Vinifera the Maenad

Vinifera the Maenad

• Sunday, February 25, 2018

Vitis Vinifera: The Maenad

I came out of a pinot noir induced fever dream and a wild night in the land of the vine and had this epiphany to sculpt the priestess I saw in that otherworldly party who was singing in a pool of wine on the sandy dry ground as the night fires burned and the dancers twirled madly in skins and wreaths.  I adore the grape.  By itself, it isn't a mind altering herb like the rest in my series so far, but, under the right conditions she becomes something feral, smooth, addictive.  I found myself singing along to her wino song and when I woke up, I got to work.

In Wine, There is Truth.

"Red red wine you make me feel so fine, you keep me rocking all of the time."  Vitis Vinifera, shes is among the eldest,  and is a wild Maenad, a lush and a sacred harlot who dances across countries and continents, giving herself freely.   In a simple form, the grape is just tasty and sweet.  I prefer her in the form of wine, the great libation of the wild gods, of Dionysus, of humanity.  She has a wild temper and a touch of madness, but is good for you in small doses or in her simple form.  Oh she and I are in a perfect open relationship; as a food and as a drink she usually enjoys being shared and passed around between my friends and lovers.  I love her cool temper as a food and her wild nature as a drink, even though she sometimes gives me headaches and robs me of restful sleep... those deeply stained lips and her smooth taste is almost unbearably lush, everyone seems to fall in love with her.  I like that our nations all seem to compete for the best reputation with her... there's something wonderfully global about grape culture.

In her raw state, she's an innocent bite, but give her time in the dark, you'll find she goes from sweet to sauce in a few short months.  In the winter she is ever so sweet. A hedonist who worships only the vine gods will know her scent the second she enters the room, we're all addicts for her company.  She'll never be faithful; just like her older sister Mary Jane, she is polyamorous, pansexual and deliciously opportunistic (though she likes to promise otherwise).  She doesn't have expensive tastes; preferring to revel in the skins of sharp-toothed beasts, wear crowns of ivy and will happily take her offerings in any vessel as long as it doesn't leak.  She is birthed in good soil and will take on the attributes of the world around her like a chameleon, or spy.  When she transforms, she tastes of experience and knowledge and upbringing.  Her color is sapphire blue, her planet is Jupiter, her occupation is prostitute.

In her raw form she is a harmless, tasty and passive lady who decorates the garden with class.  Once she's been brewed... oh she is sloppy and delirious, hedonistic and avoidant, often sleepy, often violent, always crooked. She can make a man braver than a lion before reducing him to a puddle of piss and tears in an ally.   On the vine, she adores to give sweetness.  In the glass, a lifetime of her will wear you down and ruin your body and mind, like all her fermented cousins are prone to do. She craves all of your love and wealth and will happily beautify your garden or ruin your wallet... she is forever hungry for affection and needs feeding.