Nietzsche: Apollonian & Dionysian Explained

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In the Middle Babylonian narrative of Adapa, Ningishzida is depicted as one of the two guardians of Anu's heavenly abode, sharing this role with Dumuzi. This story seems to suggest that upon their death, these two deities reside in the celestial realms instead of the underworld, or that they took turns descending and ascending. It was traditionally believed that the disappearance of both Nighishida and Dumuzi occurred annually between mid-summer and mid-winter.
What is so interesting about this, is a similar duality we see of Dionysus With Apollo. Attic Calanders from classical age of athens depict Apollo & Dionysus as Lord of the Two main Seasons. They believed that after harvest, Apollo would leave and go north to the land of the Hyperboreans and perform his music which caused the winter aurora borealis. During this time, dionysus ruled from the underworld and brought Merry Revelry to the wintertime.
Then during Spring Dionysus death and sacrifice would cause the crops to grow and Apollo would rule from the heavens and his light was a blessing for the entire summer until the next harvest.
Harvard Philologist CArl AP Ruck puts forth that the gods Dionysus and Apollo are actually both 2 spirits of the same "Gods son" character. He points out that they are never depicted in the same myths together, but also since they are both the Prince of Zeus and Mediator between the God and humans, like the dual nature of Mithra, seen as both Cthonic and Solar, and is the Mediator for Ahura Mazda and Zoroaster.
Dionysus is Liberation of the Soul from within (Cthonic)
Apollo is Justice Given down from above (Heavenly)
What we have in Dionysus is a god of Inspiration, Freedom, Equality, Arts, Music, Revelry, Moisture, Metamorphosis, Growth of Vegetation, Wine, Ecstasy, Sex, passion, instinct, emotion, Death, Ressurection, Salvation, Eternal Life. Dionysus is Cthonic, and dark. IN the exact oppoiste sense, Apollo is a god of light, the sky, Order, rationality, Piety, Justice, Heirarchy, composure, sobriety, logic, purity and most of all, Prophecy and unchangeable Fate. But like dionysus, also a god of arts and music, though a different kind. Music with order. Apollo's music, the Paean, is comparable to classical orchestra. Dionysus music, the Dithyramb, is more abstract and poetic singing that goes with dancing and revelry. Apollo's music is like classical orchestra while Dionysus is more like gangster rap music or dubstep.
Apollo is the embodiment of Individual Responsibility. You are given your lot by above. (Heirarchy)
Dionysus is the embodiment of Collective Responsibility. Slaves become free through inspiration. (Equality)
Both gods are sons of Zeus, Dionysus is connected to the underworld and the moisture that grows the crops from below the earth while Apollo is connected to the heavens and the light that comes down. The athenian calanders marked half the year with Apollo, Lord of the Light, the dry, sunny, hottest 6 months and Dionysus was marked as Lord of the Harvest, Cold wet and Dark seasons. Friedrich Nietchses Birth of Tragedy does a great comparison of these gods and the symbiotic relationship of the two, like a Yin & Yang, who's Primordial Unity, between the Dionysian Frenzy & apollonian Order can bring the physiological condition that enables the creation of tragedy. Life itself is tragic.
"In this state one enriches everything out of one's own fullness: whatever one sees, whatever wills is seen swelled, taut, strong, overloaded with strength. A man in this state transforms things until they mirror his power—until they are reflections of his perfection. This having to transform into perfection is—art." - Birth of Tragedy
Nietzsche firmly believes that the creations of Pindar, Aeschylus and Sophocles epitomize the pinnacle of artistic expression and the true embodiment of tragedy. Nietzsche disputes too much Socratic rationalism and, arguing that introducing ethics and reason displaces the essence of tragedy, specifically, the delicate equilibrium between the Dionysian and Apollonian elements. This emphasis on reason was perpetuated by Plato in his dialogues, leading the contemporary world to prioritize reason over the artistic energies inherent in the Apollonian and Dionysian contrasts. Nietzsche also believed that Christianity, which he calls "Platonism for the people" was results of western culture falling to far from the artistic, tragic world of the Satyr, which had beceme the symbol of all that is demonic and evil. The devil, or anti-christ. The Satryr is the horror of the annihilation of the principle of individuality and at the same time someone who delights in its destruction. It is pure liberation and freedom of expression.
We see a similar dichotomy between Osiris and Set. Both sons of Ammon. Set is the god of dryness and desert who rules over the summer and Osiris is the cthonic underworld god of moisture, vegetation and darkness.

#nietzsche #dionysus #apollo