Dionysus also punished the Tyrrhenian sea robbers, but not so much because they did not recognize him as a god, but for the evil that they wanted to inflict on him as a mere mortal.
One day young Dionysus stood on the shore of the azure sea. The sea breeze gently played with his dark curls and slightly moved the folds of the purple cloak that fell from the slender shoulders of the young god. A ship appeared in the distance in the sea; he was quickly approaching the shore. When the ship was already close, the sailors - they were Tyrrhenian sea robbers - saw a wonderful young man on the deserted seashore. They quickly landed, went ashore, grabbed Dionysus and took him to the ship. The robbers had no idea that they had captured a god. The robbers rejoiced that such rich booty fell into their hands. They were sure that they would get a lot of gold for such a beautiful young man by selling him into slavery. Arriving on the ship, the robbers wanted to shackle Dionysus in heavy chains, but they fell from the hands and feet of the young god. He sat and looked at the robbers with a calm smile. When the helmsman saw that the chains did not hold on the young man’s hands, he said with fear to his comrades:
- Unhappy ones! What are we doing! Isn't it God we want to bind? Look, even our ship can barely hold it! Isn't it Zeus himself, isn't it the silver-bowed Apollo, or the earth shaker Poseidon? No, he doesn't look like a mortal! This is one of the gods living on bright Olympus. Release him quickly and drop him on the ground. No matter how he summoned violent winds and raised a formidable storm on the sea!
But the captain angrily answered the wise helmsman:
- Despicable! Look, the wind is fair! Our ship will quickly rush along the waves of the boundless sea. We'll take care of the young man later. We will sail to Egypt or Cyprus, or to the distant land of the Hyperboreans and sell it there; Let this young man look for his friends and brothers there. No, the gods sent it to us!
The robbers calmly raised the sails, and the ship went out to the open sea. Suddenly a miracle happened: fragrant wine flowed through the ship, and the whole air was filled with fragrance. The robbers were numb with amazement. But the vines with heavy clusters turned green on the sails; dark green ivy entwined the mast; beautiful fruits appeared everywhere; the rowlocks of the oars were entwined with garlands of flowers. When the robbers saw all this, they began to pray to the wise helmsman to steer quickly to the shore. But it's too late! The young man turned into a lion and stood on the deck with a menacing roar, his eyes flashing furiously. A shaggy bear appeared on the deck of the ship; She bared her mouth terribly. In horror, the robbers rushed to the stern and crowded around the helmsman. With a huge leap, the lion rushed at the captain and tore him to pieces. Having lost hope of salvation, the robbers, one after another, rushed into the sea waves, and Dionysus turned them into dolphins. Dionysus spared the helmsman. He resumed his former appearance and, smiling affably, said to the helmsman:
- Don't be afraid! I fell in love with you. I am Dionysus, the son of the thunderer Zeus and the daughter of Cadmus, Semele!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru