Zagreus was the "first-born Dionysos," a god of the Orphic Mysteries. He was a son of Zeus and Persephone, who the god seduced in the guise of a serpent. However, in the earliest mention of Zagreus, he is paired with Gaia (Earth) and called the “highest” god [of the underworld?] and Aeschylus links Zagreus with Hades, possibly as Hades' son, or Hades himself. Noting “Hades’ identity as Zeus’ katachthonios alter ego”, Gantz thinks it “likely” that Zagreus, originally, perhaps the son of Hades and Persephone, later merged with the Orphic Dionysus, the son of Zeus and Persephone.
The early mentions of Zagreus occur only in fragments from lost works. The earliest is in a single quoted line from the (6th century BC?) epic Alcmeonis:
- “Mistress Earth [Gaia], and Zagreus highest of all the gods.”
Perhaps here meaning the highest god of the underworld.
And apparently for Aeschylus, Zagreus was, in fact, an underworld god. In a fragment from one of Aeschylus’ lost Sysiphus plays (c. 5th century BC), Zagreus seems to be the son of Hades, while in Aeschylus’ Egyptians (Aigyptioi), Zagreus was apparently identified with Hades himself. A fragment from Euripides’ lost play Cretan Men (Kretes) has the chorus describe themselves as initiates of Idaean Zeus and celebrants of “night-ranging Zagreus, performing his feasts of raw flesh”.
Mythology
Early Life
In the Orphic myths, Demeter, mother of Persephone, worried about her daughter after many gods tried to court her, so she went to the house of Astraios, the god of astrology. Astraios told Demeter to guard her daughter against a robber-bridegroom and before marriage a false and secret bedfellow will come unforeseen, a half monster and cunning mind. Demeter hid her gorgeous young daughter, in a cave deep under ground and two dragons were placed to gard the cave. Zeus was bewitched by Persephone beauty and somehow found out the cave where Demeter had hid her. Zeus transformed himself into a serpent, lulled the two dragons into sleep, who were guarding the cave, and managed to get inside the cave. Where the maiden goddess Persephone, was seduced by Zeus in the form of a serpent. The result of their union was Zagreus.
Zeus had intended Zagreus to be his heir and bestow him on him unlimited power, after he saw Zagreus playing with his lightning bolts upon the throne of heaven, but Hera out of jealously urged the Titans to attack the child. The Titans, who were opposed to Zeus' power, sneaked into Olympos, took the child to the woods and beguiled him with toys, then dismembered him and consumed the child except for his heart. Zeus recovered the child's heart and making it into a potion, fed it to one of his many lovers: Semele. From the drink she conceived the younger Dionysos, as a reincarnation of the first.
In another tale, the genitals of Zagreus were recovered by the Kabeiroi gods of Samothrake. They deposited them in a sacred cave on the isle and instituted the Samothrakian Mysteries in his honour.
Parents
Persephone (mother) & Hades (Father), and in some cases Zeus (Father)