Term

Thyiades

also known as Thyiad, maenads of Delphi

Definition

The god-intoxicated women of Dionysus who, at the winter solstice, climbed Parnassus in great numbers to let the divine child rise again within their hearts. The Delphic maenads, ecstatics of the ascending god.

Etymology

Greek Thyiades, from thyein — 'to rage, to rave, to sacrifice.'