Libertas (deity)

Symbol: Freedom, laurel wreath, rod, Phrygian cap, cat

Culture: Roman

Libertas is a Roman deity who was seen as the personification of liberty and freedom. She is most often depicted as a goddess or mother figure, and may be wearing a wreath of laurels and holding a rod and a cap that symbolize freedom. The Romans honored Libertas with a temple near their capital city of Rome. Her image was also featured on coins dating from the time of the Roman Republic. In more modern times, the deity has been used as a national symbol of independence by many countries. In the late nineteenth century, the image of Libertas inspired the creation of the Statue of Liberty, one of the most iconic symbols of the United States.

In Mythology

In ancient Greece, the embodiment of freedom was represented by the goddess Eleutheria. While images of Eleutheria were found on some Greek coins, her name is most often used in connection with Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. As Roman civilization began to spread across the Mediterranean region, the Romans adopted much of their culture and religion from the Greeks. In the Roman pantheon of deities, Eleutheria became Libertas, named from the Latin word for "freedom."

Libertas was sometimes associated with the goddess Feronia, an agricultural deity worshipped by the Etruscans, a culture that inhabited the Italian peninsula before the Romans. In some cases, the image of Libertas was merged with Rome's chief deity, Jupiter. Libertas became a symbol of the Roman Republic when it was founded around 509 BCE. Around 285 BCE, the Romans honored the goddess with a temple built on Aventine Hill, one of the famed Seven Hills of Rome. The first known images of Libertas to be struck on coins are dated to about 126 BCE.

The Romans often portrayed Libertas as either wearing or holding a wreath of laurels. Laurel wreaths were considered symbols of victory; when connected with the goddess, they represented triumph over tyranny. Libertas is also shown holding a rod or staff in her left hand and a cone-shaped cap in her right. The rod represents the vindicta, a staff used during a ceremony in which a slave is officially freed. The cap is also called a pileus or Phrygian cap. After a slave was released from servitude, the cap was placed upon his or her head as a sign of newfound freedom. In some instances, Libertas is also shown with a cat at her feet.

The Romans, like the Greeks before them, held certain moral and civic values to be important cornerstones of their society. The Roman religion assigned these values to deities called the Virtues. The Virtues represented the qualities each citizen was expected to embody. Individuals were to revere personal Virtues such as Veritas (truthfulness), Comitas (Humor), and Clementia (Mercy). Another group of Virtues applied to public life and were believed essential for a just society. These included Felicitas (Happiness), Nobilitas (Nobility), and Justitia (Justice). Libertas was considered to be one of the more important of the public Virtues.

In Popular Culture

During the fifteenth century, Europe experienced an artistic and cultural rebirth known as the Renaissance, a period noted for the rediscovery of the art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. Many writers, artists, and political leaders reflected the inspiration they drew from these classical sources in their work and philosophies. In colonial America, the leaders of the brewing revolution adopted the image of Libertas as a symbol of freedom. In 1766, American patriot Paul Revere depicted Lady Liberty on a Boston monument erected to celebrate the repeal of the Stamp Act—a British tax that caused great anger in the colonies. Lady Liberty was shown carrying both a staff and cap, elements that were sometimes called the Liberty Pole and Liberty Cap. Activist and writer Thomas Paine referred to the Goddess of Liberty in his poem "Liberty Tree," written after the outbreak of the Revolutionary War in 1775.

In 1789, the French also adopted the use of Libertas as a symbol for their impending revolution. They saw the goddess as a young female warrior holding a staff and a Phrygian cap. The French version of Libertas represented the belief that liberty was a goal that must be achieved through battle. The image of Libertas grew into the figure of Marianne, the female symbol of the new French Republic in 1792. The name was a merger of Marie and Anne, the two most popular female names among France's working class at the time. Depictions of Marianne often showed her with a Liberty Cap and, at times, with a cat at her feet.

The image of Lady Liberty remained a popular symbol in the United States in the centuries after the American Revolution. She appeared with the Roman goddess of justice on the New York state flag. On the state seal of Virginia, Liberty is joined by the goddesses of eternity and fruitfulness. She also adorned the state seal of New Jersey. A bronze statue of Liberty was built atop the dome of the United States Capitol building in Washington, DC. Statues of her can also be found on state capital buildings in Georgia and Texas.

Perhaps the most well-known modern representation of Libertas is the famed Statue of Liberty, which stands on an island in New York Harbor. The statue was created by sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and presented to the United States as a gift from France in 1886. The statue's design was meant to represent Libertas and was intended as both a celebration of democracy and to note the centennial of the United States. The torch in the statue's upstretched hand is a symbol of the light of freedom while the broken chains at her feet represent freedom from oppression.

Bibliography

Arena, Valentina. Libertas and the Practice of Politics in the Late Roman Republic. Cambridge UP, 2012.

Collins, Glenn. "Cracks Found in the Myths around Statue; Park Service Librarian Writes Book to Clarify Lady Liberty's Origins." New York Times, 28 Oct. 2000, www.nytimes.com/2000/10/28/nyregion/cracks-found-myths-around-statue-park-service-librarian-writes-book-clarify-lady.html. Accessed 23 Jan. 2018.

Fox, Selena. "The Goddess of Freedom: From Libertas to Lady Liberty." Naming the Goddess. Edited by Trevor Greenfield, Moon Books, 2014.

George, Arthur. "Independence Day Mythology: Our Goddess Liberty." Mythology Matters, 2 July 2015, mythologymatters.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/independence-day-mythology-our-goddess-liberty/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2018.

"Marianne and the Motto of the Republic." Government of France, www.gouvernement.fr/en/marianne-and-the-motto-of-the-republic. Accessed 23 Jan. 2018.

Marzak, David. "Roman Goddess 'Libertas' Imported to America." New Era, 22 Apr. 2016, newera.news/roman-goddess-libertas-americas-lady-liberty/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2018.

"The Roman Concept of Fides." California State University Northridge, 24 May 2009, www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/fides.html. Accessed 23 Jan. 2018.

Tate, Karen. "Lady Liberty." Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations. Consortium of Collective Consciousness, 2006, pp. 360–62.