In the 3rd century A.D Rome, the Galli were priests who worshiped the goddess Cybele. In their devotion to the goddess, they would dress and wear feminine garments and makeup, alongside behaving in feminine manners.
In an act of devotion to their goddess as well, they would castrate themselves before their initiation into the cult. This act derived from Cybele’s story, and from how she came to be.
Agdistis, a dual-sex god (who had both male and female sexual organs) was born from Ouranos and Gaia. Their birth was one of accident, though many consider it a form of sexual assault against Gaia due to its nature. Gaia, who lay sleeping, was found by Ouranos. He spilled his seed next to her, and due to her hyper-fertility, she was impregnated. Because of Agdistis’s unique physiology, the gods feared them and their power, believing that these dueling organs would make them stronger than the other Gods.
Because of this, the Gods schemed up a plan that would forcibly castrate them. The blood that came from their severed manhood created the first almond trees that grew from the ground. After this castration, Agdistis became Cybele: a goddess.
The Galli’s worship of this goddess became a point of discussion amongst many Roman philosophers as a way of indirectly reflecting on the ideas of both gender and masculinity. Many criticized their actions and means of worship; however, that did not stop them from continuing the practice.
Roman writer Martial was an example of one of the Galli’s many critics. He was well known for his humour through satire, often making fun of what he considered iconoclastic beliefs and women whom he deemed “ugly”.
In his epigram, Martial writes that his use of jokes in his literature are vital, and without them it’s like a man or husband without a penis. He asks for the readers to “spare my games and jokes. Don’t cut the balls of my books: an ugly gallus is nothing compared to Priapus”. In this sense, the “gallus” refers to the Galli priests, directly mocking their self-castration. He believed that men without genitals did not deserve the same respect as a married husband, or even a woman (since in his eyes they did not serve the natural purpose of a Roman man).
These practices were far from the Roman gender norms, which isolated male and female gender norms. They would celebrate their goddess through dancing, music, and orgiastic rituals alongside making themselves feminine.
Galli priests often wore jewelry and kept their hair as long as women would traditionally wear it. This jewelry would oftentimes reflect their position within the cult, wearing crowns and bracelets and occasionally necklaces.
The women’s clothing Galli priests wore was also symbolic. These clothes were often yellow and accompanied by a turban and their jewelry. This way of dressing differentiated them from the rest of Rome’s religious crowds. They were oftentimes mocked and ostracized from the rest of Roman society, believed to be temptresses of young men.
The hatred they experienced led them to being criticized and they also became the victims of violent crimes. The cult of Cybele came to a quick stop as more and more Christian influence came to Rome. Eventually, the Roman states banned the practice of Paganism and the worship of gods outside of the normal practices allowed within the state. This ban declared the end of the cult, and any mentions of them have not been found after 390 A.D.
Galli priests set up room for new construction and understanding of gender in Roman society, helping progress queer ideas and livelihood. Although the cult no longer stands, their impact on Ancient Rome was still monumental despite their short-lived religion.
