Semele was the mother of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry. She was a mortal princess who was the daughter of King Cadmus of Thebes and the goddess Harmonia. Semele was tricked by Zeus, the king of the gods, into asking him to appear in his true form, which resulted in her death. However, Zeus saved their unborn son, Dionysus, by sewing him into his thigh until he was ready to be born.