Hera
OLYMPIAN, Queen of the Gods
Hera is the wife of Zeus, the Queen of Olympus, and the Olympian
goddess of marriage. As such, she is also the deity most associated
with family and the welfare of women and children. Hera was
extremely venerated by Greeks who dedicated numerous, impressive
temples to her worship, including the Heraion of Samon—which is
one of the largest Greek temples in existence. In art, she is commonly
seen with her sacred animals: the lion, peacock, and cow. She is
always depicted as majestic and queenly. Her marriage, however, was an unhappy one,
since Zeus had numerous affairs. Jealous and vengeful, Hera made sure to give each
of his consorts some hard time.Are
1. GENERAL FACTS ABOUT HERA
Hera's Name
Based on the number of cults, Hera was a very ancient goddess, possibly predating
even Zeus. In fact, it’s assumed that we don’t even know her original name. “Hera” is
actually a title, which is usually translated as “Lady” or “Mistress.” Hera’s Roman
counterpart was Juno, the goddess who gave her name to the month of June, even
today, the most popular time for weddings.
Hera's Portrayal and Symbolism
Hera was usually portrayed alongside Zeus, as a fully clothed matronly woman of
solemn beauty, wearing a cylindrical crown called polos or a wreath and a veil.
Sometimes she carries a scepter capped with a pomegranate and a cuckoo – the
former a symbol of fertility, the latter a token of the way she was wooed by Zeus. She is
also often accompanied by a peacock, one of her sacred animals.
Hera's Epithets (NICKNAMES/OTHER NAMES)
Homer often refers to Hera as “cow-eyed” and “white-armed” – which are her most
famous epithets. She is also sometimes called “a virgin,” since it was believed that
every year she bathed in a spring to renew her virginity.
Hera's Family
Being born after Hestia and Demeter, Hera is the youngest of Cronus’ and Rhea’s three
daughters and their third child overall; Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus – in that order – are
her younger brothers. However, since just like each of her siblings but Zeus, she was
swallowed by her father at birth and later disgorged to be born again, she is sometimes
referred to as Cronus’ and Rhea’s oldest daughter. Reasonably, since the Titan had to
empty his stomach of his children in the order opposite of the one in which he ate them.
2. The ARCHETYPAL MARRIED COUPLE: Hera and Zeus
As the guardian of marriage and the spouse of the King of Gods and Men, Hera didn’t
have much choice but to be a faithful wife. Even though she was beautiful, not many
men – and not one god – dared to lay hands on her. Endymion tried once, but Zeus
condemned him to eternal sleep. Ixion fared even worse: Zeus fooled him into making
love with a cloud fashioned in Hera’s image, and then ordered Hermes to bind him to a
perpetually turning wheel of fire.
HERA’S CHILDREN
By most accounts, Hera gave Zeus four children: Ares, the god of war, Eileithyia, the
goddess of childbirth, Hebe, the goddess of eternal youth, and Hephaestus, the god of
fire.
● Ares – god of war
● Eileithyia – goddess of childbirth
● Hebe – goddess of youth
● Hephaestus – god of fire and the forge. Hera is said to have conceived and
given birth to Hephaestus alone, but disliked him for his ugliness.
We get our knowledge of the Greek Gods from the stories, poems and epics of famous
ancient writers like Homer, Ovid, Hesiod and others. Sometimes one story has different
information than another so that is why there are discrepancies and different versions of
some Greek Myth stories. SO…. Sometimes these other Gods/Goddesses are referred
to as Hera’s children.
● Enyo – a war goddess
● Eris – goddess of discord. However, sometimes Nyx and/or Erebus are
portrayed as her parents.
● Typhon – a serpent monster. In most sources, he’s depicted as the son of Gaia
and Tartarus, but in one source he’s the son of Hera alone.
3. VENGEFUL WIFE (& Zeus’s many affairs)
The Wooing of Hera
Zeus tricked Hera into marriage. Knowing full well that the goddess loved animals, he
transformed himself into a distressed cuckoo and reverted to his original form only when
Hera took the poor creature to her breast to warm it. Ashamed for being taken
advantage of, Hera agreed to a marriage.
Hera Challenges Zeus & Loses
However, it didn’t turn out to be a happy one. Zeus was brutish and cruel to everybody.
Incapable of bearing this, Hera plotted a revenge plan with Poseidon, Athena and
possibly few other gods. She drugged Zeus, and they bound him on his bed, while
stealing his thunderbolt. Thetis, however, summoned Briareus and he managed to
quickly untie Zeus, who was, subsequently, merciless to the main schemer: he hung
Hera from the sky with golden chains. To grant herself a release, Hera swore to never
rebel again against her husband. So, she directed her anger toward Zeus’s lovers and
their offspring, becoming a jealous and vindictive wife.
Just 4 of ZEUS’s Many Affairs:
Hera and Semele
For example, she tricked Semele into forcing her lover – which she knew was Zeus – to
reveal himself before her in all his glory. Since humans can’t look upon at gods without
incinerating, Semele perished into thin air.
