Attis: Born of a Virgin on December 25th, Crucified and Resurrected after Three Days
by D.M. Murdock/Acharya S
In many mythicist writings, the ancient Phrygo-Roman god Attis is depicted as having been born of
a virgin mother on December 25th, being killed and resurrecting afterwards. Here we shall examine the evidence
for these contentions, which parallel the gospel story and Christian tradition concerning Jesus Christ.
Providing a summary of the mythos and ritual of Attis, along with comparisons to Christian
tradition, professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Manchester Dr. Andrew T. Fear states:
The youthful Attis after his murder was miraculously brought to life again three days
after his demise. The celebration of this cycle of death and renewal was one of the major festivals of
the metroac cult. Attis therefore represented a promise of reborn life and as such it is not surprising that we
find representations of the so-called mourning Attis as a common tomb motif in the ancient world.
The parallel, albeit at a superficial level, between this myth and the account of the
resurrection of Christ is clear. Moreover Attis as a shepherd occupies a favourite Christian image of Christ as
the good shepherd. Further parallels also seem to have existed: the pine tree of Attis, for example, was
seen as a parallel to the cross of Christ.
Beyond Attis himself, Cybele too offered a challenge to Christian divine nomenclature.
Cybele was regarded as a virgin goddess and as such could be seen as a rival to the Virgin
Mary... Cybele as the mother of the Gods, mater Deum, here again presented a starkly pagan parallel to the
Christian Mother of God.
There was rivalry too in ritual. The climax of the celebration of Attis' resurrection,
the Hilaria, fell on the 25th of March, the date that the early church had settled on as the day
of Christ's death.... (Lane, 39-40)
As we can see, according to this scholar, Attis is killed, fixed to a tree, and resurrects after
three days, while his mother is "regarded as a virgin goddess" comparable to the Virgin Mary.
These conclusions come from the writings of ancient Pagans, as well as the early Church fathers,
including Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Hippolytus, Tatian, Tertullian, Augustine, Arnobius and Firmicus
Maternus.
Born of the Virgin Nana
The Phrygian god Attis's mother was variously called Cybele and Nana. Like the Egyptian goddess Isis and the Christian figure Mary, Nana/Cybele is a perpetual virgin, despite her status as a mother.
The scholarly term used to describe virgin birth is "parthenogenesis," while many goddesses are referred to as
"Parthenos," the Greek word meaning "virgin." This term is applicable to the Phrygian goddess Cybele/Nana as
well.
"Attis is the son of Cybele in her form as the virgin,
Nana."
The diverse names of Attis's mother and her manner of impregnation are explained by Dr. David
Adams Leeming (25), professor emeritus of English and comparative literature at the University of
Connecticut:
Attis is the son of Cybele in her form as the virgin, Nana, who is impregnated by the divine
force in the form of a pomegranate.
Regarding Nana, in Virgin Mother Goddesses of Antiquity (111), Dr. Marguerite Rigoglioso
states:
...Another instance of spontaneous conception occurred when Nana, whose very name was one by which the Great Goddess was known, became pregnant simply by eating the tree's fruit...
December 25th
The "December 25th" or winter-solstice birth of the sun god is a common theme in
several cultures around the world over the past millennia, including the Egyptian, among others. As it is for
the Perso-Roman god Mithra, the Egyptian god Horus and the Christian godman Jesus, this date has likewise been
claimed for Attis's nativity as well. For example, Barbara G. Walker (77) writes:
Attis's passion was celebrated on the 25th of March, exactly nine months before
the solstitial festival of his birth, the 25th of December. The time of his death was also the
time of his conception, or re-conception.
"Each year, Attis was born at the winter solstice."
In this same regard, Shirley Toulson (34) remarks:
In the secret rites of this Great Mother the young god Attis figured as her acolyte and
consort.... Each year he was born at the winter solstice, and each year as the days shortened, he died.
The reasoning behind this contention of the vegetative and solar god Attis's birth at the winter
solstice is sound enough, in that it echoes natural cycles, with the god's death at the vernal equinox also
representing the time when he is conceived again, to be born nine months later.
Moreover, at times the young Attis was merged with Mithra, whose birthday was traditionally held
on December 25th and with whom he shared the same Phrygian capped attire.
Marble bust of Attis wearing Phrygian cap
2nd cent. ad/ce (Paris) |
Mithra in a Phrygian cap
2nd cent. ad/ceRome, Italy (British Museum, London) |
Crucified
The myths of Attis's death include him being killed by a boar or by castrating himself under a
tree, as well as being hung on a tree or "crucified." Indeed, he has been called the "castrated and crucified
Attis." (Harari, 31) It should be noted that the use of the term "crucified" as concerns gods like Horus and Attis does not connote that he or they were thrown to the ground and nailed to
a cross, as we commonly think of crucifixion, based on the Christian tale. In reality, there have been plenty of
ancient figures who appeared in cruciform, some of whose myths specifically have them punished
or killed through crucifixion, such as Prometheus.
