Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
 
Help
Attis - 3 reference results
Attis or Atys, in Phrygian religion, vegetation god. When Nana ate the fruit of the almond tree, which had been generated by the blood of either Agdistis or of Cybele, she conceived Attis. Later, Agdistis or Cybele fell in love with Attis, and so that none other would have him, she caused him to castrate himself. Like Adonis, Attis came to be worshiped as a god of vegetation, responsible for the death and rebirth of plant life. Each year at the beginning of spring his resurrection was celebrated in a festival. In Roman religion he became a powerful celestial deity.

See Sir J. G. Frazer, Adonis, Attis, Osiris (1907, new ed. 1961).

Mythical consort of the Great Mother of the Gods and vegetation god worshiped in Phrygia and Asia Minor. His worship later spread to the Roman empire, where he became a solar deity in the 2nd century AD. The worship of Attis and the Great Mother included the celebration of mysteries at the beginning of spring.

Learn more about Attis with a free trial on Britannica.com.


Search another word or see Attis on Dictionary | Thesaurus
FacebookTwitterFollow us: