3 Pagan Gods of Beer & Wine to Drink With

Dionysus

He is the Greek god of the grape-harvest, wine, fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre.  Wine played an important role in Greek culture, and the worship of Dionysus was the main religious focus surrounding its consumption. Wine was seen as not only a gift of the god, but a symbolic incarnation of him on earth. 

Dionysus was believed to have been born from the union of Zeus and Persephone, and to have represented a chthonic or underworld aspect of Zeus. However, it gets a little weird as many believed that he had been born twice, having been killed and reborn as the son of Zeus and the mortal Semele.

Dionysus is not really a god of drunkenness, as he was often stereotyped in the post-Classical era.  The religion of Dionysus centered on the appropriate consumption of wine, which could ease suffering and bring joy, as well as inspire a type of divine madness which was distinct from drunkenness.

Ninkasi

Ninkasi is a goddess of beer from ancient Sumeria. Her father was the King of Uruk and her mother was the high priestess of the temple of Inanna, a goddess of procreation.  There is a famous hymn to Ninkasi from 1800 BCE which both praises her and offers an ancient recipe for brewing. This hymn was most likely sung while the ancient Sumerians brewed their beer and was passed down by master brewers to their apprentices. 

Ninkasi was considered to be both the brewer of beer and the beer itself.  Her spirit and essence was believed to be infused into the beer produced under her guidance.  The priestesses of Ninkasi were also the brewers in the society. Most ancient depictions of brewers clearly show them as women in both Mesopotamia and Egypt although, once brewing became a commercial enterprise, males were shown supervising the female brewers.

Sucellus 

Sucellus is originally a Gualic deity who was eventually incorporated into the Roman Pantheon. He is usually portrayed as a middle-aged bearded man, with a long-handled hammer which may actually be a beer barrel suspended from a pole.  He usually also carries a urn or cooking vessel to store food or wine. 

Sucellus is a humble god and is above all a god of peasants.  He protects the areas that lie at the margins of society—woods and wild places—but also fields and vineyards.  Evidence of his worship is particularly common in an old Gallic region which in modern day is the region of Burgundy, France.  So next time you pick up a nice bottle of burgundy from the liquor store, give thanks to Sucellus for taking care of the vineyards all these years. 

There are so many different Pagan Gods and Goddesses associated with beer & wine.  Which one is your favorite? Share below in the comments!