Liber was one of the original Roman gods. A favourite of the plebeians, he was the god of fertility and wine. His festival, the Liberalia, celebrated on the 17th March was an occasion to mark the return of life. It was also a favourite time for Roman boys to come of age.

Who was Liber?

Liber was the Roman god of wine and fertility. Also known as ‘Pater liber‘ or ‘the free father”, he was one of the twelve traditional Roman councillor gods assembled by Jupiter. Commonly described as a happy, fat, bald old man accompanied by satyrs, Liber was a god popular with the plebeians.

Liber had no major temple of his own in the city of Rome. Instead, he was part of the Aventine Triad. He shared a temple in this part of the city with Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, who was reputedly his mother and the goddess Libera, who was regarded as his sister. Cicero suggests that Liber gained his name from his status as one of Ceres’s children — the word liberi meant children. With time, the meaning of that name changed, and so Liber became associated with the concept of freedom.

Together with Libera, Liber was concerned with seeds and fertility. Later, he also became associated with wine. The Aventine temple was founded in 493BC, meaning that Liber’s cult can be dated back to at least the fifth century BC.

A God of Wine and Honey

Liber was a Roman god of wine because, like grain, it was an important Roman agricultural product. The vine was one of the first crops that the Romans grew, and grapes were regarded as one of the most essential fruits.

Honey is also another product that Liber was associated with. In keeping with his rural roots, Liber is credited with discovering honey and the domestication of bees. Legend states that a swarm of bees became attracted to the cymbal music created by his satyrs, taking it to be the drowning of other bees. On capturing the bees, Liber created the first domestic hive in a tree.

Liber’s Festival: The Liberalia

Liber’s festival, the Liberalia, can also be dated back to the fifth century BC. Falling on the 17th March, it was a holiday and celebration popular amongst the plebs. It was a celebration of spring and its rituals were full of the symbols of renewed fertility.

The festival was rural in flavour. Traditionally it began with a phallus paraded through the fields outside Rome. The phallus’s procession then entered Rome, accompanied by crude rustic songs.

Sacrifices were made to Liber to ensure his favour. Known as libations after Liber and his celebrations, they started as offerings of milk during the time of Romulus. With time, these offerings developed to include special honey-drenched cakes known as liba and offerings of wine —  reflections of Liber’s agricultural associations.

Coming of Age Celebrations

Liber’s day was not only dedicated to the return of spring. The Liberalia was also when sixteen-year-old boys came of age and put on their togas for the first time. Ovid explains this tradition as having several origins. As the father of all, Liber would bless the boys in his care, so the Liberalia was a favourable day to begin their full, productive lives as Roman citizens. 

This custom was as old as the festival, dating from when the Romans were farmers and venerated Liber primarily for his association with agriculture and fertility. All Roman society would have joined in the festivities — so what better day to have your coming of age witnessed and celebrated?

Resources

Price, S and Kearns, E (eds) (2003) The Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion (2003). Oxford University Press.

Boyle, A J and Woodard R D (trans) Ovid ‘Fasti’. Penguin Books.

McGregor, Horace, (trans) Cicero: The Nature of the Gods. Penguin Books

Varro, On Agriculture. Loeb Classical Library