Cybele

Mother goddess. Cybele (Kybele) was a Phrygian mother goddess who was worshipped in Greece and Rome. She was often equated with the two other Greek mother goddesses – Rhea and Demeter (Ceres). Cybele was so revered that she was often called "The Mother of All" or "The Great Mother of the Gods".

Cybele was sometimes referred to as Dindymene or Dinymenian Mother because she was born on Mount Dindymus. Zeus had ejaculated on the ground somewhere around Mount Dindymus, and an offspring sprung out of the ground with both male and female sex organs.

The gods, fearing this creature, upon reaching adulthood had the hermaphrodite being castrated, thereby causing the creature to become a female being. The creature became the mother goddess named Cybele, though in Pessinus she was named Agdistis, after Mount Agdos. The gods threw away the severed phallus, and instantly an almond tree grew on that spot.

One day Nana, the daughter of the river god Sangarius, was playing under the almond tree when one of the almond seeds fell on her lap. The seed disappeared and Nana became pregnant. Nana gave birth to a son named Attis, whom she exposed in the wild. Attis was saved because the infant was suckled by a goat.

Attis grew to be a very handsome youth, whom Cybele fell in love with. However, Attis' father had the youth betrothed to the daughter of King of Pessinus. Jealousy caused Cybele to drive the king and Attis mad where they castrated themselves and died. Cybele regretted her part in causing Attis' death, so she had the body preserved. Attis was buried in Pessinus where a pine tree grew.

In earlier legend, Attis was said to be gored and killed by a wild boar.

The worship of Cybele was brought to Rome in 204 BC, when a black stone sacred to Cybele was transported to Rome and placed in the Temple of Victory at the Palatine Hill.

To the Romans, Attis was worshipped as the god of vegetation and fertility and was seen as consort of Cybele. Her festival was celebrated on April 4.

Cybele was a wife and consort of Attis, another Phrygian god, who may have been her son. Attis was the god of vegetation and fertility. Attis castrated himself on a pine tree and offered his genitals to Cybele.

Her attendants were the mythical youths called Corybantes. Before her priests would serve in her temple, the galli would dance themselves into a frenzy before they castrated themselves in the memory of her consort Attis.

According to one legend, Cybele coupled with a mortal king named Gordius, the Phrygian king of Gordium, and became the mother of Midas, the founder of Ancyra and the famous king with the golden touch.

According to Ovid, it was Cybele who transformed the heroine Atalanta and her husband Hippomenes or Melanion into lions, because Aphrodite caused the newly wedded couple to defile her temple. Cybele harnessed the lions to her golden chariot.