The threads which link mythology to the island
of Naxos are many. Zeus (the father of the gods),
Semele, Dionysus, Ariadne, Demeter, Persephone, Iphimedeia, Pancratis,
the giants Otus and Ephialtes are but a few of the names that figure
in the action-packed legends surrounding the island. The people of Naxos
worshipped Zeus the Melosios, protector of the flocks, and a temple
was erected by the faithful in his honor on Mount
Zas, which took its name from Zeus. The inscription
"Mountain of Zeus the Melosios" can be seen carved on a rock
there.
The sanctuary of Iria.
According to legend, the father of the gods was born in Crete
but grew up on the island of Naxos, from where he set out to gain his
Olympian throne.
Another epithet ascribed to him is Zeus Eubouleus, protector of the Naxians. Zeus, then, according to this myth, fell in love with Semele, daughter of King Cadmus of Thebes, and from their illicit union sprang Dionysus, god of wine and revelry. Urged on by Hera, Semele asked Zeus to appear before her in all his divine majesty. However, being a mere mortal, Semele was unable to withstand the volley of thunderbolts which accompanied the king of the gods, and she was literally thunderstruck and died before giving birth to her child. Zeus seized the foetus and stitched it up inside his thigh. When the time came for him to be born, Dionysus emerged from his father's thigh on the island of Naxos and was entrusted to some local nymphs, Filia, Coronis and Cleidi to nurture him and bring him up. Dionysus thus grew to love the island which had fostered him and used his divine power to make it a fertile, happy place, bestowing upon it the rich vineyards that produce the island's plentiful supplies of excellent wine.