Dionysos - Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life Archetypal Images in Greek

A landmark account of the Dionysos myth as an archetypal expression of indestructible life

No other god of the Greeks is as widely present in the monuments and ritual practices of antiquity as Dionysos. In this book, acclaimed mythologist and historian of religion Carl Kerényi presents an engaging history of the religion of Dionysos from its beginnings in the Minoan culture to its transition to a cosmic and cosmopolitan religion of late antiquity under the Roman Empire. From the wealth of Greek literary, epigraphic, and monumental traditions, Kerényi constructs a vivid picture of Dionysian worship, bringing to life the secret cult scenes of the women’s mysteries both within and beyond Attica, the mystic sacrificial rite at Delphi, and the great public Dionysian festivals at Athens. He shows how tragedy and New Comedy are high spiritual forms of the Dionysian religion and how the Dionysian element itself represents an important chapter in the religious history of Europe.

About the author

Carl Kerényi (1897–1973) was a Hungarian scholar of classical philology and the history of religion. He made significant contributions to the modern study of Greek mythology and collaborated with figures like C. G. Jung in exploring mythological archetypes.

Product details

• Authors: Karl Kerenyi, Karl Kerényi
• Assisted by: Ralph Manheim (Translation)
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 14.04.2026
• EAN: 9780691281797
• ISBN: 978-0-691-28179-7
• No. of pages: 520
• Series: Bollingen Series; Bollingen Recollections
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Miscellaneous; HISTORY / Civilization, Ancient Greece, HISTORY / Ancient / Greece, RELIGION / Ancient, Ancient Greek religion & mythology, Ancient History, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Ancient Greek religion and mythology