Bibliotherapy
Charles François Dupuis-Dionysos Leading The Rising Pleiades

‘Dionysos leading the Pleiades’, drawn by Ducoudray, etched by L. Pauquet and finished with a chisel by P.H. Triere.
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In order to start the week-end in style, here is a sharing from the Blue House of HYGEIA, from Charles François Dupuis’s encyclopedic ‘Origine de tous les Cultes’, 1794 first edition in 12 volumes. H. Agasse, Paris, where the highlighted engravings number XIV and XV are to be found in the adjoined Atlas.
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Notice for Engravings XIV and XV
This antic vase, is as precious by its Greek craftmanship than by the scarcity of the subject it represents. It would be hard to no see Dionysos (under his bull form) leading the Pleiades. The fables of Dionysos were composed at a time when the bull was the first of all zodiacal signs; this is why this divinity took all of their forms. He is shown here in the manner how the women of Elis (an historic region in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece), who were invocating him, would represent Him, according to Plutarch. They would pray to him to ‘Descend from the heavens with the Graces and set his bull hoofs upon Earth.‘ The sun opened the year in the Bull sign; and during this period, the Pleiades rise heliacally; which means that they start to rise at dawn when the rays of the sun start shining: this is why their leader is here the bull-headed god with bull hoofs. This rise of the Pleiades was sung by Hesiod, because it was announcing the harvest.
Original French




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