Cybele

SIB-el-ee
Greek
"the mother of all gods"

Cybele Origin and Meaning

The name Cybele is a girl's name of French, Greek origin meaning "the mother of all gods".

The Anatolian mother goddess Cybele had a place in Greek, Roman, Trojan, and Anatolian mythology. Today, she has special meaning as a symbol of gender nonconformity.

In ancient Rome, Cybele's cult included followers called the Galli, male by birth but feminine in appearance, who often castrated themselves.

Cybele is a different name and a different figure from Sibyl or Sybil, the collective name for the Greek and Roman female prophets of legend. But the pronunciation is similar and contemporary English speakers will inevitably conflate the names and their inspiration.

Cybele Popularity

Famous People Named Cybele

  • Cybèle Wiren
    New Zealand fashion designer
  • Kyveli Andrianou (1877
    1978), Greek actress
  • Cibele Dorsa (1974
    2011), Brazilian actress and model

Cybele in Pop Culture

  • Mythology: the Mother of the Gods
    identified with Rhea
  • The Fountain of Cybele at the Plaza de Cibeles
    Madrid