Attis

/ ˈætɪs /

noun

classical myth a youth of Phrygia, loved by the goddess Cybele. In a jealous passion she caused him to go mad, whereupon he castrated himself and died

The Phrygian Attis met his death, according to one legend, by self-mutilation under a sacred tree.

By the side of the supreme god Medeus stood the sun-god Attis, as in Phrygia the chief object of the popular cult.

The Attis of Catullus gives a vivid picture of the frenzy which this worship could excite.

The violet sprang from the blood of Attis when Cybele changed him into a pine-tree.

Finally, the resurrection or epiphany of the god Attis was celebrated.

April 23, 2024inveterate

[in-vet-er-it ]

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