The Medieval Crusades: Launched to Spread Worship of Dionysus :: European Europe History

The Medieval Crusades: Launched to Spread Worship of Dionysus Although it is a popular notion that the crusades of the Eleventh through Thirteenth Century Europe were launched to spread Christianity, it is a seldom realized fact that they were actually launched to spread the worship of the Greek God Dionysus. While many fundamentalist radicals and even some historians who ought to know better will dispute this,it is,nevertheless,true. During the Middle Ages in Europe,there were a series of ten religious crusades launched over a period of three centuries.It is commonly believed that these were organized and carried out by Christian religious leaders to unite more territory under the red and white flag of their cherished religion. The fact that accounts of the Crusades were recorded as they are in the history books is due to the overwhelming influence exerted by overzealous religious leaders on historians of the day.It is an unfortunate fact that little remains of the historical representations of what actually happened. While the Church leaders of the day destroyed all written account of who initiated the ten Crusades and what really occurred in the course of these religious conquests,the true story of what happened survives to this day.High in the mountainous terrain of Northern Turkey exists a tribe of dedicated monks who,with their female counterparts,still engage in the rituals of Dionysean worship,just as they have for centuries in their mountaintop isolation. These are the chosen few who engage in the festivals of uncontrolled drinking and the shared group enjoyment of their female members characterizing their worship of this fun-loving God.It is to these few that practice not the self-denial of the Christian Church,but rather the indulgent,free-spirited way of the Dionysean following that the true story of the Crusades is known. While the historical accounts of the participants and the motives behind the Crusades are inaccurate,they do correctly identify the routes taken by the Crusaders.Their objective was to come up through Europe,eventually arriving in Turkey,staging festival after festival along their way,in much the same manner as the original followers of Dionysus did. After that,however,they planned to return through what is now the Soviet Republics,so as to avoid angry festival-goers recovering from the ill effects of excessive alcohol consumption and various social diseases contracted during the festivities.After the tenth Crusade,after numerous military encounters with opposing religious groups occupying various territories,they had arrived in Turkey. There,a tremendous celebration and public orgy was held,as this would be their final destination before returning home. Unfortunately,however,the group lingered too long and was overrun by unruly,hung-over citizens.The Dionysean company's chariots and wagons were burned,and they were forced to flee into the mountains of