Hera Vs Juno

Dionysus vs Bacchus 

If you ever happen to mention Dionysus in a conversation, most people will quite quickly think of the Greek god of wine, and generally know who you’re talking about. But on the other hand, if Bacchus is brought up, people tend to be a bit slower in realising who he is. So who is Bacchus? And what has he got to do with Dionysus?

Roles

Dionysus the Greek god, and Bacchus the Roman god, are most widely associated with wine in their pantheons. Dionysus is traditionally known to the Greeks as the god of wine, agriculture and the theatre, as well as the protector of vines and trees. He was also associated with the intoxicating effects of wine. His symbols were the wine cup, the vine, the dolphin and the Thyrus (a staff with pine cones on the top). Bacchus is very similar to Dionysus, but is known for slightly different things.  In Roman mythology, he is the god of agriculture, wine and fertility. His plant symbols are vines and twirling ivy. Like Dionysus, he also carried a pine cone-topped staff. His followers were the same as Dionysus - goat footed Satyrs and Maenads, women who would dance wildly during his festivals.

 Origins 

In both Roman and Greek mythology, Dionysus and Bacchus is the son of the king of the gods (Zeus or Jupiter), and a mortal, Semele. The story is the same in both mythologies – the king of the gods had an affair with Semele, and his wife (Hera/Juno) became jealous. She then proceeded to trick Semele into seeing Zeus/Jupiter in his true form. Gods had to change their appearances when they were interacting with mortals as their true forms would cause them to burn up, so upon seeing him, she started to burn up. Semele had not yet given birth to Dionysus/Bacchus yet so Zeus/Jupiter sewed him into his thigh without Hera/Juno knowing. The time spent in Zeus/Jupiter’s thigh had made him immortal.

Interactions with humans

After Dionysus/Bacchus was born, both mythologies suggest that he spent his childhood wandering around the world teaching humans how to perfect wine and generally having a good time with them. It’s said that Dionysus has had many interactions with people in the time before becoming the twelfth Olympian god. Some of these include falling for a man named Ampellos, having conflicts with a Thracian king named Lycurgus and punishing a woman named Agave for spreading rumours.


Overall,  I think both of the gods are interesting in their own ways, and have stories to tell from both Roman and Greek side of mythology.
Have a great day and thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! :)