What is it about?
Heracles and Dionysus are characters in ancient Greek myth who became powerful symbols to early philosophers. Here I consider the significance of the philosopher Damascius' use of these mythic symbols, both for our understanding of Damascius' relation to his philosophical predecessors (such as Plato and Plotinus), and for our understanding of the association between Heracles and Dionysus in early Greek religion.
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Why is it important?
Understanding the different ways in which gods are associated with one another in ancient Greek myth and religion is important for analyzing their ability to serve as symbols in Greek philosophy.
Perspectives
Contributing to this Festschrift for Sarah Iles Johnston was a wonderful experience! Here, her concept of the 'Mythic Network' especially helps us to understand how Greek philosophers used Greek gods as symbols in their writings.
Warren Huard
University of Winnipeg
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Heracles, Dionysus, and Damascius, November 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004741966_011.
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