By Ellen Lorenzi-Prince © 2005 All rights reserved
All those who seek
sanctuary here receive full forgiveness, and prisoners, when set free, dedicate
their fetters on the trees in [Hebe’s] grove.
Pausanias, Description of Greece,
ca. 160 CE
Hebe is the goddess of
youth, sweetness, forgiveness and renewal. She poured out the nectar that kept
the gods immortal. She freed men from chains and bonds, giving them a fresh
start. Her rites were celebrated with great merriment.