Bacchante # 3 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

The Bacchante are some of the most horrifying characters in the Sandman universe and in Greek mythology.

In Greek mythology they are often seen as crazy or wild and living in the forests. They are capable of tearing animals and sometimes people into pieces with their bare hands, which is apparent by their depiction within Sandman. They are sometimes called Maenads and worship Dionysus. In Roman mythology, The Bacchante are the female followers of Bacchus, the god of wine and intoxication.

In The Sandman universe Orpheus is torn apart by a group of Bacchante after returning from Hades after failing to rescuing his wife from the land of the dead.

This particular Bacchante is one of the first that Orpheus encounters. She is wild and destructive. She can be seen in The Sandman Special # 1 (The Song Of Orpheus), page 43.

I love this portrait from Max. I like that the character is in basic black and white and the surroundings are colorful and vibrant. Max used actual pressed leaves on this portrait. This addition gives the background an awesome texture, which is visually interesting to look at.