Cybele
/ˈsɪbəli/noun
An ancient Phrygian goddess of fertility, nature, and mountains later adopted into Greek and Roman religion.
Did you know?Cybele’s most extreme priests, the Galli, were believed to ritually castrate themselves in devotion to the goddess and her lover Attis.
Etymological Timeline
c. 7th–6th Century BCE
Phrygian
Kubileya
“A form or epithet associated with the Phrygian mother goddess; its precise original meaning remains disputed.”
Classical Greek
Greek
Kybelē
“Cybele, the Great Mother goddess adopted into Greek religious tradition.”
Hellenistic Period
Greek
Mētēr Kybelē
“Mother Cybele, emphasizing her identity as a powerful mother deity.”
2nd Century BCE
Latin
Cybēlē
“The goddess Cybele in Roman religious writing.”
Modern English
English
Cybele
“The Phrygian and Roman goddess associated with fertility, wild nature, mountains, and ecstatic worship.”