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.