ONCE UPON A TIME… - The myth of Ampelos

The myth recounts that, when he was still a baby, the god Dionysus saw a vine grow next to his cradle where the Nymphs had put him to sleep. Impressed by the strange fruits, the young god reached out, grabbed a few, put them in his mouth and got intoxicated by their sweet taste. But the Nymphs and the Satyrs also got drunk by the juices of the grapes and, tumbling down the mountain where Dionysus was laying, they danced through many valleys, meadows, lakes and cities. The myth hints first of all at the cheerfulness caused by wine and then at the export of wine to other countries, already from the ancient times.

Another myth tells that Dionysus had in his retinue a handsome young man called Ampelos. One day, Ampelos fell while riding a wild bull, and he was killed. Dionysus then begged Zeus to turn him into a plant, and that's how the vineyards were created, according to the myth.