IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY, "SEMELE" IS THE DAUGHTER OF CADMUS, THE KING OF THEBES AND HARMONIA, THE DAUGHTER OF ARES AND APHRODITE. AS THE STORY GOES, ZEUS SAW SEMELE AND FELL MADLY IN LOVE WITH HER, AND SHE SUBSEQUENTLY BECAME PREGNANT WITH DIONYSUS. WHEN HERA DISCOVERED THE AFFAIR, SHE BECAME INSANELY JEALOUS AND, APPEARING AS AN OLD CRONE, TRICKED SEMELE INTO ASKING ZEUS TO APPEAR TO HER AS HE DID TO HERA. NOW, BOTH HERA AND ZEUS KNEW THIS MEANT SURE DEATH FOR SEMELE, BUT THERE WAS NO WAY ZEUS COULD GET OUT OF IT FOR SEMELE HAD ASKED HIM FOR A 'FAVOR' TO WHICH HE AGREED TO AND SWORE BY THE RIVER STYX; HENCE, HE COULD NOT TAKE HIS PROMISE BACK WITHOUT RETRIBUTION FROM STYX.
SO, ZEUS CAME TO HER ARMED IN HIS THUNDER AND LIGHTNING, AND SEMELE WAS CONSUMED BY HIS FIERY APPEARANCE. HOWEVER, BEFORE SHE DIED, ZEUS RESCUED THE UNBORN DIONYSUS FROM HER ASHES AND SEWED IT IN HIS THIGH GAVE BIRTH TO DIONYSUS HIMSELF. LATER, DIONYSUS WENT DOWN INTO THE UNDERWORLD AND BROUGHT SEMELE BACK, NAMING HER THYONE. HE ASCENDED WITH HER TO MOUNT OLYMPUS WHERE ZEUS MADE HER IMMORTAL. SEMELE BECAME A GODDESS.
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Mars Iovantucarus was a Celtic god who was associated with the Treveran healer-god Lenus Mars at his sanctuary at Trier. The name reflects the deity's function as a protector of youth, and the temple was visited by pilgrims who often brought with them images of children, often depicting as holding pet birds as offerings to the god. At Tholey, also in Treveran territory, 'Iovantucarus' was also used as an epithet of Mercury.
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