Acoetes was a figure in Greek mythology. As a young man, Dionysus was exceptionally attractive. Once, while disguised as a mortal on a ship, the sailors attempted to kidnap him for their sexual pleasures. Bacchus mercifully turned them into dolphins but saved the captain, Acoetes, who recognized the god and tried to stop his sailors. As a reward, Acoetes was made priest on Naxos.
Ovid III, 696.
