March 17 is a day dedicated to Liber/Libera with the festivities of Liberalia.
In this post I do not want to describe the characteristics of this public cult in the past (at present very difficult to perform in its original expression): I'd rather prefer to provide some brief consideration useful (I hope) both for an eventual private cult and for the understanding of some related implications and meanings which can help us to maintain our personal status of "awakening" and "awareness".
Liber and Libera are fecundity natural forces (not accidentally cited during this month dedicated to fecundanting Mars), above all a fecundity linked to wild Nature particularly active in the forests; they are mainly active during the transition or passage periods such as Spring and Autumn.
Liber in
particular is the trees' cortex, above all the cortex richer of life and sap connecting the leaves to the roots. Liber/Libera are "Deities of the Sap", "The plants' blood". They are underground forces (included in the triad Ceres-Liber-Libera) which every spring emerge from the ground to resuscitate plants and trees.
They are symbolized by the Ivy, a plant living drawing sap from trees.
Thanks ot these forces, trees can be covered by leaves and then by flowers. Liber/Libera are forces of the Sap, pollen and nectar as well as any kind of lymph: for men and women, Liber/Libera are linked to the maturity of sex organs and the related fluids as tools to animate Nature
We can use this Ode by Horace as invocation to Liber/Libera
Bacchus on the far-off rocky hills, teaching
his chants -- you who are still to come, believe me --
I saw him and his student Nymphs and
goat-footed Satyrs and their pointed ears.
Euhoë! -- my soul trembles with that moment's fear,
Bacchus possesses my breast and I madly
rejoice. Euhoë!, spare me, Liber,
spare me, god of the fearful rod of power.
I must celebrate your inexhaustible
revelers, and the fountains of wine and full
rivers of milk, and mirror in song
honey dripping from the hollows of trees...
Horace, Ode 2.19
2 commenti:
Hello! Although I understand that English is not your native language, since you appear to write it very well, I hope that you will forgive me if I do not write in Italian. The fault is mine for my poor knowledge of Italian.
If you are reading this, I must disagree with you when you write that Liber in particular is the tree's cortex, where you wrote that above all the cortex richer of life and sap connecting the leaves to the roots, liber in particolare è la corteccia dell'albero. There are two words, Liber as free and Liber as the interior flesh of a tree. The genitive case (where the root of the word is more definitely understood) of the two words are different. The nominatives only appear to be the same. One is a short letter I as the second letter: liber, libri (the flesh of a tree) and the other is a long letter I as the second letter: Liber, Liberi (the God) and liberum, liberi (neuter adjective meaning free/free thing).
The meaning of the words changed over time for the Romans, especially Liber as a free and as a divinity, but those meanings of Liber, Liberi do not have an etymological connexion to liber, libri. There is an Italian song that for years I thought had the word ècco when it turned out to be eco. The word was shouted so I thought it was a crying out of emotion, ècco! ècco! hey! hey! When I finally read the lyrics, I found out it was eco, eco. Similar words, ècco and eco, or libri and liberi, are not always the same.
But with that having been put aside, you are right that as you wrote Liber/Libera are forces of the sap, pollen and nectar, il sangue delle piante.
It may interest you to know that the Greek (Attic Greek) City Dionysia or Great Dionysia occurs at this time of the year and indeed in this year it occurs approximately four days after the Liberalia. Liber was a Roman God, but there was some cross-pollenation of ideas between the Romans and Greeks. When you wrote of awareness and awakening, consapevolezza e veglia, I hope you are aware of the most famous phenomenon to come out of the City Dionysia: their tragic plays. The tragic plays honoured Dionysos, the Greek Liber, and they seemed to be more than a talent showcase or a spectacle for dulling the edge of time. They provided a public opportunity to focus the minds of the people on ideas appropriate to religious meditations on the gods and their creations.
But these are plays with a Greek, not Roman, outlook, and do not largely deal with Liber/Dionysos/Bacchus. Yet they still provide a larger paradigm, especially if as you write you are considering the personal rather than public rituals that would go along Liber Pater. There is a painting by Guido Reni, Bacco che beve. There is even that story by the German Thomas Mann: Death in Venice. With respect to Liber, I cannot help but think that he never disappeared.
SLK
Dear Friend
thank you for your detailed and well informed comment. Yes, as you have noticed, I'm not very good with English, but I'm trying to do my best to be clear enough even if certain traditional religious concepts are very difficult to explain for me in Italian (we have lost during the time course the corrects words): let alone in english.
Anyway, you are right when you point out the grammatical differences linked to the term Liber. What I want to say is that when talking about religion, in living terms rather than in pure historical or reconstructionism ones, very often words may hide different connections, different levels in understanding, cross-meanings and so on: something deeper, more complex and profound.
Surely Liber/Libera have a connection with Dionysos/Bacchus: even the symbols are quite similar probably deriving from the same common tradition.
In these symbols there is the real identity of Liber/Libera.
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