Agdistis

In Greek mythology heavily influenced by cultures from the East, Agdistis was a powerful hermaphroditic daemon. Agdistis was chaotic, neither good nor evil, but impossible to control, containing all of the powers of creation within his/her body and using these powers to wreak havoc.

There are two stories concerning the origin of Agdistis. In the first, Zeus raped the goddess Cybele after she disguised herself as a rock, and Agdistis was conceived. In the second, Agdistis was born when Zeus dropped his semen upon the ground in his excitement over an unknown goddess that resisted his attentions, causing a rock or a mountain to become pregnant with Agdistis. Agdistis was named after this mountain (mount Agdos).

The Gods sought to stop Agdistis's uncontrolled destruction. To this end, Dionysus got Agdistis drunk by turning a spring into wine and Agdistis fell into a deep sleep. While Agdistic slept, Dionysus tied the daemon's male genitals to his/her legs or arms, then startled Agdistic awake. Leaping up in fright, the male genitals tore off. Where they fell upon the ground, an almond tree sprung up.

Deprived of these male parts, Agdistis was now a female divinity and became the great Mother Goddess Cybele.

Some time later, Nana, the daughter of a river spirit, came upon the almond tree and either eating an almond, placing it in her lap, or bringing it to her breast she became pregnant and bore Attis. She subsequently abandoned Attis to be found and raised by shepherds under the watchful eye of Cybele, who later would be his lover.

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