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But evermore sithen that this custom was first establissched, it abydeth yit, and everyche yeer manye men gelden hem in the close and becomen as wommen, wher it be that thei solacen Combabe or reioysen Iuno. Algates thei gelden hem. And thise no lenger clothen hem as men, but weren wommenes wedes and don wommenes werkes. And as I herde, the blame of this also is leyde on Combabe; for a thyng befel him in this wyse. A straunge womman that cam thider on pilgrimage saughe him whyl he was fayre and clad yit as a man, and sche was seysed of gret love. But after, whan sche lernede that he was marred, sche slowe hirself. Thanne for despeyr that Combabe hadde be cause he was acurst in love, he didde on femele clothinge to the ende that never non other womman scholde ben so begyled. That is whi Galles weren femele aparayl.Since Kombabos bears a very ancient name, since the temple-story ascribes the origin of the Galli to him, not to Attis, and since Attis does not figure at all in the worship as described by Lucian, the Galli can hardly be a Seleucid importation from Phrygia (Cumont); in that case Attis would have been imported also. Meyer, who believes the cult ancient here, but Hittite-Anatolian in its origin, finds evidence of Attis-worship in the name Atargatis (Atat-Ata), which he interprets as the Astarte of Attis; 7.¢., the goddess that is characterized by the worship of Attis (Aesch., p. 650). This view not only leaves Kombabos out of account, but does not reckon with the fact that the deity Ata was often, if not always, thought of as feminine (cf. Baudissin, p. 158, 1). The connection, however, between Attis and Ata is indubitable; and I believe that there is an analogous connection between Kombabos (Assyr. Hum-ba-ba, Baby]. Hu-wa-wa, with characteristic w for b) and KéBnBos (Gallus), KvB48n (the goddess Cybele). It cannot be mere coincidence that in Syria Ku(m)baba serves Ata, while in Bhrygie Cybebe is served by Attis. That the transfer in which man and goddess exchanged names was from Semitic to non-Semitic soil is, it seems to me, likely from the antiquity of the name Ku(m)baba. Other arguments are not wanting.
