The Origins of Wine
(And Drunkenness)
What are the origins of wine and drunkenness? Why does alcohol give these effects?
A thorough study of history and the Gods of antiquity will show many a pantheon of deities and their inherent earthly representations - the most popular of which being the Greek Gods. These gods have tales often centered around an animal or plant, and that object or animal becomes representative of their character. Dionysus, or also known as the latin Bacchus, was the most popular of the gods (even above Zeus) for his gift of wine to the mortals. He was the first to take the grape from the vine and through his own process, fermented the grapes into juice and finally into wine. The effects of his own creation were not small on himself; Dionysus and his haughty, licentious, and merry attitude became amplified. And in his time on mortal soil, he met those who worshipped his godliness and being very pleased and being revered, he passed down his gift to man.
At first, wine and other alcohol gave the same effects that it gave Dionysus - revelry and a good time. What wasn't known was that his soul, the God's very essence was in every drop of alcohol, thus giving people his properties. And it went on like that for a while with mortals praising the God for the gift he bestowed to man kind. By drinking wine, mortals were able to be GODLIKE, even just for a moment and that was more than all these women and men could ask for. But Dionysus wanted to be worshipped all the more. All these parties being thrown for him made him pleased, and wanting to gift man kind further more, he made his wine stronger and its properties more potent. To those that worshipped him the most and were most noble, their soul as well became infused into the wine.
