Cybelean
/sɪˈbiːliən/noun
Relating to Cybele, the ancient Phrygian mother goddess later worshiped throughout the Greek and Roman world.
Did you know?Cybele’s Roman cult included the Galli, priests associated in ancient sources with ecstatic self-castration during the goddess’s spring festival.
Etymological Timeline
Possibly 1st millennium BCE
Phrygian
Kubileya/Kubeleya
“A debated divine name associated with the Phrygian mother goddess; its exact original meaning is uncertain.”
5th–4th Century BCE
Ancient Greek
Κυβέλη (Kybélē)
“Cybele, the mother goddess adopted into Greek religious vocabulary.”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Greek
Μήτηρ θεῶν (Mḗtēr theôn)
“Mother of the gods, a major Greek title associated with Cybele.”
2nd Century BCE
Latin
Cybele
“The Phrygian mother goddess whose official cult was introduced to Rome.”
19th–20th Century
English
Cybelean
“Relating to Cybele or to her worship and religious traditions.”