Cybele

Cybele
キュベレ
DeSumSH1DCFI Artwork from Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Artwork from Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers Artwork from Devil Children Fire Book and Ice Book
Other Name(s)	Bloody GoddessPersona 5 Royal
Origin	Phrygian culture
Race(s)	AkumaDevil Children Fire Book and Ice Book FemmeShin Megami Tensei: J LadyShin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux Shin Megami Tensei V Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers Soul Hackers 2 Shin Megami Tensei Trading Card: Card Summoner Kētai Akuma Densho
Alignment(s)	Light-ChaosShin Megami Tensei V Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
Arcana	LoversPersona 3 Persona 3 FES Persona 3 Portable Persona 3 Reload Persona 4 Persona 4 Golden Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth Persona Mobile Online PriestessPersona 5 Persona 5 Royal
Order(s)	Volt

Cybele is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.

Profile

Origin

Cybele was an ancient Phrygian mother deity whose worship spread to the Greeks and Romans. Her priests were known as Galli, and they performed ritual self-castration.

Her original Phrygian name was Matar, meaning "mother", with the Greco-Roman name Cybele deriving from an epithet of Matar, Kubileya, meaning "of the mountain". Her worship in Phrygia differed sharply from later Greek and Roman worship.

Cybele began to be worshiped by the Greeks in the 7th and 6th centuries BC, and she was syncretized with Demeter and Rhea. However, she obtained negative reception due to growing anti-eastern sentiment and was mostly worshiped in private rather than in any official capacity.

She spread to the Romans during the Punic Wars and was credited with saving the city from Hannibal. She became a popular goddess whose worship was supported by the state, and she was commonly referred to by the official titles Mater Deum Magna Idaea (Great Idaean Mother of the Gods) and Magna Mater (Great Mother). She was associated with fertility by the Romans, though this is not present in her original Phrygian cult nor in her worship amongst the Greeks.

Design

According to Kazuma Kaneko, Cybele's design features her holding swords because her cult required sacrifices. As the design of the swords features the heads of bulls, this is likely in reference to the taurobolium ritual carried out in honor of Cybele in the Roman Empire.

Gameplay

For complete gameplay information, see Gameplay:Cybele.

Compendium

	This section has content in need of translation.
	The content in this section is missing a translation. You can help Megami Tensei Wiki by adding one.

Compendium Entries
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux	Revered in the mountains of Turkey and later celebrated in Roman culture, Cybele is the embodiment of Mother Earth as well as her protector. Cybele commands wild beasts, with a particular fondness for lions.
Shin Megami Tensei V	Mother goddess of nature. A temple for her was created atop a mountain in Phrygia, now modern-day Turkey, where she was worshiped. She ruled over beasts and was said to be served by lions. She later became a goddess passionately worshiped in Rome.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner (Akuma Zensho; PSP)	出身地：トルコ プリュギアの、大地の化身である太母神。前キリスト教時代のローマでも、熱狂的な崇拝をうけた。 キュベレはプリュギアの山々の山頂に祀られた女神で、両側にライオンを置いた玉座に座った姿や、ライオンの引く戦車に乗った姿でよく表される。彼女は野獣たちを支配する者でもあった。 キュベレはギリシア神話にも入るが、同じ大地の女神であるレアーと同一視され、次第に融合された。 Translation: Place of origin: Turkey The Phrygian great mother goddess who embodies the earth. She was also fervently worshiped in pre-Christian Rome. Cybele is a goddess who was enshrined on Phrygian mountaintops, and she was often depicted as being seated upon a throne flanked by lions on both sides or as riding on a chariot pulled by lions. She was also the ruler of wild animals. Cybele was incorporated into Greek mythology as well, where she was seen as the same as Rhea, likewise a goddess of the earth, and the two were gradually combined.
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (3DS)	Phrygian goddess of the earth. She had a cult following even in Rome. A goddess of the mountains of Phrygia, she is often depicted on a throne with lions on each side or on a chariot pulled by lions and known as a mistress of animals. Cybele was incorporated into Greek mythology as well, but was often seen as Rhea, who was another earth goddess, and eventually assimilated with her.
Soul Hackers 2	Phrygian goddess of the earth, she had a cult following even in Rome. A goddess of the mountains of Phrygia, she is often depicted on a throne with lions on each side, or on a chariot pulled by lions, and is known to be a mistress of animals. Cybele was incorporated into Greek mythology as well but was often seen as Rhea, another earth goddess, and was eventually assimilated with her.
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army	The embodiment of Mother Earth, as well as her protector, she is revered in the mountains of Turkey. Cybele commands wild beasts and was later celebrated in Roman culture as well.
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon	The embodiment of Mother Earth, as well as her protector, it is revered in the mountains of Turkey. Cybele commands wild beasts, using lions in particular. She was later celebrated in Roman culture as well.
Persona 3	Phrygian goddess of the earth. Attis was her son and consort, but she drove him mad, and he castrated himself. Her orgiastic cult spread to Greece.
Persona 3 FES
Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3 Reload	The Phrygian mother goddess of the earth, she is often depicted with wild animals, and lions in particular. She had her priest, Attis, as a lover, but drove him insane when he was forced to marry another.
Persona 4	Phrygian goddess of the earth. Attis was her son and consort, but she drove him mad, and he castrated himself. Her orgiastic cult spread to Greece.
Persona 4 Golden
Persona 5	The Phrygian mother goddess of the earth, she is often depicted with wild animals, and lions in particular. She had her priest, Attis, as a lover, but drove him insane when he was forced to marry another.
Persona 5 Royal
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth	Phrygian goddess of the earth. Attis was her son and consort, but she drove him mad, and he castrated himself. Her orgiastic cult spread to Greece.
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth	Phrygian goddess of the earth. Attis was her son and consort, but she drove him mad, and he castrated himself. Her orgiastic cult spread to Greece.
Persona 5 Tactica	The Phrygian mother goddess of the earth, she is often depicted with wild animals, and lions in particular. She had her priest, Attis, as a lover, but drove him insane when he was forced to marry another.
Devil Children Fire Book and Ice Book	大地を　つかさどる　動物たちの　女王　戦争が　大好きで　ライオンに　のって　戦場を　かけまわる Translation:
Kētai Akuma Densho	プリュギアの山の女神、大地の化身である太母神。後にギリシア神話に入り、女神レアーと同一視された。 出身地：トルコ キュベレはプリュギアの山々に祀られた、母なる大地の化身である地母神で、ギリシア神話の大地の女神であるレアーと同一視されて考えられてた。彼女は動物達の女王でもあったことからダイアナやアルテミスといった女神と同一視され、両側にライオンを置き玉座に座った姿や、ライオンの引く戦車に乗った姿でも表された。ギリシア神話では、彼女は主神ゼウスがディンデュモン山に流した精液から生まれ、両性具有であったために去勢されて女神になったと言われる。 Translation:

