HĒRAEA (ἡραῖα), the name of festivals celebrated in honour of Hera
in all the towns of Greece where the worship of this divinity was
introduced. The original seat of her worship was Argos; whence her
festivals in other places were, more or less, imitations of those
which were celebrated at Argos. Her service was performed by the
most distinguished priestesses of the place; one of them was the
high-priestess, and the Argives counted their years by the date of
her office. The Heraea of Argos were celebrated every fifth year.
One of the great solemnities which took place on the occasion, was
a magnificent procession to the great temple of Hera, between Argos
and Mycenae. A vast number of young men assembled at Argos, and
marched in armour to the temple of the goddess. They were preceded
by one hundred oxen (ἑκατόμβη, whence the festival is also called
ἑκατόμβαια). The high-priestess accompanied this procession, riding
in a chariot drawn by two white oxen. The 100 oxen were sacrificed,
and their flesh distributed among all the citizens; after which
games and contests took place. Of the Heraea celebrated in other
countries, those of Samos, which island derived the worship of Hera
from Argos, were perhaps the most brilliant of all the festivals
of this divinity. The Heraea of Elis, which were celebrated in the
fourth year of every Olympiad, were also conducted with considerable
splendour.
HĒRES.--(1) GREEK. To obtain the right of inheritance as well as
citizenship at Athens (ἀγχιστεία and πολιτεία), legitimacy was a
necessary qualification. When an Athenian died leaving legitimate
sons, they shared the inheritance, like our heirs in gavelkind; the
only advantage possessed by the eldest son being the first choice
in the division. Every man of full age and sound mind, not under
durance or improper influence, was competent to make a will; but if
he had a son he could not disinherit him, although his will might
take effect in case the son did not complete his seventeenth year.
If there was but one son, he took the whole estate; but if he had
sisters, it was incumbent on him to provide for them, and give them
suitable marriage portions; they were then called ἐπίπροικοι. On
failure of sons and their issue, daughters and daughters’ children
succeeded, and there seems to have been no limit to the succession in
the descending line. It will assist the student to be informed, that
ἀνεψιός signifies a first cousin. Ἀνεψιαδοῦς is a first cousin’s son;
formed in the same manner as ἀδελφιδοῦς from ἀδελφός, and θυγατριδοῦς
from θυγατήρ. Κλῆρος is the subject-matter of inheritance, or (in one
sense of the word) the inheritance; κληρόνομος the heir. Ἀγχιστεία,
proximity of blood in reference to succession, and sometimes right of
succession. Συγγένεια, natural consanguinity. Συγγενεῖς, collateral
relations, are opposed to ἔκγονοι, lineal descendants.--(2) ROMAN. A
person might become an heres by being named as such (_institutus_,
_scriptus_, _factus_) in a will executed by a competent person,
according to the forms required by law [TESTAMENTUM]. The testator
might either name one person as heres, or he might name several
heredes (_coheredes_), and he might divide the hereditas among
them as he pleased. The shares of the heredes were generally
expressed by reference to the divisions of the As: thus, “heres ex
asse” is heres to the whole property; “heres ex dodrante,” heres
to three-fourths; “heres ex semuncia,” heir to one twenty-fourth.
If there were several heredes named, without any definite shares
being given to them, the property belonged to them in equal shares.
As a general rule, only Roman citizens could be named as heredes
in the will of a Roman citizen; but a slave could also be named
heres, though he had no power to make a will, and a filius-familias
could also be named heres, though he was under the same incapacity.
Persons, not Roman citizens, who had received the commercium, could
take hereditates, legata and fideicommissa by testament.--Heredes
were either Necessarii, Sui et Necessarii, or Extranei. The heres
necessarius was a slave of the testator, who was made an heres and
liber at the same time; and he was called necessarius, because of
the necessity that he was under of accepting the hereditas. The
heredes sui et necessarii were sons and daughters, and the sons
and daughters of a son, who were in the power of a testator. These
heredes sui were called necessarii, because of the necessity that
they were under, according to the civil law, of taking the hereditas
with its incumbrances. But the praetor permitted such persons to
refuse the hereditas (_abstinere se ab hereditate_), and to allow
the property to be sold to pay the testator’s debts; and he gave the
same privilege to a mancipated son (_qui in causa mancipii est_). All
other heredes are called extranei, and comprehend all persons who
are not in the power of a testator, such as emancipated children. A
certain time was allowed to extranei for the _cretio hereditatis_,
that is, for them to determine whether they would take the hereditas
or not: hence the phrase, “cernere hereditatem.”--If a man died
intestate, the hereditas came to the heredes sui, and was then called
_legitima hereditas_. If an intestate had no sui heredes, the Twelve
Tables gave the hereditas to the agnati [COGNATI], and if there were
no agnati, to the gentiles. If a man had a son in his power, he was
bound either to make him heres, or to exheredate (_exheredare_) him
expressly (_nominatim_). If he passed him over in silence (_silentio
praetericrit_), the will was altogether void (_inutile_, _non jure
factum_). Other liberi could be passed over, and the will would
still be a valid will; but the liberi so passed over took a certain
portion of the hereditas _adcrescendo_, as it was termed, or _jure
adcrescendi_. It was necessary either to institute as heredes, or
to exheredate posthumous children _nominatim_, otherwise the will,
which was originally valid, became invalid (_ruptum_); and the will
became invalid by the birth either of a posthumous son or daughter,
or, as the phrase was, _adgnascendo rumpitur testamentum_. The heres
represented the testator and intestate, and had not only a claim to
all his property and all that was due to him, but was bound by all
his obligations. He succeeded to the sacra privata, and was bound
to maintain them, but only in respect of the property, for the
obligation of the sacra privata was attached to property and to the
heres only as the owner of it. Hence the expression “sine sacris
hereditas” meant an hereditas unencumbered with sacra.
