Zagreus, in Orphic myth, a divine child who was the son of Zeus (as a snake) and his daughter Persephone. Zeus intended to make Zagreus his heir and bestow on him unlimited power, but Hera out of jealousy urged the Titans to attack the child while she beguiled him with toys. The Titans, who were opposed to Zeus’ power, tore Zagreus to pieces and consumed him except for his heart. Athena managed to save the child’s heart and brought it to Zeus, who swallowed it. Zeus punished the Titans for their crime by blasting them into soot with his thunderbolts. From these remains arose mortals, who were partly wicked and partly divine. Zeus then begot a son in the body of Semele, and this child, made from the heart of Zagreus, was called Dionysus. Zagreus thus came to be identified with Dionysus in Orphic mythology, an outgrowth of the Hellenistic mystery religion based on the teaching and songs of Orpheus.