Hera and Callisto
Later, she turned Callisto into a bear, after the latter gave birth to Zeus’ child Arcas. After
some time, just as Arcas was about to unwittingly kill his mother, Zeus placed Callisto and
her son in the sky as the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the Big and the Little
Bear.
Hera and the Delaying of Births
Hera kept her daughter Eileithyia from attending the birth of Apollo, postponing it by nine
days and nights. More famously, she did the same with Heracles; in this case, the delay
caused Heracles the throne of Argolid.
Hera and Io
Arguably, Io was the one who endured the most. First Zeus transformed her into a cow so
that he can hide her from Hera. Then, Hera sent Argus Panoptes to watch over her, and
Zeus – Hermes to kill him. After that, Hera transformed Argus’ ghost into a gadfly which
bothered Io in her bovine form all the way to Egypt. Finally, Zeus impregnated her there with
Epaphus.
4. VANITY: Hera, the Vain Goddess
Just like most of the other Greek goddesses, when it came to her beauty, Hera was
easily offended. Once, Orion’s wife Side (“pomegranate”) boasted that she was as
beautiful as Hera, so the goddess sent her to the Underworld. When Laomedon’s
daughter Antigone did the same, Hera turned her into a stork. Finally, after Paris chose
Aphrodite instead of her, she became a sworn enemy of Troy.
5. Hera - FUN FACTS - A Quick Q&A
Who was Hera?
Hera is the wife of Zeus, the Queen of Olympus, and the Olympian goddess of
marriage. As such, she is also the deity most associated with family and the welfare of
women and children.
What did Hera rule over?
Hera ruled over the Marriage, the Women and the Birth.
Where did Hera live?
Hera's home was Mount Olympus.
Who were the parents of Hera?
The parents of Hera were Cronus and Rhea.
Who were brothers and sisters of Hera?
Hera had 6 siblings: Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hestia, Zeus and Chiron (half brother).
Who was the consort of Hera?
Hera's consort was Zeus.
How many children did Hera have?
Hera had 5 children: Ares, Hebe, Eileithyia, Hephaestus and Eris.
Which were the symbols of Hera?
Hera's symbols were the Royal Sceptre and the Diadem.
Which were the sacred animals of Hera?
Hera's sacred animals were the Cow, the Lion, the Cuckoo, the Peacock and the
Panther.
Which were the sacred plants of Hera?
Hera's sacred plants were the Lily, the Pomegranate and the Lotus.
HERA
Affiliation Olympians
Father Cronus (also spelled Kronos)
Mother Rhea
Gender Female
Other Names/Nicknames Ira, cow-eyed, white-armed, virgin
Roman Name Juno
Home Mount Olympus
Rules Marriage, Women, Birth
Symbols Royal Sceptre, Diadem
Animals Cow, Lion, Cuckoo, Peacock, Panther
Plants Lily, Pomegranate, Lotus
Consorts (partners) Zeus
Children Ares, Hebe, Eileithyia, Hephaestus, Eris
Siblings Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hestia, Zeus,
Chiron (half brother)
Most well-known stories in Greek Mythology involving HERA
There are several stories connected to Hera, most of them involving Zeus’ lovers or
illegitimate children. Of these, the most famous are:
Heracles – Hera is the sworn enemy and unwitting stepmother of Heracles. As an
illegitimate child of Zeus, she tried to prevent his birth in any way possible, but ultimately
failed. As an infant, Hera sent two serpents to kill him as he slept in his crib. Heracles
strangled the snakes with his bare hands and survived. When he became an adult,
Hera drove him mad which caused him to lash out and murder his entire family which
later led him to undertaking his famous labors. During these labors, Hera continued to
make his life as hard as possible, nearly killing him many times.
Leto – Upon discovering her husband Zeus’ latest infidelity with the goddess Leto, Hera
convinced the nature spirits not to let Leto from giving birth on any land. Poseidon took
pity on Leto and took her to the magical floating island of Delos, which was not a part of
the nature spirits’ domain. Leto gave birth to her children Artemis and Apollo, much to
Hera’s disappointment.
Io – In an attempt to catch Zeus with a mistress, Hera raced down to earth. Zeus saw
her coming and changed his mistress Io into a snow-white cow in order to trick Hera.
Hera was unmoved and saw through the deception. She requested Zeus give her the
beautiful cow as a gift, effectively keeping Zeus and his lover apart.
Paris – In the story of the golden apple, the three goddesses Athena, Hera, and
Aphrodite all vie for the title of the most beautiful goddess. Hera offered the Trojan
prince Paris political power and control over all of Asia. When she was not chosen, Hera
became enraged and supported Paris’ opponents (the Greeks) in the Trojan War.
Lamia – Zeus was in love with Lamia, a mortal and the Queen of Libya. Hera cursed
her, turning her into a hideous monster and killed her children. Lamia’s curse prevented
her from closing her eyes and she was forced to forever look upon the image of her
dead children.