Cabeiri

In Greek mythology, the Cabeiri (Cabiri, Kabeiroi, or Kabiri; Ancient Greek: Κάβειροι) were a group of enigmatic chthonic deities. They were worshiped in a mystery cult closely associated with that of Hephaestus, centered in the north Aegean islands of Lemnos and possibly Samothrace—at the Samothrace temple complex—and at Thebes. In their distant origins the Cabeiri and the Samothracian gods may include pre-Greek elements, or other non-Greek elements, such as Hittite, Thracian, proto-Etruscan or Phrygian. The Lemnian cult was always local to Lemnos, but the Samothracian mystery cult spread rapidly throughout the Greek world during the Hellenistic period, eventually initiating Romans.

The ancient sources disagree about whether the deities of Samothrace were Cabeiri or not; and the accounts of the two cults differ in detail. But the two islands are close to each other, at the northern end of the Aegean, and the cults are at least similar, and neither fits easily into the Olympic pantheon: the Cabeiri were given a mythic genealogy as sons of Hephaestus. The accounts of the Samothracian gods, whose names were secret, differ in the number and sexes of the gods: usually between two and four, some of either sex. The number of Cabeiri also varies, with some accounts citing four (often a pair of males and a pair of females), and some even more, such as a tribe or whole race of Cabeiri, often presented as all male.

Cabiri (disambiguation)

Cabiri may refer to:

The Cabiri

The Cabiri, a Seattle-based non-profit physical theater troupe, was founded in 1999 by Artistic Director John S. Murphy. In 2001, the troupe became legally incorporated (under the organization The Anunnaki Project) and obtained 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. The mission of The Cabiri and The Anunnaki Project is to preserve the mythologies of cultures that have passed into antiquity, utilizing theatrical, storytelling dance performances, educational presentations, and a free online encyclopedia of terms from folklore and mythology.

Since its inception, the troupe has utilized a variety of mediums to present "performative mythology," theatrical depictions of tales from folklore and mythology. Tales from Babylonian mythology, Celtic mythology, Chinese mythology, Greek mythology, Italian folklore, Japanese mythology, Romanian folklore, Russian mythology, Sumerian mythology, and other mythos have been utilized in past productions.

The Cabiri's early work consisted primarily of street theater and performance art including fire dancing, stilt walking, and juggling. In 2001 the company began incorporating aerial dance on low-flying trapeze, aerial sling, aerial hoop (lyra), and other apparatus. Aerial dance has since become the primary performance focus of the troupe.