thyrsos (θύρσος) : THEER-sos

(Greek: the branch or wand carried by followers of Dionysos).  A wand or staff of giant fennel (Ferula communis) covered with ivy vines and leaves, sometimes wound with taeniae and topped with a pine cone, artichoke. The thyrsus is typically associated with the Greek god Dionysos, and represents a symbol of prosperity, fertility, and hedonism. “A wand wreathed in ivy and vine leaves, with a pine cone at the top, carried by worshippers of Dionysus.” (Howatson and Chilvers, Concise Oxford Companion, 543.)