Hera Eleutheria, the water of freedom and the slaves

Abstract

In the Greek colony of Kroton the goddess Hera was worshipped with the epithet Eleutheria, which can be translated as “grantor of freedom”. Her cult was in fact possibly connected with the protection and the manumission of slaves, as the epigraphic and archaeological data seem to suggest. Some inscriptions (all considered in the text) that possibly concern the manumission of slaves or their consecration to the goddess were discovered in the renowned temple of Capo Lacinio. This reminds us the role of asylum that the sanctuary used to have. The Heraia of Argos and Samos were also places where the slaves, as suppliants, could seek refuge. Some wrist and foot chains broken with a mallet were found in the smaller temple (Heraion) of Vigna Nuova and these items may refer to some prisoners, who were set free all together. Finally, the adjective eleutherios/eleutheros appears to be strongly related with water and the ritual connected to it (drinking, immerging) to be released from slavery.