When we talk about the countless blessings that nature offers to mankind, we say "what Mother Nature has given us". We talk about the damages caused to "mother nature" by the fossil fuels we use and the many chemicals we consume. But how many of us are aware that the concept of "Mother Nature" or "Mother Nature" is associated with Cybele, the Phrygian goddess of Ancient Anatolia?
In ancient times, the region of Anatolia known as Phrygia was bordered by Mysia, Lydia and Caria to the west, Galatia and Lyakonia to the east, Bithynia to the north, Pisidia and Lycia to the south. Phrygia was not only the cradle of the Phrygian civilisation, but also influential in the field of religion by presenting the belief in Cybele to its neighbours of that era and to Greece and Rome in later periods. The goddesses known as Kybebe in Lydia, Isis in Egypt, Artemis in Ephesus, Rhea in Crete, Demeter in Greece and Magna Mater in Rome are merely the reflections of Phrygian Kybele under different names.
As a goddess of nature, Cybele is responsible for the order in nature. But primarily she symbolises the fertility of the soil. Being the protector of agriculture also makes it possible to see her as the founder of social progress, civilisation and cities. In the depictions of the goddess, the tower figures on the diadem (crown) on her head emphasise this characteristic of her.
The mother goddess of Phrygia was worshipped especially in the mountains. One of her names, Dindyme, is related to the worship of the goddess on the Dindymos mountain in the region. There are three mountains with this name in Ancient Anatolia, all of which are in the vicinity of the Phrygian region. One of them is the Günyüzü mountain around the city of Pessinus (Ballıhisar) on the Sangarios (Sakarya) river, which was the centre of the cult of Cybele. The first temple, which also hosted a meteorite, the first depiction of the goddess, was also here.
Agdistis, another name of the goddess, was derived from a rock known as Agdus, which was also located on Mount Dindymos and believed to be sacred. Her name is also mentioned as Agdistis in the myth originating from Pessinus.
Cybele Myth
According to the legend; God Zeus had a dream and poured his seeds on a rock and a hermaphrodite being emerged from it. The gods cut off the male organ of this being named Agdistis. When the limb fell to the ground, an almond tree grew out of it. Nana, the daughter of the river Sangarios, plucked an almond from the tree and hid it in her chest. She became pregnant from this fruit and a boy named Attis was born. When he became a beautiful young man, Agdistis fell in love with this young man. But he decided to marry the daughter of the king of Pessinus. Agdistis, who appeared on the wedding day, caused the young man to go mad, castrate himself and die. The king also castrated himself.
In another version of the story; Zeus spills his seeds on the stone known as Agdus, a manifestation of the goddess Cybele. Agdistis is born. When the god Dionysus gets him drunk, he passes out and cuts off his male organ. An almond tree grows from his limb. Nana, the daughter of the river Sangarios, hides an almond from this tree in her breast and becomes pregnant. Attis is born. When he comes of age, both Cybele and Agdistis fall in love with him. Midas, the king of Phrygia, wants to marry this young man to his daughter. Agdistis causes the young man to lose his mind and he castrates himself under a pine tree and dies. Cybele buries him. Violets grow at the bottom of the pine tree watered with his blood. Midas' daughter also commits suicide. Goddess buries her too. An almond tree grows on her grave along with violets. When Agdistis asks Zeus to keep Attis' body intact, the god only allows his hair to grow and one of his fingers to keep moving. Agdistis takes the body of her beloved to Pessinus and buries it and organises a festival in his memory. It is also rumoured that Attis was killed by a wild boar, and it is associated with this rumour that especially the people of Pessinus refrain from eating pork.
Another point to be emphasised about the myth of Cybele-Attis, which symbolically describes the fertility of the soil with the elements it contains, is that the story is similar to the myths of Ishtar-Tammuz in Babylonian mythology and Astarte-Adonis in Syrian mythology.
Cybele Temple and Cybele Festivals
The cult centre in Pessinus, where the ceremonies for the Phrygian goddess were held, was headed by two high priests. These clergymen, called Attis and Megabyzos, who castrated themselves when they entered the service of the goddess, were also the administrators of the cult centre.The ceremonies in honour of the goddess were held in spring, when the earth awakened and the shoots began to sprout, and lasted five days. On the first day of the celebrations, Attis was mourned. The trunk of a pine tree, considered sacred, was wrapped with pieces of woollen cloth and paraded through the streets. On the second day, other priests of Cybele, known as Gallos, would dance ecstatically to the accompaniment of musical instruments such as drums, tambourines and cymbals. Just like the "Korybants" in the myth; who wandered around the countryside with torches in their hands in pursuit of the goddess and danced wildly to the music. The third day was reserved for bloody ceremonies. Participants in the ritual cut their bodies and shed blood. On the fourth day, Attis' resurrection was celebrated with joyful dances, and the last day was spent in rest.
