maenads

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maenads

maenads , in Greek and Roman religion and mythology, female devotees of Dionysus. They roamed mountains and forests, adorned with ivy and skins of animals, waving the thyrsus. When they danced, they often worked themselves into an ecstatic frenzy, during which they were capable of tearing wild animals to pieces with their bare hands. The maenads were also called (for Bacchus) bacchantes or bacchae.

Bibliography: See R. S. Kraemer, Maenads, Martyrs, Matrons, Monastics (1988).

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"maenads." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 6 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Maenad

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Maenad Bacchante. XVI. — L. Mænas, -ad- — Gr. Mainás, -ad-, f. maínesthai rave.

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T. F. HOAD. "Maenad." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 6 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "Maenad." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (July 6, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-Maenad.html

T. F. HOAD. "Maenad." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved July 06, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-Maenad.html

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maenad

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Â© The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable 2006, originally published by Oxford University Press 2006. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

maenad in ancient Greece, a female follower of Bacchus, traditionally associated with divine possession and frenzied rites. Recorded from the late 16th century, the word comes via Latin from Greek Mainas, Mainad-, from mainesthai ‘to rave’.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "maenad." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 6 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "maenad." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (July 6, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-maenad.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "maenad." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Retrieved July 06, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-maenad.html

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