Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele, the goddess of the moon. He was born when the mighty Titans were gods of the ancient world. However, Zeus' relationship was kept a secret from Hera, who was Zeus' official wife. But, Hera had her suspicions that Zeus was having an affair with Semele. So, in a disguise of a nurse, Hera deceived Semele into asking Zeus for a wish. The wish was to reveal his true self to Semele which Zeus granted reluctantly.
The moment Zeus revealed his true self, the room was filled with thunderbolts and one of them killed Semele. However, Zeus was able to save the baby that was in Semele's womb. This baby was Dionysus. The preterm baby was stitched to Zeus' thigh until it was old enough to be born. Although Hera tried on numerous occasions to kill the baby, she was never successful.
When he was born, Dionysus was left with some mountain nymphs where he learned the art of cultivating grapes and wine making.
According to another myth in Greek mythology, Dionysus was born from the union of Zeus and Persephone.
The followers of Dionysus were called Maenads. These were women who used to drink and dance a lot. Soon, Dionysus became quite popular among revelers, and this did not sit too well with Hera, who decided to get rid of him once and for all. However, Dionysus was intelligent and he kept out of Hera's way. He moved to another place. During his journey, he taught people how to make wine and ended up garnering more followers and friends.
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