Attis
Attis (a.k.a. Ἄττις)
Attis is the consort of Kybele in the Phrygian and Greco-Roman Pantheons, as well as a minor deity in his own right.
His origins are disputed: Pausinius described him as the masculine part of Agdistis reborn via the goddess Nana. Ovid held that he was once a mortal shepherd boy who Kybele fell in love with, while Hermesianax recorded him as a priest of Kybele who was deified on death.
His worship, and particularly his death and rebirth, are believed to have been a key focus of Kybele's mystery cult in the time of the Roman Republic.
Divine Domains
Vegetation, Rebirth & Renewal
Historically, it appears he was always worshipped jointly with Kybele, rather than as a deity in his own right, and as such there is overlap in their domains.
Historically, it appears he was always worshipped jointly with Kybele, rather than as a deity in his own right, and as such there is overlap in their domains.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Violets, Cyprus trees, a Shepherd's Crook.
In Greece and Rome, he was often shown wearing a Phrygian Cap, as a nod to his Anatolian origins.
In Greece and Rome, he was often shown wearing a Phrygian Cap, as a nod to his Anatolian origins.
Physical Description
Identifying Characteristics
Depictions of the god typically show him as young and beardless, either naked, displaying his castration, or dressed in the Anatolian style in trousers and Phrygian cap. A famous statue uncovered in Ostia shows him crowned in a wreath of pine and fruits.
Physical quirks
He is a eunuch, in who's memory the Galli, Kybele's priesthood, would ritually castrate themselves.
Relationships
History
Accounts of their relationship to one another vary between sources: in some, Attis is Agdistis's masculine side reborn, in others he is a human who Kybele desired due to his beauty, and in others he was the first priest of Kybele who was deified on death.
Divine Classification
God
Spouses
Kybele
(consort)
Siblings
Children
Pronouns
He/Him
Aligned Organization
Related Myths
Ruled Locations
