A thyrsus /ˈθɜːrsəs/ or thyrsos /ˈθɜːrˌsɒs/ was a wand or staff of giant fennel covered with ivy vines and leaves, sometimes wound with taeniae and topped with a pine cone, artichoke, or by a bunch of vine-leaves and grapes or ivy-leaves and berries, carried during Hellenic festivals and religious ceremonies. Wikipedia