ˈhī(ə)rəˌfant; hīˈerəˌfant, -_fənt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Late Latin hierophanta, hierophantes, from Greek hierophantēs, from hier- + -phantēs (from phainein to reveal, show, make known) — more at fancy
1. : a priest in ancient Greece
a hierophant … dressed in a fawn skin, with a crown of poplar leaves — L.P.Smith
specifically : the chief priest of the Eleusinian mysteries
2.
a. : a spokesman or interpreter
the hierophant of Beauty, the dedicated poet of the cult — F.R.Leavis
the molder and hierophant of the national life — Van Wyck Brooks
b. : a leading advocate
sociologists have long been hierophants of methodology — R.K.Merton