Bacchus: The God of Wine, Chaos, and Absolutely No Self-Control
Another exclusive from the Immortal Gazette—where the party never stops, and neither does the truth.
Alice flicked a grape into the air and caught it in her mouth. “So, Bacchus,” she said, lounging on a velvet chaise in 4EverMore’s grand feast hall. “The god of wine, revelry, and madness. Not exactly the most threatening domain.”
Loki swirled a goblet of deep red wine in his hand, amused. “Depends on how much wine is involved.”
Rumplestiltskin, scowling as always, leaned on his cane. “God of drinking and chaos. Just what we need—another one of you.” He pointed at Loki and Alice.
Alice smirked. “Oh please, we have self-restraint. Bacchus? That guy threw entire civilizations into chaos just for fun.” She waved dramatically. “And people just call him the ‘party god.’”
Loki chuckled. “Mortals love to downplay danger when it comes in the form of a good time.”
Alice leaned forward, eyes gleaming. “Well, let’s fix that.”
Fact #1: Bacchus Wasn’t Just About Wine—He Was About Losing Control
Rumple crossed his arms. “So, what, he threw a few wild feasts? Hardly villainous.”
Alice clicked her tongue. “You wish it was just about feasts.” She grabbed a goblet of her own and tilted it slightly. “See, Bacchus didn’t just encourage drinking—he encouraged the destruction of inhibition. You didn’t just get drunk; you became someone else entirely.”
Loki raised an eyebrow. “Like possession?”
Alice nodded. “Exactly. His followers—the Bacchantes—weren’t just happy revelers. They were fanatics. They believed Bacchus didn’t just bless them with drunken joy—he took over their minds.”
Rumple frowned. “So what, they lost control?”
Alice grinned darkly. “Oh, they lost more than that.”
Fact #2: The Bacchantes Could—and Did—Rip People Apart
Rumple sipped his wine, unimpressed. “I still don’t see how this makes Bacchus more than a glorified bartender.”
Alice rolled her eyes. “Fine. Let’s talk about what happens when Bacchus really takes over.” She sat up and spread her hands. “Ever heard of Orpheus?”
Loki smirked. “Ah. That tale.”
Rumple narrowed his eyes. “You mean the musician?”
Alice nodded. “Orpheus, mourning his lost love, made the mistake of playing his tragically beautiful music near a Bacchic festival. The Bacchantes—drunk out of their minds, possessed by divine ecstasy—didn’t appreciate his sobering melody.”
Rumple’s scowl deepened. “What did they do?”
Alice popped another grape into her mouth. “Tore him limb from limb.”
Rumple nearly choked on his drink. “Excuse me?!”
Loki chuckled. “You heard her. The Bacchantes weren’t just partygoers—they were frenzied, uncontrollable, and deadly.”
Alice nodded. “Bacchus didn’t just encourage fun. He encouraged a state of being where rules, morality, and reason ceased to exist.” She tapped her temple. “Madness wasn’t a side effect of his power—it was his power.”
Rumple grimaced. “Wonderful. A god of brain-melting lunacy.”
Alice grinned. “Exactly.”
Fact #3: Bacchus Was Also a God of… Liberation?
Loki smirked. “But let’s not completely demonize the man. There’s a reason people worshiped him.”
Alice sighed. “Fine. He was the god of freedom.” She gestured around. “And let’s be honest—sometimes, people need that.”
Rumple scoffed. “Need what? Insanity?”
Alice shrugged. “Sometimes. Mortals—heck, even immortals—spend their whole lives trapped. By rules. By expectations. By their own minds.” She tapped her temple again. “Bacchus? He broke those chains.”
Loki nodded. “His festivals weren’t just an excuse to drink—it was about letting go. Losing the weight of reality for just a little while.”
Alice sipped her wine. “That’s why both the highborn and the lowborn worshiped him. Kings and beggars, all in the same drunken revelry.” She twirled a finger in the air. “For one night, the world wasn’t a miserable, structured, suffocating mess.”
Rumple grumbled. “And in the morning, they woke up to broken lives.”
Alice smirked. “Ah, and there’s the catch. Bacchus offered freedom—but not consequences.”
Loki raised his goblet. “A dangerous gift.”
Alice clinked hers against his. “The most dangerous.”
So, What’s the Verdict?
Rumple sighed. “So, Bacchus wasn’t just some drunk god throwing feasts.”
Alice grinned. “Nope. He was the liberator of the mind—but also the god of madness. He gave people freedom, but at a price.”
Loki chuckled. “The price of losing yourself.”
Alice stretched, satisfied. “Mortals always think they want total freedom. No rules. No restrictions. Just endless indulgence.” She smirked. “But give them too much of it, and they realize…”
Rumple raised an eyebrow. “Realize what?”
Alice’s grin widened. “That sometimes, order isn’t a prison. It’s a mercy.”
Silence. Then Loki took another slow sip of wine.
“…Well,” he mused, “I suddenly feel much more sober.”
Alice laughed. “Give it five minutes.”
🖋️✨📜🖤