Game Appearances

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux

Cybele is the third Warden of the Womb of Grief, appearing after Volvo has been defeated. When the Protagonist comes across her, she is excited to torture the one who defeated her fellow wardens and attacks him. At the beginning of the fight, she remembers to introduce herself and claims she will start with some light castration. When she is defeated, she barely has time to show her shock before she dies.

Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon

If Raidou is Law-aligned in chapter 3, Cybele will be the guardian of the Great Summoner's Hall. As Raidou enters her chamber, he finds Nagi and her High Pixie overwhelmed by Cybele, who expresses her disappointment at the lack of challenge they offered her and prepares to finish them off. When Raidou steps in to defend them, however, Cybele notices he looks to be strong and attacks him to test if he truly is, believing that a weak summoner is better off dead. Halfway through the fight, Cybele will comment that Raidou's fighting style and way of life are balanced. When she is defeated, she congratulates Raidou and decrees that he is worthy of summoning her.

Trivia

• There is leftover unused data for Cybele as a demon in Shin Megami Tensei: Nine. She is of the Lady race and is level 53.

Nomenclature

CybeleEnemy-only

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name	Meaning
English	Cybele
Japanese	キュベレ Kyubere	Cybele
Simplified Chinese	库柏勒 Kùbǎilè	Cybele
Traditional Chinese	西布莉 Xībùlì	Cybele
French	Cybèle
German	Cybele
Italian	Cibele
Korean	퀴벨레Persona 3 Persona 3 FES Persona 3 Portable Kwibelle	Cybele
	큐벨레Persona 4 Persona 4 Golden Kyubelle	Cybele
	키벨레Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Soul Hackers 2 Persona 3 Reload Persona 5 Royal Persona 5 Tactica Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth Kibelle	Cybele
Polish	Kybele
Brazilian Portuguese	Cibele
Russian	Кибела Kibela	Cybele
Peninsular Spanish	Cibeles
Turkish	Kibele

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name	Meaning
English	Bloody GoddessPersona 5 Royal
Japanese	鮮血の大母神Persona 5 Royal Senketsu no Daiboshin	Great Mother Goddess of Fresh Blood
Simplified Chinese	鲜血大母神Persona 5 Royal Xiānxiě Dàmǔshén	Great Mother Goddess of Fresh Blood
Traditional Chinese	鮮血大母神Persona 5 Royal Xiānxiě Dàmǔshén	Great Mother Goddess of Fresh Blood
French	Déesse sanglantePersona 5 Royal	Bloody Goddess
German	Blutige GöttinPersona 5 Royal	Bloody Goddess
Italian	Dea sanguinariaPersona 5 Royal	Bloodthirsty Goddess
Korean	선혈鮮血의 대모신大母神Persona 5 Royal Seonhyeorui Daemosin	Great Mother Goddess of Fresh Blood
Peninsular Spanish	Diosa condenadaPersona 5 Royal	Condemned Goddess

Gallery

See Gallery

References

General

• "The Phrygian Background of Kybele", Birgitte Bøgh. Numen, 54(3), pp. 304-339. Published 2007 by Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/156852707X211573

Specific