\paperw4260 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 \b \cf7 Dionysus and the Tyrrhenian Pirates\par
\b0 After he had imposed his own cult in Thebes, causing the death of his cousin\b \cf4 \ATXht1043 Pentheus\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 ,\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht10 Dionysus\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 \cf7 also made an appearance at sea, even though this was the place "where no grapes are harvested." In order to reach\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht11403 Naxos\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0
, he set sail on a sturdy Tyrrhenian ship but, as soon as he had come aboard, the sailors seized him and attempted to bind him with cords. They thought him to be the son of a king and hoped for a ransom, or otherwise to sell him as a slave in Egypt or on
Cyprus. Dionysus let them do as they wished, amused at the way in which the bonds fell to his feet without impeding his movements. This made the helmsman realize that they were dealing with no ordinary mortal and recognize him as one of the gods of\cf0
\b \cf4 \ATXht11507 Olympus\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 . In fact, sweet and scented wine began to flow over the deck of the ship, and a vine loaded with ripe grapes, ready for harvest, grew over the sail; a sturdy ivy plant wound around the mast and the vessel's o
ars were transformed into slippery snakes, while the air was filled with the sweet music of divine flutes. Dionysus turned into a lion that threatened the sailors with powerful roars, and a shaggy bear appeared among the rowers. The maddened pirates leap
ed into the sea and were changed into dolphins; only the helmsman was saved and enjoyed the benevolence of the god forever.
