Attis
Publié le 17/01/2022
Extrait du document
Greek A Phrygian vegetation god, the
beloved of the great goddess Cybele. Attis was born
of a virgin mother, Nana, by springing from a ripe
almond or pomegranate that she had placed on her
bosom. As a young man, he was beloved by Cybele,
but Attis reneged on his vows to the goddess and
fell in love with the daughter of a river god. In some
accounts, Cybele struck Attis in jealous anger, and
in the ensuing frenzy Attis wounded himself and
bled to death, whereupon Cybele (or Zeus) turned
him into a pine tree. Around the tree grew masses of
violets, nourished by his blood. According to another
tradition, Zeus set a wild boar upon Attis, and Attis
was gored to death.
In any case, Attis went to the Underworld.
All through the dark months of winter, Attis was
mourned. Then, in the spring he returned to the
Earth and was worshiped, only to be sacrificed again
at the end of the season.
In ancient times, the birth, death, and resurrection
of Attis were celebrated with wild music and bloody
rituals in the shrines sacred to Cybele. The cult
flourished in Rome, where Attis was regarded as a
supreme deity.
The myth of Attis, like that of Adonis, is plainly
the development of an ancient fertility festival that
celebrated the corn god, born anew each year, then
killed and planted underground, only to reappear the
following spring.
Liens utiles
- ATTIS (résumé & analyse)
- Attis - mythologie.
- Attis ou Atys - encyclopédie.
- ATTIS ET AGDISTIS
- Le personnage d'ATTIS.