Semele
Family: mythological · Role: wife of Zeus · First appears: Book 2 · Chapter 31
At Brasiæ, Semele, wife of Zeus, gave birth to their son Dionysus. Cadmus spirited her and the child away in a chest; she died and was buried, while Dionysus was raised there.
Later accounts say Dionysus descended to Hades to retrieve her, guided by Polymnus, and brought her back. In Stesichorus’s account, Actæon’s marriage to Semele was prevented.
Relationship record
Life events
- Dionysus brought Semele from Hades.(Book 2 · Chapter 31)
- With: Dionysus
- “they say that Semele was brought here from Hades by Dionysus”
- Dionysus descended to Hades to retrieve Semele, guided by Polymnus.(Book 2 · Chapter 37 · 📍 Alcyonian marsh)
- Semele gave birth to Dionysus, fathered by Zeus.(Book 3 · Chapter 24 · 📍 Brasiæ)
- Cadmus spirited Semele and Dionysus away in a chest.(Book 3 · Chapter 24 · 📍 Brasiæ)
- Semele died and was buried, while Dionysus was raised there.(Book 3 · Chapter 24 · 📍 Brasiæ)
- With: Dionysus
- “they say they buried magnificently Semele who was no longer alive, and reared Dionysus.”
- Actæon’s marriage to Semele was prevented in Stesichorus’s account.(Book 9 · Chapter 2)
- With: Actæon
- “that he should not be married to Semele.”
Book 2 · Chapter 31
- married with Zeus “as she was the wife of Zeus”
- with Dionysus (interaction) “they say that Semele was brought here from Hades by Dionysus”
Book 2 · Chapter 37
- with Dionysus (Dionysus descended to Hades to retrieve Semele.) “the Argives say Dionysus descended to Hades to fetch up Semele”
Book 3 · Chapter 24
- child: Dionysus (Semele is identified as Dionysus's mother.) “for they say that Semele bare a son to Zeus, and that she and her son Dionysus were spirited away by Cadmus and put into a chest”
- with Cadmus (Cadmus spirited Semele away and placed her in a chest.) “she and her son Dionysus were spirited away by Cadmus and put into a chest”
Book 9 · Chapter 2
- with Actæon (The passage refers to Actæon not being married to Semele.) “And Stesichorus of Himera has represented the goddess as dressing Actæon in a deerskin, so that his dogs should devour him, that he should not be married to Semele.”
- courtship with Actæon “And Stesichorus of Himera has represented the goddess as dressing Actæon in a deerskin, so that his dogs should devour him, that he should not be married to Semele.”
Book 9 · Chapter 5
- parent: Aphrodite (No direct parentage of Semele is stated; this edge is omitted in favor of the explicit relation to Cadmus.) “his daughters were famous, Semele as the mother of a son by Zeus”
- parent: Cadmus (Cadmus is the antecedent of the possessive 'his'.) “his daughters were famous, Semele as the mother of a son by Zeus”
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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.