Agdistis
Hermaphrodite
who was the accidental result after Zeus
had had nocturnal emission and impregnated his grandmother Gaea.
Because Agdistis was born with both male and female sexual organs the gods
feared the powers of such a creature. So, they decided to emasculate it, and
so cut off the male organs, which became the almond tree.
When Agdistis saw him one day, she fell in love with him, but he was sent
to Pessinus to marry the princess there. During the ceremony, Agdistis appeared,
and Attis went mad. In his lunacy he went to the mountains and castrated himself
and then bled to death. His spirit went into a pine
tree, and out of his blood sprang violets.
Agdistis begged her father the river god to protect Attis corpse from decomposition,
and so it was done. She had a tomb made in Cybeles'
sanctuary at Mt. Dindymas, and from then on all he priests there had to be
castrated.
Each spring a festival was held, where a pinetree covered with violets was
carried to the shrine by a funeral procession. Three days later Attis was
symbolically resurrected and celebrations were held.