The worship of Cybele spread throughout the Aegean and Mediterranean by the travelling priests of Phrygia. Kybele's qualities are also expressed in the personalities and myths of the goddesses Rhea, Artemis and Demeter, who have a considerable importance in the belief system of continental Greece. The greatest similarity is with Demeter. She too is primarily an earth goddess. She is the protector of wheat and the assurance of the product.
The goddess known as Magna Mater (Great Mother) in Rome is Kybele herself. The introduction of her cult to Rome took place in 205-204 BC during the war with Carthage. There is a meteorite rain in the city. The frightened people consulted the Sibylla books, which were kept in the temple of Jupiter and contained the prophecies of the priestess of the god Apollo. Accordingly, if Phrygia's Cybele temple is brought to the city, the Carthaginian army will be expelled from Italy. A group of envoys travelled to Anatolia and received from King Attalos the black stone, the first manifestation of the goddess in Pessinus. The stone is placed in the temple of Victory on the Palatine hill of the city of Rome. After winning the war (202 BC), a temple for the goddess was built here. In honour of the goddess, who was named Magna Mater, a festival called Megalensia is held every year between 4-9 April.
It is interesting to note that the celebrations in Rome were also led by a priest of Cybele from Phrygia. A Phrygian priestess and eunuch priests (Galloi) would pass through the city in a procession during the celebrations. Citizens were forbidden to participate in the celebrations. Only a group of prominent Roman aristocrats were allowed to join in the festivities.
The story of the Phrygian goddess in Rome takes a different turn in the early period of the empire, and the belief in Cybele-Attis leads to the birth of another festival. The ceremonies; in which a group of clergymen (quindecimviri) as well as all women and men could participate; were held between 15-27 March, also in spring. On the first day; cane-carrying priests called "kanofori" carried cut tree canes to the temple of the goddess. Seven days later, the "dendrofi" or tree-bearer priests brought a pine tree cut from the forest. The trunk of the tree was wrapped with ribbons like a corpse and a depiction of Attis was tied in the centre. The tree represented the dead god. On 24 March, "dies sanguinis" or blood day, eunuch priests (galloi) and candidates for initiation began a wild dance to the accompaniment of flutes, cymbals and tambourines, whipped their backs until they bled, and cut their arms with knives. At the height of the frenzy, some candidates cut off their male organs and offered them to the goddess. The lamentations of death that filled the night between 24 March and 25 March were replaced the next morning by a sudden burst of joy at the news of the god's resurrection. That day was "hilaria", the day of joy. After a day's rest, on 27 March, a great procession was held to the river, where the statue of Cybele was immersed in water (lavatio). From the 2nd century AD, candidates for puberty were purified with the blood of a bull or ram (taurobolium or criobolium). They also offered this animal to the goddess instead of their own male organs.
The fact that these sacrificial ceremonies were organised at all seasons in the imperial age, not only for individual maturation but also for the well-being of the monarchy, points to the prestige of the Phrygian mother goddess in Rome.
Apuleius, the famous Roman poet, orator and philosopher, in his novel "Transfigurations" or "Asinus Aureus", introduces the Phrygian from his own mouth: "I, the mother of nature, the lord of all elements, the firstborn of the ages, the greatest of the gods, the queen of the dead, the guide of the celestial beings, the one who gathers all the forms of gods and goddesses into one... With a nod of my head, I rule all the bright peaks of the sky, the healthy winds of the sea and the sorrowful silence of the underworld. My divinity is unique. The whole world worships me in my various forms. With different ceremonies and under various names. The Phrygians, the first lineage of mankind, call me the mother of the gods from Pessinus. The earth-born people of Attica call me Minerva of Kekrops. Venus of Paphos, say the Kyprosians beaten by the seas. The Cretans, who never part with their alms, call me Diktynna Diana. The Sicilians, who speak three languages, call me Proserpina of the Styx. The ancient people of Eleusis know me as Ceres of Attica. Some call me Juno, some Bellona. Some call me Hecate, some Rhamnusia... Egyptians, who adhere to their ancient beliefs, call me the Goddess Isis..."
Is there a better answer to the question "Who is the Phrygian goddess?"