Just before I delve into Tein´s very interesting question, I have something to say about Dibella herself. I have to admit that I am - and am probably not the only one - who is "stereotyping" that goddess. I mean, say Dibella and immediately the first thing that comes to my mind is Aphrodite of Ancient Greece. And fate would have it, Aphrodite´s cult was known to do "sacred prostitution" or "sacred sex" - so it´s not like Dibellan Rites are completely without precedent.
Sacred prostitution, temple prostitution, cult prostitution,[1] and religious prostitution are general terms for a sexual ritual consisting of sexual intercourse or other sexual activity performed in the context of religious worship, perhaps as a form of fertility rite or divine marriage (hieros gamos). Some scholars prefer the term sacred sex to sacred prostitution in cases where payment for services was not involved.
In ancient Greece, sacred prostitution was known in the city of Corinth where the temple of Aphrodite employed a significant number of female servants, hetairai, during classical antiquity.[28]
But surely Dibella can´t be only about that, right? Aphrodite´s role in Greek mythology is quite set and limited mainly for the reason the Greek pantheon is much more numerous than the one of TES. In TES you have basicaly 8/9 Gods and those sort of have to fill the important roles of "good life". So Dibella certainly must have more facets than just sex and love. And yet, what do we get from the Lore?
I spit upon Dibella, goddess of whores and lepers, whose followers mock the scarred and the misshapen as though they were animals. - Falsehoods and Fallacies of the Eight
To DIBELLA who pays Men in Moans. - PGE1
Dibella (Goddess of Beauty):
Popular god of the Eight Divines, Dibella has nearly a dozen different cults, some devoted to women, some to artists and aesthetics, and others to erotic instruction. - Varieties of Faith
Now, regarding Sybil...I don´t know, consider me a disbeliever but I was never really fond of the idea of prophets and such, so I can´t offer much insight into that, except providing a quote from one of ESO questions thread.
“How the Sibyl of a House of Dibella is selected is one of their cult mysteries—if I knew the answer, I couldn't tell you, as I would be sworn to secrecy! It is said by some that Dibella herself chooses her Sibyls, communicating her choice to a congregation through some form of divine revelation. Others, myself included, deem this rather unlikely, as the Self-Sacrificed Gods are no longer active presences in our world. Father Akatosh might be considered the most 'active' Aedra of all, as we sense him every second in the passage of time—but if I, a Bishop of Akatosh, have never communed with my Divine, then (with no disrespect to the Lady of Love) how likely is it that a Sibyl of Dibella can commune with hers? Not at all. No, not likely at all."
Just before I delve into Tein´s very interesting question, I have something to say about Dibella herself. I have to admit that I am - and am probably not the only one - who is "stereotyping" that goddess. I mean, say Dibella and immediately the first thing that comes to my mind is Aphrodite of Ancient Greece. And fate would have it, Aphrodite´s cult was known to do "sacred prostitution" or "sacred sex" - so it´s not like Dibellan Rites are completely without precedent.
Sacred prostitution, temple prostitution, cult prostitution,[1] and religious prostitution are general terms for a sexual ritual consisting of sexual intercourse or other sexual activity performed in the context of religious worship, perhaps as a form of fertility rite or divine marriage (hieros gamos). Some scholars prefer the term sacred sex to sacred prostitution in cases where payment for services was not involved.
In ancient Greece, sacred prostitution was known in the city of Corinth where the temple of Aphrodite employed a significant number of female servants, hetairai, during classical antiquity.[28]
But surely Dibella can´t be only about that, right? Aphrodite´s role in Greek mythology is quite set and limited mainly for the reason the Greek pantheon is much more numerous than the one of TES. In TES you have basicaly 8/9 Gods and those sort of have to fill the important roles of "good life". So Dibella certainly must have more facets than just sex and love. And yet, what do we get from the Lore?
I spit upon Dibella, goddess of whores and lepers, whose followers mock the scarred and the misshapen as though they were animals. - Falsehoods and Fallacies of the Eight
To DIBELLA who pays Men in Moans. - PGE1
Dibella (Goddess of Beauty):
Popular god of the Eight Divines, Dibella has nearly a dozen different cults, some devoted to women, some to artists and aesthetics, and others to erotic instruction. - Varieties of Faith
Now, regarding Sybil...I don´t know, consider me a disbeliever but I was never really fond of the idea of prophets and such, so I can´t offer much insight into that, except providing a quote from one of ESO questions thread.
“How the Sibyl of a House of Dibella is selected is one of their cult mysteries—if I knew the answer, I couldn't tell you, as I would be sworn to secrecy! It is said by some that Dibella herself chooses her Sibyls, communicating her choice to a congregation through some form of divine revelation. Others, myself included, deem this rather unlikely, as the Self-Sacrificed Gods are no longer active presences in our world. Father Akatosh might be considered the most 'active' Aedra of all, as we sense him every second in the passage of time—but if I, a Bishop of Akatosh, have never communed with my Divine, then (with no disrespect to the Lady of Love) how likely is it that a Sibyl of Dibella can commune with hers? Not at all. No, not likely at all."
