Theophagy is the practice of eating the body of a god. This is sometimes performed symbolically through the eating of a food or material symbolic of the god. In fertility rituals, the harvested grain may itself be the reborn god of vegetation. This practice has origins in many ancient religions. Dionysus and many examples are documented in The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer (1854-1941). Vestiges survive in many modern religions, notably in the Christian eucharist.
See also[]
- life-death-rebirth deity
- descent to the underworld
- anthropophagy
- human sacrifice
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