{{Expand Swedish, Sacerdos Liberi, date=October 2021
Sacerdos Liberi or sacerdos Liberi publica was the title of the Priestess of the god
Liber
In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Liber ( , ; "the free one"), also known as Liber Pater ("the free Father"), was a god of viticulture and wine, male fertility and freedom. He was a patron deity of Rome's plebeians and was part of the ...
and the goddess
Libera
Libera may refer to:
* Libera (mythology), a Roman goddess of fertility
* Libera (choir), a boy vocal group from London
* ''Libera'' (film), a 1993 comedy film
* "Libera" (song), a song by Italian artist Mia Martini
* ''Libera'' (gastropod), a ...
in
Ancient Rome
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...
Liberalia
In ancient Roman religion, the Liberalia (March 17) was the festival of Liber Pater and his consort Libera.T.P. Wiseman, ''Remus: a Roman myth'', Cambridge University Press, 1995, p.133. The Romans celebrated Liberalia with sacrifices, processio ...
in Ancient Rome on 17 March.
Marcus Terentius Varro
Marcus Terentius Varro (; 116–27 BC) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Vergil and Cicero). He is sometimes calle ...
described them as old women, who sold cookies during the Liberalia festival. Liber's festivals are timed to the springtime awakening and renewal of fertility in the agricultural cycle. In Rome, his annual
Liberalia
In ancient Roman religion, the Liberalia (March 17) was the festival of Liber Pater and his consort Libera.T.P. Wiseman, ''Remus: a Roman myth'', Cambridge University Press, 1995, p.133. The Romans celebrated Liberalia with sacrifices, processio ...
public festival was held on March 17. A portable shrine was carried through Rome's neighbourhoods ('' vici''); Liber's aged, ivy-crowned priestesses offered honey cakes for sale, and offered sacrifice on behalf of those who bought them