Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, Soteria () was the goddess or spirit ( daimon) of

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

and

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

, deliverance, and preservation from harm (not to be mistaken for Eleos). Soteria was also an epithet of the goddesses

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), also called Kore ( ; ) or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the Greek underworld, underworld afte ...

and Hecate, meaning deliverance and safety.Sarah Iles Johnston, ''Hekate Soteira'', Scholars Press, 1990. Soteria's male counterpart was the spirit or daimon Soter. Both

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

and

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...

were titled Soter, so either may have been her father; her mother is unknown. She had a sanctuary and a statue made in her honor in the town of Patrae, which was believed to have been founded by Eurypylos of Thessaly. Various texts mention the creation of her sanctuary, for example: * Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'' 7. 24. 3 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue 2nd century AD): " n Aigion in Akhaia (Aegium in Achaea)they also have a sanctuary of Soteria (Safety). Her image may be seen by none but the priests, and the following ritual is performed. They take cakes of the district from the goddess and throw them into the sea, saying that they send them to Arethousa at Syrakousa (Syracuse)." * Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'' 7. 19. 7 & 21. 7: "Eurypylos he hero of the Trojan Waropened the chest ontaining a sacred idol of Dionysos saw the image, and forthwith on seeing it went mad. He continued to be insane for the greater part of the time, with rare lucid intervals ... There is a sanctuary n Patrai in Akhaia (Patrae in Achaea)with an image of stone. It is called the sanctuary of Soteria (Deliverance), and the story is that it was originally founded by Eurypylos on being cured of his madness." * Ovid, Fasti 3. 879 ff (trans. Boyle) (Roman poetry 1st century BC to 1st century AD): "March 30 Comitialis. When the shepherd feeds and pens his kids four more times and the grasslands whiten with four fresh dews, Janus should be worshipped and gentle Concordia (Concord), Salus Romana (Safety of Rome) and the Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace)." Soteria was depicted as a woman wearing a laurel wreath crown, a symbol of victory. In

Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...

, Soteria is known as Salus (Preservation); however, Salus's domain more heavily featured physical well-being and health rather than security and safety. The Bible's use of Soteria indicates its etymology from Greek mythology, as the word is used to mean "fourfold salvation: saved from the penalty, power, presence and most importantly the pleasure of sin."

Notes

{{Authority control Greek goddesses Justice goddesses Justice deities Personifications in Greek mythology Epithets of Persephone Daimons Savior goddesses Children of Zeus Children of Dionysus Patras

See also

Notes