Fertility goddess — The fertility goddesses are the female deities to watch over and promote fertility, pregnancy, and birth in many polytheistic cultures. In some cases these deities were directly associated with sex, and in others they simply embodied related… … Wikipedia
fertility — The central theory of *Frazer s The Golden Bough was that much European folklore preserved rituals from archaic vegetation cults, in which men and women ensured fertility of trees and crops by having sexual intercourse at seasonal festivals;… … A Dictionary of English folklore
rite — [[t]ra͟ɪt[/t]] rites N COUNT A rite is a traditional ceremony that is carried out by a particular group or within a particular society. → See also last rites Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty. ...a fertility rite … English dictionary
rite — [raıt] n [Date: 1300 1400; : Latin; Origin: ritus] 1.) a ceremony that is always performed in the same way, usually for religious purposes →↑ritual ▪ funeral rites ▪ ancient fertility rites ▪ These traditional rites are performed only by the… … Dictionary of contemporary English
rite — n. 1) to perform a rite 2) a pagan; religious; solemn rite 3) last rites (to administer last rites) 4) fertility rites * * * [raɪt] religious solemn rite a pagan fertility rites to perform a rite la … Combinatory dictionary
rite of passage — 1. Anthropol. a ceremony performed to facilitate or mark a person s change of status upon any of several highly important occasions, as at the onset of puberty or upon entry into marriage or into a clan. 2. any important act or event that serves… … Universalium
List of fertility gods — In polytheistic religions and mythologies, a fertility god is a male deity who is responsible for ensuring human fertility. They are often known for the use of sexual suggestion, whether direct (such as the phallus), or through symbols. A list of … Wikipedia
Great Rite — In Wicca, the Great Rite is either ritual sexual intercourse, or else a ritual symbolic representation of sexual intercourse. In the symbolic version the High Priest plunges the athame, or ritual knife, (the male symbol) into a cup or chalice… … Wikipedia
The Rite of Spring — Infobox Ballet name = The Rite of Spring image size = caption = choreographer = Vaslav Nijinsky composer = Igor Stravinsky based on = premiere = 29 May 1913 place = Théâtre des Champs Élysées, Paris ballet company = Ballets Russes characters =… … Wikipedia
purification rite — ▪ anthropology Introduction any of the ceremonial acts or customs employed in an attempt to reestablish lost purity or to create a higher degree of purity in relation to the sacred (the transcendental realm) or the social and cultural realm … Universalium
