Hieros Gamos

Hieros gamos, (from Ancient Greek: ἱερός, romanized: hieros, lit. 'holy, sacred' and γάμος gamos 'marriage') or hierogamy (Ancient Greek: ἱερὸς γάμος, ἱερογαμία 'holy marriage') is a sacred marriage that takes place between gods, especially when enacted in a symbolic ritual where human participants represent the deities. The notion of hieros gamos does not always presuppose literal sexual intercourse in ritual, but is also used in purely symbolic or mythological contexts, notably in alchemy and hence in Jungian psychology. Hieros gamos is described as the prototype of fertility rituals.