What did the sailors plan to do to Dionysos?

Many years ago a small elegant sailing boat was making its way slowly under an intense blue Mediterranean sky between the Greek islands of Ikaria and Naxos. The bow, that is, the forward part of the boat, was carved like a fish, or perhaps it was like a dolphin. The sail hung and fluttered in a faint wind and the sailors bent their brown backs over the oars. But all was not as peaceful as it seemed, for these sailors were planning to sell their passenger into slavery. He was obviously wellborn and rich, but what the villainous crew did not realize was that he was Dionysos, the Greek God of Wine and Frenzy.
    When Dionysos realized their treachery he began to confound the sailors with magic: he turned their oars into snakes and filled the ship with vines and the sounds of flutes. The terrified sailors dived into the sea to escape this madness and were transformed into dolphins by Neptune, the God of the Sea.
    Thus, according to Greek legend, dolphins were originally men, and this explains the friendship felt between man and these animals. This legend can be seen depicted on the Dionysos cup which is still intact although it was made 540 years before the birth of Christ. Indeed, dolphins frequently appear in Greek legends and art, being found ’on walls and mosaic floors, on coins and statues.
    Poseidon, for example, was usually shown with dolphins, which often drew his seachariot, and it was he, according to legend, who put the dolphin constellation in the sky where it can be seen in July. He did this out of gratitude to the dolphins for finding him his bride, Amphitrite, who was hiding from him in a sea cave. Later he had further reasons for gratitude to the dolphins since they rescued his son, Taras, from drowning.
    To the Greeks, and to the people of the Mediterranean lands where Greek culture spread, the dolphin became a symbol of swiftness, diligence and love. It became a god of protection for voyagers on sea and land, and also for those voyaging into the afterlife, so that the dead were buried with dolphin tokens in their hands.
    In addition to the legends about dolphin there are a number of stories in Greek writings which are probably at least partially true. These stories, told by many people including Aristotle, are the ones that came into such bad repute in the last century. But their stories of dolphins befriending children whom they allowed to ride on their backs, and of life-saving rescues, and human bodies brought to shore by dolphins have been paralleled so accurately, during this century, that we can no longer write off the Greek stories as merely sentimental fables.
    Let us look at the stories of rescue first. Taras, the son of the sea-god, has already been mentioned, and Telemachos, son of the most famous adventurer of ’all time, Odysseus, is said to have been rescued in the same way, and for that reason Odysseus had a dolphin emblazoned on his shield and ting.
    Arion, a famous poet, musician and singer of his day, who was born on the island of Lesbos in 600 B.C., no doubt knew of these rescues and the legend of Dionysos and the dolphins. Perhaps he merely put them together to make a poem to sing as he accompanied himself on the harp. Certainly his dolphin story bears a striking resemblance to the Dionysos legend, but, who knows, it may be true. Here is the story.
    Arion, after a successful tour of Italy and Sicily, and loaded with money and prizes, took a ship for Corinth. He chose a Corinthian ship rather than an Italian one for he trusted the Corinthians more. But evidently sailors were an untrustworthy lot, for very soon they were plotting to kill him and keep his treasures. Arion begged for his life, but they told him that he must either jump overboard or die by his own sword if he wished for a proper burial ashore. As a last favour, Arion pleaded to be allowed to sing, and, drcssing himself in all his splendid clothes and weighed down in his riches, he stood in the stern and sang them the "Orthian", a high-pitchcd song addressed to the gods, and as he finished he leapt fully clothed in the sea.
    A dolphin, perhaps attracted by the shrill sounds, took Arion on its back and swam with him to Tainaron at the southern most tip of the Greek mainland. From there Arion made his way overland to Corinth to confront and bring to justice the greedy sailors. As a thank-offering he placed a small bronze statue of a man on a dolphin in the temple at Tainaron where it was seen 700 years later by Pausanias, the Grek historian.