Known as the Mother of the Gods, or ‘Magna Mater’, the origins of Cybele’s mythology lie not in Rome or Greece but in Phrygia, part of modern day Turkey.

Cybele was born as a result of a liaison between the Sky God and Earth Mother themselves and became known as the mother of all life and all other gods.

As her mythology spread beyond Phrygia, the Greeks identified similarities with their own mother-god, the Titaness Rhea, and the goddess of the harvest, Demeter.

As a result, Cybele became worshipped as a goddess of fertility and the wildness of nature as symbolised by her constant companion, a mighty lion.