The Ritualized Bodies of Cybele's Galli and the Methodological Problem of the Plurality of Explanations
The explanandum in this article is the self-castration of Cybele's Galli. The explanans is the various theories that have been put forward to elucidate this phenomenon. The author begins by sketching out the complicated religio-historical scene for this ritual, then introduces the plurality of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Donner Institute
1993-01-01
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| Series: | Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis |
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| Online Access: | https://journal.fi/scripta/article/view/67211 |
| Summary: | The explanandum in this article is the self-castration of Cybele's Galli. The explanans is the various theories that have been put forward to elucidate this phenomenon. The author begins by sketching out the complicated religio-historical scene for this ritual, then introduces the plurality of theories concerning Galli's ritual self-castration, so that the intellectual dilemma of evaluation and preference is obvious; which one of the theories is decisive? Are they necessary or sufficient? Do they compete or cooperate? The aim of this article is also to make a critical methodological evaluation of the use of psychological determinants in religio-historical studies of the self-castration of the Galli in the cult of Cybele and Attis. |
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| ISSN: | 0582-3226 2343-4937 |