Apollo and Dionysus Dichotomy in Greek Mythology

"5. When Dionysus reached manhood, on the other hand, he wandered the world actively encouraging his cult. He rewarded those who would listen to him and he brought madness and death to those who refuse to accept his divinity, as seen in Euripides' play, Bacchae. It is not surprising that the two gods are seen as nearly opposites of one another in terms of the nature of their cults and the things they represent for the Greek society. In his representations, Apollo is often portrayed with his bow and not only is he far-sighted in the sense of, "shooting darts from a distance," 6 but also in his vision of the future; he knows in advance what evil is lying in wait for a man. In myths, Apollo is well known as the god of prophecy and oracles. People from all over the Greek world and even from outside would seek inquiries of any sort from the god. Apollo's prophetess, the Pythia, receives his divine answers and a priest or a prophet communicates this response to the inquirer. 7 He is also viewed as the god of sailors and even colonization as his oracle is sometimes consulted before a declaration of war, for instance, when Croesus asked for advise whether he should go into war with the Persians. .
             In the divine realm, Apollo fulfills the same role as a court musician or an oral poet, mastering the art of lyre which was invented by his half-brother Hermes and who gave it to him in exchange of "ordaining Hermes to be his herdsman"8and after he appointed him, "the plenipotentiary messenger unto Hades." 9 As the oral poet was the bearer of traditional male aristocratic Greek culture, Apollo the singer became the god of the Greek elite; he projects the image of aristocracy. In addition to his role as god of prophecy and of the musical and poetic skills so valued by the Greek aristocracy, he came to be known as the god of order against barbarism, reason against unreason.