9-20 Dionysus

As I have ventured into the first chapters of Calasso, I have found the tales of Dionysus very entertaining.  Dionysus has a sexual thirst for powerful women that simply can not be satisfied.  In order to seduce these women, he has discovered that wine is his new best friend.  Using an old frat-boy trick, Dionysus turns the a stream of water into wine; conveniently, Aura drinks from this stream and drinks till she drops.  Dionysus slips in a nooner and evacuates the area before she awakes.  He does not leave her a gift, nor does he promise to call her later.  

     Dionysus decides that he likes this act of rape-trickery and now focuses his attention on the huntress Nikaia.  "He had played the wine trick on her too, raped her in her sleep and deserted her just as he had Aura" (33).  Perhaps Dionysus had to rely on the wine act because he has some severe sexual frustrations, after all, "Dionysus's first love was a boy" (34).  Alcohol and sexual frustration can cause sticky situations, among gods and men.