A priest or attendant of Cybele in ancient Phrygia, known for wild dancing and ecstatic rituals.
From Greek 'korybas' or 'korybantes,' borrowed from Phrygian language. These were mythological figures associated with the goddess Cybele's worship. The word entered European languages through classical Greek texts describing these ancient rituals.
Corybants were basically ancient ravers—they'd engage in frenzied dancing, clanging cymbals and drums during religious ceremonies dedicated to Cybele, often reaching states of ecstatic trance that observers found shocking and intoxicating to witness!
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