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Corybant
In Oriental and Greco-Roman
mythology, any of the wild, half-demonic
beings who were priests, votaries or attendants of
Cybele — ancient
Phrygian
goddess of nature and 'Great Mother of the Gods' — whose rites were
celebrated with music and ecstatic dances.
Often identified or confused with the
Cretan
Curetes (attendants of Zeus), Corybants were distinctly Asian in
origin and their rites were more orgiastic. Their wild dance was credited
with the power of healing mental disorder.
The
Samothracian mysteries of the Corybants were closely related to the Dionysian festivals. The associated
ritual drama depicted the murder of
Cadmillus by his three brothers.
See Zeus,
Artemis, Hermes, Delphi,
Phrygian
(Anatolian and Caucasian Studies),
Samothrace (Two
Parts),
Schelling's
Treatise on 'the Deities of Samothrace',
The Cambridge
History of Hellenistic Philosophy,
The Chiron
Dictionary of Greek & Roman Mythology: Gods and Goddesses, Heroes, Places, and Events
of Antiquity,
The Earth, the
Temple, and the Gods: Greek Sacred Architecture,
The Language of
Phrygians: Description and Analysis (Anatolian and Caucasian Studies),
Casting Black Magic Spells,
Commanding Spirits,
The Tarot Store and
Divination & Scrying Tools and
Supplies.
Sources: Article is scheduled to be reviewed.
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