HERMAE (ἑρμαῖ), and the diminutive Hermuli (ἑρμίδια), statues
composed of a head, usually that of the god Hermes, placed on a
quadrangular pillar, the height of which corresponds to the stature
of the human body. Such statues were very numerous at Athens. So
great was the demand for these works that the words ἑρμογλύφος,
ἑρμογλυφικὴ τέχνη, and ἑρμογλυφεῖον, were used as the generic terms
for a sculptor, his art, and his studio. Houses in Athens had one of
these statues placed at the door, called ἑρμῆς στροφαῖος or στροφεύς;
and sometimes also in the peristyle. The great reverence attached to
them is shown by the alarm and indignation which were felt at Athens
in consequence of the mutilation of the whole number in a single
night, just before the sailing of the Sicilian expedition. They were
likewise placed in front of temples, near to tombs, in the gymnasia,
palaestrae, libraries, porticoes, and public places, at the corners
of streets, on high roads as sign-posts, with distances inscribed
upon them, and on the boundaries of lands and states, and at the
gates of cities. Small Hermae were also used as pilasters, and as
supports for furniture and utensils. Many statues existed of other
deities, of the same form as the Hermae; which no doubt originated
in the same manner; and which were still called by the generic name
of _Hermae_; even though the bust upon them was that of another
deity. Some statues of this kind are described by a name compounded
of that of Hermes and another divinity: thus we have _Hermanubis_,
_Hermares_, _Hermathena_, _Hermeracles_, _Hermeros_, _Hermopan_.
There is another class of these works, in which the bust represented
no deity at all, but was simply the portrait of a man. Even these
statues, however, retained the names of _Hermae_ and _Termini_. The
Hermae were used by the wealthy Romans for the decoration of their
houses. The following engraving exhibits a Hermes decorated with
garlands and surrounded with the implements of his worship.
[Illustration: Hermes. (From a Bas-relief.)]
HERMAEA (ἕρμαια), festivals of Hermes, celebrated in various parts
of Greece. As Hermes was the tutelary deity of the gymnasia and
palaestrae, the boys at Athens celebrated the Hermaea in the gymnasia.
HESTIĀSIS (ἑστίασις), was a species of liturgy, and consisted in
giving a feast to one of the tribes at Athens (τὴν φυλὴν ἑστιᾶν). It
was provided for each tribe at the expense of a person belonging to
that tribe, who was called ἑστιάτωρ.
HĬĔRODŪLI (ἱερόδουλοι), persons of both sexes, who were devoted like
slaves to the worship of the gods. They were of Eastern origin, and
are most frequently met with in connection with the worship of the
deities of Syria, Phoenicia, and Asia Minor. They consisted of two
classes; one composed of slaves, properly so called, who attended
to all the lower duties connected with the worship of the gods,
cultivated the sacred lands, &c., and whose descendants continued
in the same servile condition; and the other comprising persons who
were personally free, but had dedicated themselves as slaves to the
gods, and who were either attached to the temples, or were dispersed
throughout the country and brought to the gods the money they had
gained. To the latter class belonged the women, who prostituted their
persons, and presented to the gods the money they had obtained by
this means. This class was only found in Greece, in connection with
the worship of those divinities who were of Eastern origin, or whose
religious rites were borrowed from the East. This was the case with
Aphrodite (Venus), who was originally an Oriental goddess.
HĬĔRŎMNĒMŎNES (ἱερομνήμονες), the more honourable of the two classes
of representatives who composed the Amphictyonic council. An account
of them is given under AMPHICTYONES.--We also read of hieromnemones
in Grecian states, distinct from the Amphictyonic representatives
of this name. Thus the priests of Poseidon, at Megara, were called
hieromnemones, and at Byzantium, which was a colony of Megara, the
chief magistrate in the state appears to have been called by this
name.