Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today’s video, we’re going to discuss Zagreus, the son of Zeus. He was destined to become the next king of the Cosmos, eventually replacing his father, this evidenced by Zeus seating Zagreus on his throne and arming him with lightning, the most powerful weapon in all of Greek mythology, Zeus having laid low countless foes with the searing destruction of his smoking bolts.
Zagreus is not a prominent figure in mainstream Greek mythology, and his existence is predominantly associated with Orphism, a religious movement that provided an alternative belief system in Ancient Greece. While some aspects of Zagreus' story occasionally overlap with traditional Greek myths, his importance is almost entirely exclusive to Orphic beliefs and texts.
First, we’re going to get into what Orphism is: when it started, why Orpheus is the primary prophet, and what the core beliefs are. Second, we’re going to explore the story of Zagreus: his birth, the lofty aspirations his father had for him, and his horrific death. And finally, we’re going to wrap the video up with the birth of Dionysus, the God Zagreus became after his heart was saved and used to impregnate a mortal woman.
Alright, let’s get into it.
Orphism is a religious movement and belief system that emerged in ancient Greece around the sixth century BC, offering its followers hope for salvation and the prospect of an afterlife that was more paradisiacal than the gloom of Hades’ realm. It is named after the mythical musician and poet Orpheus, who was said to have ventured into the underworld and returned to the mortal plane, thus piercing the veil and coming back changed, now endowed with profound knowledge about the spiritual essence of humans and the path to salvation. The Orphic teachings, which are preserved in fragments and referenced by ancient authors such as Plato, provide a unique perspective on the nature of the human soul and its relationship with the divine, emphasizing the need for inner transformation and purification in order to achieve spiritual liberation.
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