Worshipping the Wine-god

Attic krater (Ure Museum inv. no. 42.9.1)

Girls and women called maenads, literally meaning ‘mad women’, might dance together also in the worship of Dionysos, as shown on the outside of this krater, a mixing bowl for wine and water. These worshippers of Dionysos danced in a frenzy to reach the ecstatic state that reflected their enthusiasm for the god’s spirit. The term maenad blurs the boundaries between reality and myth. While some performed rites, including dance, as worshippers, extraordinary deeds of maenads became the stuff of myth.

To see more on this krater see http://uremuseum.org/cgi-bin/ure/uredb.cgi?rec=42.9.1