ORGY (through French from Lat. orgia, Gr. 6pyca, in derivation connected probably with 'ipyov, work; cf. Lat. operare, to sacrifice)

This article appears in Volume V20, Page 269 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: ORC-PAI

ORGY (through French from Lat. orgia, Gr. 6pyca, in derivation connected probably with 'ipyov, work; cf. Lat. operare, to sacrifice) , a

term

TERM

originally denoting the

secret

SECRET (Lat. secretum, hidden, concealed)

rites or ceremonies connected with the

worship

WORSHIP (i.e. " worth-ship," O. Eng. weor8scipe)

of certain deities, especially those of Dionysus-Bacchus. The Dionysiac orgies, which were restricted to women, were celebrated in the winter among the Thracian hills or in spots remote from city life. The women met, clad in fawn-skins, with

hair

HAIR (a word common to Teutonic languages)

dishevelled, swinging the thyrsus and beating the cymbal; they danced and worked themselves up to a state of mad excitement. The holiest rites took place at night by the light of torches. A

bull

, the representative of the god, was torn in pieces by them as Dionysus-Zagreus had been torn; his bellowing reproduced the cries of the suffering god. The women tore the

bull

with their teeth, and the eating of the raw flesh was a necessary part of the ritual. Some further rites, which varied in different districts, represented the resurrection of the god in the

spring

SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

. On

Mount

MOUNT, WILLIAM SIDNEY (1807-1868)

Parnassus

PARNASSUS (mod. Likkoura or Likeri)

the women carried back Dionysus-Licnites, the child cradled in the winnowing fan. The most famous festival of the kind was the Tpiropls celebrated every second winter on

Parnassus

PARNASSUS (mod. Likkoura or Likeri)

by the women of Attica and

Phocis

PHOCIS

. The celebrants were called

Maenads

MAENADS (Gr. MatvaSes, frenzied women)

or Bacchae. The ecstatic enthusiasm of the Thracian women, KXc roves or MiaXAoues, was especially distinguished. The wild dances, songs, drinking and other " orgiastic " ceremonies which were characteristic of these rites have given rise to the use of the word "orgy " for any drunken, wild revel or festivity (see DIONYSUS and MYSTERY).

End of Article: ORGY (through French from Lat. orgia, Gr. 6pyca, in derivation connected probably with 'ipyov, work; cf. Lat. operare, to sacrifice)

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/ORC_PAI/ORGY_through_French_from_Lat_o.html">
ORGY (through French from Lat. orgia, Gr. 6pyca...
</a>

(Previous)
ORGANS

(Next)
ORIA

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email