Śniadanie z Mistrzem 2020 - 2026 · Szkoła z Charakterem

Włodzimierz Lengauer 10.02.2026

·19 min·1 clip

Professor Włodzimierz Lengauer explains why Walter Otto's book 'Dionysos, Myth and Cult' is so important to him.

The episode begins with the host welcoming Professor Włodzimierz Lengauer and asking about his introductory words for Walter Otto's book 'Dionysos, Myth and Cult'. Lengauer describes Otto as an extraordinary figure significant beyond just Greek religion studies. He notes Otto is relatively well-known in Poland due to translations like 'The Gods of Greece'. Lengauer mentions influencing a now-deceased philosopher of art to engage with Otto's work. He states Otto is highly important in Germany for the overall development of humanities, not just classical studies. Lengauer explains Otto had a philosophical and theological formation more than a philological one. Otto aimed to understand the idea of God, specifically for the Greeks. Lengauer reveals Otto considered himself a polytheist, referencing Goethe's similar stance. He directly states Otto was a decided opponent of Christianity, believing it destroyed ancient culture and 'the spirit of antiquity'. Otto felt Christianity obscured what is most valuable in humans: the feeling of the divine. Lengauer highlights the first chapter of 'Dionysos' as crucial for understanding myth in general. He contrasts Otto's view with the prevailing evolutionary approach in Greek religion history, exemplified by Walter Burkert's work. That approach sees religion developing from primitive magic to personalized gods. Otto strongly opposed both evolutionism and historicism. He believed Greek theological thought begins with Homer and that Greeks did not simply imagine gods as stronger humans. The first human experience, according to Otto, is the feeling of 'das Göttliche' (the divine/boskie). Humans feel this because it is inherent in the world. Otto saw this divine in Homer's gods and as a way of perceiving the world, influenced by Nietzsche and Heidegger, using the concept of 'das Sein' (being). This explains Homeric anthropomorphism not as primitive but as humans perceiving divine forces within themselves as part of being. Lengauer then turns to Dionysus, arguing he is the most important figure in Greek mythology, often underappreciated in popular handbooks. Dionysus was prophesied to be the future ruler of the world, succeeding a line from Uranus to Cronus to Zeus. This makes the myth of Dionysus extremely significant. The myth is multi-threaded and complex, with Dionysus appearing in various forms, leading even Cicero to distinguish five different Dionysuses. The cult of Dionysus was also complex, featuring orgiastic forms (orgia meaning sacred rites) involving 'mania' (frenzy), but also the idea that Dionysus determines the future world order (cosmos). Lengauer notes Plutarch's view that Dionysus is not just the god of wine but of all nature and life. This theme is developed in Otto's book and later by Karl Kerényi, who saw Dionysus as the god of indestructible life (zoē). Lengauer concludes by summarizing his two reasons for writing the introduction: fascination with Otto and fascination with the figure of Dionysus.

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