mythology , a thyrsus or thyrsos  was a staff of  giant fennel  (Ferula communis) covered with  ivy  vines and leaves, sometimes wound with  taeniae  and always topped with a  pine   cone . These staffs were carried by  Dionysus  and his followers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyrsus      Dionysus - the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and