Thunderstruck with Wine: the Hymns of Sannion

The recitation of hymns during festivals, temple rites and domestic cultus is an ancient part of Hellenic and Italian religion. Collections of hymns circulated under the names of some of the greatest poets – Orpheus, Mousaios, Homer, Pindar, Theokritos, Kallimachos, Proklos and the emperor Julian to name just the best known. And now there are the Hymns of Sannion. This corpus of 31 poems honoring the god Dionysos in his multitude of forms is being published as Thunderstruck with Wine so that contemporary polytheists (be they of his own emergent Bacchic Orphic tradition or not) will have another devotional tool at their disposal. These hymns can be read in their entirety in one sitting or spread out with one read each day of the month. These aren’t just poetry filled with lovely imagery and sentiment – they are Keys that open the Labyrinth, letting Dionysos and his mad retinue through into our world. Use them accordingly and carefully.