Semele

Semele (Σεμέλη) was the beautiful daughter of Cadmus, the king of Thebes, and of Harmonia, the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. Semele was also the sister of Autonoë, Agave and Ino. She also had a brother named Polydorus.

Zeus fell in love with the young Theban princess and seduced her. Semele fell pregnant.

Unlike most of the woman Zeus had seduced, Semele was under the god's protection, so Hera, Zeus' jealous wife and consort, could not directly persecute her. So Hera had resort to cunning to be rid of her mortal rival.

Although Semele was aware that her divine lover was none other than Zeus, she was still a young girl and was very naive. Hera appeared in the guise of Beroe, Semele's old nurse from Epidaurus.

Beroe (Hera) told Semele that she did not believe that her lover was Zeus, unless he appeared to her like he appeared to Hera in his real divine form, when the god and goddess make love on Olympus. This would be proof that Zeus was a god, and not a mortal man claiming to be a god.

Semele, unsuspecting of a conspiracy against her, went to Zeus and asked for a boon that she would not name. Zeus granted her a boon by swearing to the most holy oath, by Styx, the river of the Underworld.

Semele asked for Zeus to appear before her as he does to his consort Hera when they embrace. Zeus tried to stop Semele, but it was too late. For the boon would certainly mean death for Semele.

Zeus transformed into pure energy, like lightning and the thunderbolt. The fire of Zeus' divine manifestation burned Semele to ashes. Unable to save Semele, Zeus pulled the unborn baby from Semele's womb, saving the child.

But this unnatural and premature birth was too early, because the baby was not fully formed or ready. So Zeus sewed the baby inside his thigh until the infant was ready to be born.

Semele's infant was a son named Dionysus, which meant that he was born twice. Dionysus would later become the god of wine.

To hide the infant Dionysus from Hera, Zeus hid his son with Ino (Semele's sister) and her husband Athamas, the king of Orchomenus. Later, the god hid Dionysus in a cave with the nymphs of Nysa. They disguised the young Dionysus as a girl, hoping that Hera would not recognise him.

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Dionysus did not escape from Hera's relentless wrath and enmity. Like Heracles, Hera inflicted madness upon Dionysus when he reached manhood. See Dionysus in the Minor Greek Deities page about more on the life and adventure of Dionysus.

Everyone, including her own sisters and nephew (Pentheus), thought the god had punished Semele for falsely claiming her lover was Zeus. So when Dionysus returned to Thebes, Pentheus and Semele's sisters didn't believe that he was a god, and they were punished for not believing. See Pentheus.

When Dionysus finally joined the other gods and goddesses on Olympus, Dionysus went to the Underworld, to fetch his mother. Semele became the goddess Thyone when they arrived on Olympus.