Greek vase paintings frequently depicted mythical creatures ... They were associated with gods such as Apollo and Dionysus and often appeared in scenes related to the heroic exploits of Heracles ...

(2000) Not the Classical Ideal – Athens and the Construction of the Other in Greek Art, Brill. Henrichs, A. (1987) “Myth Visualized: Dionysus and his Circle in Sixth-Century Attic Vase ...