BAETYLUS (be'te-lus), a Greek word of Semitic origin (=bethel) denoting a sacred stone. Numerous holy or fetish stones existed in antiquity, and were generally attached to the cult of some particular god, and looked upon as his abiding-place or symbol. A famous example is the holy stone at Delphi (Pau san. x. 24), said to have been the one which Cronus (q.v.) swallowed. Another famous stone was that of Cybele, at Pes sinus. See GREAT MOTHER OF THE GODS. In some cases an attempt was made to give a more regular form to the original shapeless stone. See HERMAE.