Many gods were essentially defined by their totems; Hermes his sandles, Ero's bow, Aesculapius's staff... Dionysus's totem was 'a pinecone on a stick'. Not a magical staff of power... a literal pinecone on a stick.
Madness string 99414
How did I survive? With a piece of nothing that held back the nothing. Nothing can stop nothing, you know, and so I carried nothing in my hand to protect me.