Unlike other immortal gods, who were little use to human beings, and were always marvelous, Demeter and Dionysus, known as gods of harvest, were undoubtedly humankind’s best friends; however, both of them also shouldered a tragic destiny. Unveiled their miraculous appearance, we could see that the two great gods of Earth were not only gods of reaping but also of suffering. Whenever winter came, the low temperature and the frost would wither the crops and grapes, left only shriveled braches. Suffered more than this, Dionysus would die in a terrible way with the coming of the cold: he was torn into pieces, but was always brought back to life; he died and rose again. On the other hand, Demeter would not die, but she also suffered from the painful separateness of her beloved daughter Persephone.
It was well-known that both of the two divinities had another personality. Demeter’s anger was a horrible weapon. Mentioned in the book THE CLASSIC BESTSELLER MYTHOLOGY, Demeter could let nothing grow on Earth and turned it into a barren, leafless land. As men always called her the “Good Goddess”, she also featured a kind appearance. But among all her personalities, the idea of sorrow was foremost. But then, Dionysus, like wine was good as well as bad, also had two personal identities. He was man’s benefactor and was man’s destroyer. His wine was life-giving, and could heal several illnesses, but it was also fatal whenever you drink too much. Bringing all the good and bad things to humankind, Dionysus also was the tragic god as I mentioned above. He was also the embodiment of the life that is stronger than death, for he would rise every time he died. He was the assurance that death does not end all.
Holding good and bad, reaping and suffering features, the two great gods of Earth—Demeter and Dionysus were not only mankind’s best friends but also a tragic fate sufferer.
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