Attis

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.