B is for Bacchus

Michelangelo's Bacchus

Bacchus, many renaissance artists portrayed as Ariadne's consort, which he was. However it is still important to note that he is actually the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Dionysus. Though one is essentially equivalent to the other it is important to understand that it doesn't mean they are the same. For example The Roman god Bacchus is the god of wine and intoxication, known for his Bacchanalians, where as Dionysus was the Greek god of grape harvest, wine making and wine. In Greek mythology he was  a god of ritual madness and ecstasy, yet was always first and foremost a god of fertility and the protector of all that do not belong to conventional society.  Bacchus is the liberator, his wine, music and dance frees and empowers all those who follow him.

Bacchus Facts:
Son of: Jupiter and Stimula
Consort (husband to): Ariadne
Significant Iconography: Thyrsus which is his staff/wand wrapped in ivy and dripping honey, wine, satyrs, centaurs, sileni and Maenads which were female followers,