followersmaenads
Maenads, also known as the Bacchae in Roman usage, are the female followers of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, theater, and ecstasy. In Greek myth and cult they are described as entering ritual frenzies, driven by the god to abandon ordinary self-control and join in ecstatic song, dance, and intoxication. They typically convene in forests or mountains, compose themselves with ivy crowns and animal-skin garments, and bear the thyrsus—a fennel-staff wrapped with ivy and topped with a pinecone.
Their rites often involve possession by Dionysus, granting them heightened strength and ecstatic release; the worship
Maenads appear in vase painting and later literary works as symbols of feminine energy, freedom, and the