galli, Gallisingular Gallus, priests, MR-9/25/07 - only change
is title, from l/c to caps and therefore done in article as
well. NHL 9/27/07priests, often temple attendants or wandering
mendicants, of the ancient Asiatic deity, the Great Mother of
the Gods, known as Cybele, or Agdistis, in Greek and Latin
literature. The galli Galli were eunuchs attired in female garb,
with long hair fragrant with ointment. Together with
priestesses, they celebrated the Great Mother’s rites with wild
music and dancing until their frenzied excitement found its
culmination in self-scourging, self-laceration, or exhaustion.
Self-emasculation by candidates for the priesthood sometimes
accompanied this delirium of worship.