to Daniélou’s notion that the worship of the deities in these places were all of one being.
Which is Dionysus to the Greeks and Krisna to the Hindu but the most ancient form of Shiva to the Southern Indians. The Vel is the name of the spear Muruga the most ancient form of Shiva carries. The Vel is the symbol of Shiva. The god of the Yezidi’s whom the Yezidi’s call Satan but also Shiva and this God is shown as Muruga in their culture.
![Shiva And Dionysus Pdf To Excel Shiva And Dionysus Pdf To Excel](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125864800/317853591.jpg)
As seen with the Linear B tablets, language is also an aspect which has commonality between the two cultures and can be used to draw further parallels. The study of etymology could lead to a greater understanding of both the ancient and modern religions and establish a greater link between them. Daniélou’s comparison of Dionysus and Shiva as a whole is commendable and his examination of the Sanskrit word bhakt and its relation to the Greek Bacchantes allows for symbolic similarities to be strengthened by etymology2.
Whether or not Dionysius and Shiva are the same deity, it is more imperative to see the parallels and understand that a living example in Shaivism exists in the modern world and can be accessed as a means to further study ancient Greek culture. As the Shaivite tradition shares so many common traits with Dionysiac worship, it would be prudent to examine at least this aspect of Hinduism when trying to determine the impact such a religion might have on a people. One aspect of both cultures that perhaps warrants further investigation is that of a matriarchal religion. Ariadne, the consort of Dionysus, and Parvati, that of Shiva, are both associated with a Great Mother Goddess and goddess worship still abounds in Hinduism. Another facet of the sexuality that is common to the two cults is that of transvestism, which is still part of the Hindu culture in India.
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An ancient polytheistic religion and culture cannot be equated to a modern Western monotheistic religion or culture. The values and worldviews of the cultures are too different. The very nature of polytheism allows for differences in a shared culture to thrive as individuals have the opportunity to embrace mythic traditions which fit with their locale and outlook while still maintaining ties to a larger tradition. Therefore, the study of ancient Greek culture can only be enhanced when examined through the lens of modern-day polytheism.
- Miguel Herrero de Jáuregui,“Dionysos in the Homeric Hymns: the Olympian Portrait of the God” in Masks of Dionysus, eds. Thomas H. Carpenter and Christopher A. Faraone (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1993), 241-244.
- Alain Daniélou, Shiva and Dionysus, trans. K.F. Hurry (London: East-West Publications Ltd, 1979), 101-104.