ABSTRACT
The word "orgiastic" in its modern sense probably best describes certain cults, particularly towards the end of the Hellenistic time, when a fusion of religions from various origins took place. The general idea of passing beyond the limits of morality in as many directions as possible lies behind the existence and performance of many orgiastic cults. The roots of many orgiastic cults are hidden in the mists of prehistory, since they developed from rural festivals that celebrated the power of nature and fertility. The phenomenon of maenadism, as described in Euripides' Bacchae, is one example of extravagant rites that, even if they are mythical, still retain the element of self-transcendence that orgiastic cults promoted. Various rites were associated with the worship of Cybele, such as the taurobolia and kriobolia, perhaps dating from the 2nd century ad, when the initiate had to be drenched in the blood of a sacrificed bull or ram.
