"On March 24, known as the Day of Blood, the Archigallus or high priest drew blood from his arms and presented it to the goddess. His offering was followed by other men, some of whom castrated themselves on the altar. They would then run through the city carrying their genitals. When a man threw his genitals into a particular house, that house was considered honored, and had to furnish him with the female attire and ornaments which he wore for the rest of his life."
- The Magic Garden: The Myth and Folklore of Flowers, Plants, Trees, and Herbs (1976) by Anthony S. Mercatante, page 43.
This book contains a lot of odd and obscure folklore, but the above quoted passage is the most bizarre of all.
Those guys were really dedicated to their religion. And must have had an impressive tolerance for pain.
Another description can be found at http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1428394
More information about Cybele (the goddess associated with the Day of Blood) can be found at http://www.open-sesame.com/Cybele.html
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1 comment:
Many men have castrated themselves in today's world, a bit less physically, but probably more so than cutting them off.
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