Part 8: The Roman Republic
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | works sited

The Mysteries themselves were in the form of "things heard, things tasted, and things seen..."(Smith 127). The rites included a sacrament of bread and wine, and the revelation of the Great Marriage, thought to have been consummated between the High Priestess and the Hierophant. The temple floor was underground, an allusion to death and rebirth in the womb of the Mother. Cicero wrote that "the ceremonies... are called initiations, and we recognize in them the first principles of living. We have gained from them the way of living in happiness and dying with better hope..."(Cicero 14,36). Initiates were called Demetreioi, and having been relieved from sin by the death and rebirth of initiation, were thought to have achieved immortality of the soul through the sacrifice of the Sacred King Orpheus, another aspect of Dionysus (Angus 72).

The religion of Isis, Mother of the Gods of Egypt (from AuSet, Ishtar, Ashera, Ashtarte) was almost 3000 years old when it made its way to Italy, sometime before the first century b.c.e. Isis was called the Lady of All, the Goddess of Ten Thousand Names, and the Glory of Woman. Egyptian scriptures name her "...Isis, Oldest of Old. She was the Goddess from whom all becomings arose..." (Stone 219). She was the ultimate virgin, who unaided gave birth to the universe and all life. Her divine son Osiris was another aspect of the dying-God, for whom she descended into the underworld for three days in order to restore His life (Brandon 126-7). This religion taught that "... all human perceptions are divine and are manifestations of one universal Deity..."(Lyttleton and Foreman 121). She revealed that women were equal to men, and her religion welcomed women and men from all stations of life.

The experience of initiation, after fasting and purification, was revealed as a form of spiritual rebirth and was an intensely emotional experience. This religion taught that worship was an attitude, a way of life, and involved the whole personality, rather than the outward piety which the state religions of Rome demanded. Followers of Isis observed moral and ritual rules of purity, as initiation was considered the beginning of a new life and life after death. The ritual meal was shared by its devotees, and they viewed the birth of the divine child of Isis as miraculous (Budge G.E.II 220). Authors describing the followers of Isis all express an awed, childlike wonder at the peace and hope offered by the Goddess which they displayed. Apuleius wrote of his experience in his Metamorphosis: "Holy Goddess, everlasting Savior of mankind...You show a mother's warm love for the misfortunes of those in distress... I shall always guard your Holy Divinity in the sacred places of my heart..."(Walker 454).

The Religion of Cybele differed from the other Mysteries in that it was a state religion, imported from Phrygia in 209b.c.e. Rome at that time was heavily involved in the Punic Wars, which were not going all that well. After consulting the Sibylline books, the priests recommended that the entire religion, fetish stone, priests, and all, be brought to Rome and installed on the Palatine hill, where a temple to Cybele was built and dedicated in 191b.c.e., on the site where St. Peter's Basilica now stands (Lyttleton and Foreman 115).

The Cumaean Sybil was a personification of Cybele, who was also called Rhea Labrine, Goddess of the sacred caves which were her "marriage bowers"(Gaster 609). She was also Antaea, mythical Mother of the Earth-giant Antaeus, whom Heracles conquered by holding him in the air so that his feet would not touch the Earth, from whom he drew his strength (Robbins 334). Other names of Cybele were Augusta, the Great One; Alma, the Nourishing One; and Sanctissima, the Most Holy One (Walker 201).

The Cybelenes, like the Bacchanals, were followers of a fertility and nature Goddess whose son/lover was the dying God or king. Attis, the infant adopted by Cybele, was found in a winnowing basket, and grew to be a beautiful youth. Cybele loved him, and when he was unfaithful to Her, She drove him mad. He castrated himself under a pine tree and thus bled to death. The castration/dismemberment of the God was a common fate of Grain Deities who died to fertilize the Earth and allow spring to come again. In this way, Attis became closely identified with Adonis; some myths even state that they were both killed by boars (Frazer 347).

The state festival of Cybele was celebrated from March 15 to March 25, and began with the procession of reed bearers, commemorating the reeds in which the infant Attis was found. The following nine days were devoted to fasting, prayer, and abstinence from sexual activity. On March 22, there occurred the procession of tree-bearers, the chosen order who reverently uprooted pine trees and carried them to the temple, wrapping them in violets and anemones, symbolizing the blood of Attis, and shrouding them as if they were human corpses.

All rights reserved unless otherwise stated. Permission required for reproduction. Copyright 2006.
Send comments or questions to the webmistress. Blessings on your journey. Last Updated: