Editing Semele (section)

===Impregnation by Zeus===
[[File:Zeus, Semele und Hera. Flämisch, 3. Viertel 17. Jahrhundert (Erasmus Quellinus II oder Jan Erasmus Quellinus).jpg|thumb|right|300px|Zeus, Semele und Hera. 17th century (Erasmus Quellinus II or Jan Erasmus Quellinus)]]
There is a story in the ''Fabulae'' 167 of [[Gaius Julius Hyginus]], or a later author whose work has been attributed to Hyginus. In this, Dionysus (called Liber) is the son of [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] and [[Proserpina]], and was killed by the [[Titan (mythology)|Titan]]s.  Jupiter gave his torn up heart in a drink to Semele, who became pregnant this way.  But in another account, Zeus swallows the heart himself, in order to beget his seed on Semele.  Hera then convinces Semele to ask Zeus to come to her as a god, and on doing so she dies, and Zeus seals the unborn baby up in his thigh.<ref>[http://www.theoi.com/Text/HyginusFabulae4.html#167 ''Fabulae'' 167.1]</ref>
As a result of this Dionysus "was also called Dimetor [of two mothers]&nbsp;... because the two ''Dionysoi'' were born of one father, but of two mothers"<ref>([[Diodorus Siculus]], ''Library of History'' 4. 4. 5, quoted in the  [http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Zagreus.html Theoi.com] collection of Zagreus sources])</ref>

Still another variant of the narrative is found in [[Callimachus]]<ref>Callimachus, Fragments, in the etymol. ζαγρεὺς, ''Zagreos''; see [[Karl Otfried Müller]], John Leitch, ''Introduction to a Scientific System of Mythology'' (1844), p.319, n.5</ref> and the 5th century CE Greek writer [[Nonnus]].<ref>Nonnus, ''Dionysiaca'' 24. 43 ff'' — translation in [http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Zagreus.html Zagreus]</ref> In this version, the first Dionysus is called [[Zagreus]]. Nonnus does not present the conception as virginal; rather, the editor's notes say that Zeus swallowed Zagreus' heart, and visited the mortal woman Semele, whom he seduced and made pregnant. Nonnus classifies Zeus's affair with Semele as one in a set of twelve, the other eleven women on whom he begot children being [[Io (mythology)|Io]], [[Europa (mythology)|Europa]], [[Pluto (mother of Tantalus)|Pluto]], [[Danaë]], Aigina, [[Antiope (mother of Amphion)|Antiope]], [[Leda (mythology)|Leda]], [[Dia (mythology)|Dia]], [[Alcmene]], Laodameia, the mother of [[Sarpedon (Trojan War hero)|Sarpedon]], and [[Olympias]].<ref>[http://www.theoi.com/Text/NonnusDionysiaca7.html Nonnus, ''Dionysiaca'' 7.110–128]</ref>