Ιακχος
The god who guided the initiated in the mysteries of Eleusis. 'Iacche' was the ritual cry uttered by the faithful; this cry simply became a name which was given to a god. Traditions vary as to his actual personality, but very broadly, Iacchus, whose name recalls Bacchus, one of Dionysus' names, may be considered to be the go-between of the goddesses of Eleusis and Dionysus. Sometimes he is said to have been DEMETER's son, who accompanied his mother when she was looking for Persephone. It was he who, by his laughter at the action of the god BAUBO, was said to have cheered her up.
But Iacchus was more often regarded as the son of Persephone than of Demeter, in which case he was the reborn ZAGREUS, Persephone's son by Zeus. Hera was jealous of her husband's affairs and, becuase she could not take revenge herself on him, she incited the Titans to attack young Zagreus while he was playing. Zagreus tried to hide by transforming himself into several different indentities, but when he turned himself into a bull his pursuers finally caught him and tore him to pieces. They put his remains into a cauldron and started to cook him. Zeus hurried to help his son but was too late. He killed the criminal Titans with a flash of lightning and ordered Apollo to gather together the scattered pieces of his son. Athena brought him his heart which was still beating. He consumed it and restored Zagreus to life and called him Iacchus.
Some stories made Iacchus Demeter's husband, others the son of Dionysus, born in Phrygia by the Nymph AURA. She in fact had twins by the god, but in her madness she ate one. The other baby, Iacchus, was saved by another Nymph who was loved by the god. She entrusted the baby to the Bacchantes of Eleusis who brought him up. Athena is said to have breast-fed him. Aura in the meantime threw herself into the river Sangarius which turned into a fountain.
Sometimes Iacchus and Bacchus were said to be the same person but there is no explanation for their dual nature. Iacchus is depicted in art as a child scarcely adolescent carrying a torch and dancing, and leading the procession of Eleusis.
{E2 DICTIONARY OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY}