ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Dionysus in comparative mythology

So, imagine you have a group of friends and each friend has a different favorite color. Now, you know that all of them have a favorite color, but they all like something different. That's kind of like how people around the world have different gods and goddesses they like and worship.

One of those gods is named Dionysus. He was a god in ancient Greece and people thought he was in charge of things like wine, parties, and theater. But, here's the cool thing - other people from different parts of the world liked and worshipped gods who were similar to Dionysus.

For example, there was one god in ancient Egypt named Osiris who was thought to be in charge of things like agriculture, fertility, and the afterlife. People around the same time in Rome liked and worshipped a god named Bacchus who, like Dionysus, was in charge of parties, wine, and fun.

Comparative mythology means looking at different cultures and religions and seeing how their gods and goddesses are similar. So, even though Dionysus was a Greek god, people worldwide had similar gods who were their favorites and did similar things. It's kind of like having a favorite color - just because someone likes blue in America, doesn't mean people in France can't like blue, too.