Baki

Baki, appearing in Lydian texts as Baki- or Pakiš, is the indigenous Lydian god of wine and ecstatic frenzy, cognate with the Greek Bakkhos (Dionysos). His name survives in a priestly title, in theophoric personal names such as Pakiwas that imply he was regarded favourably, and in the calendar month Pakillλ, which fell in the part of autumn when the grapes were gathered. Ancient Greek tradition, which prized Lydia as a wine country, connected Dionysos closely with the region, reflecting the shared Aegean–Anatolian roots of the two figures.

Domains

• wine and viticulture
• ecstasy and frenzy

Powers

• to ripen the grape and grant wine
• to inspire ecstatic frenzy

Sources

• Baki (Pakiš) is the native Lydian god of wine and ecstatic frenzy, cognate and identified with Greek Bakkhos/Dionysos, whose cult left traces in theophoric names and the calendar month Pakillλ.: Gusmani, Roberto, Lydisches Wörterbuch: mit grammatischer Skizze und Inschriftensammlung, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, 1964, 74–75. (secondary); Greenewalt, Crawford H., Jr., 'The Gods of Lydia,' in N. D. Cahill (ed.), The Lydians and Their World, Istanbul: Yapı Kredi, 2010. (secondary)