Hera is Zeus' wife, Queen of Olympus, and Olympian goddess of marriage. As a result, she is the deity most related to family and the well-being of women and children. Her marriage, on the other hand, was unpleasant since Zeus had multiple affairs. Hera, who was envious and vindictive, made sure to give each of his consorts a rough time.

Name of Hera

Hera was a very old goddess, potentially predating even Zeus, based on the number of cults. It’s supposed that we don't even know what her real name is. "Hera" is a title that is commonly translated as "Lady" or "Mistress." Juno, the goddess who gave her name to June, which is still the most popular season for weddings today, was Hera's Roman counterpart.

Hera's Symbolism and Portrayal

Hera was commonly shown with Zeus as a fully dressed matronly woman of serious beauty, wearing a polo or wreath and a veil. She sometimes holds a sceptre topped with a pomegranate and a cuckoo, the former a sign of fertility, the latter a reminder of how Zeus wooed her. She is frequently accompanied by a peacock, which is one of her sacred animals.

Hera's Household

Hera is the youngest of Cronus and Rhea's three daughters and their third child overall, born after Hestia and Demeter; her younger brothers are Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus, in that order. However, because she was eaten by her father at birth and then disgorged to be born again, she is sometimes described as Cronus' and Rhea's oldest daughter. Reasonably, given that the Titan had to empty his stomach of his progeny in the reverse sequence in which he ate them.

Hera and Zeus, the Archetypal Married Couple

Hera had no option but to be a devoted wife as the protector of marriage and the spouse of the King of Gods and Men. Even though she was stunning, few men – and none of the gods – dared to touch her. Endymion attempted it once, but Zeus sentenced him to perpetual slumber. Ixion fared far worse: Zeus duped him into having a love affair with a cloud fashioned in Hera's likeness, then forced Hermes to bound him to a continually rotating wheel of fire.

According to popular belief, Hera gave Zeus four sons: Ares, the god of battle, Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, Hebe, the goddess of endless youth, and Hephaestus, the god of fire.

The Hera Wooing

Zeus duped Hera into marrying him. Knowing well that the goddess adored animals, he disguised himself as a worried cuckoo, only to revert to his real shape when Hera carried the wretched bird to her breast to warm it. Hera accepted to marry because she was ashamed of having been taken advantage of.

Zeus is challenged by Hera

It didn't, however, turn out to be a joyful ending. Zeus was nasty and brutish to everyone. Hera, unable to tolerate this, devised a scheme of vengeance with Poseidon, Athena, and maybe a few other gods. Zeus was drugged, and they chained him on his bed while snatching his thunderbolt. Thetis, on the other hand, sent Briareus, who quickly untied Zeus, who was then brutal to the primary schemer: he hanged Hera from the sky with golden chains.

Hera pledged never to rebel against her husband again to secure her freedom. As a result, she turned her rage toward Zeus' lovers and their progeny, transforming herself into a jealous and bitter wife.

Hera, the conceited goddess

Hera, like most of the other Greek deities, was easily upset when it came to her beauty.

Orion and Hera

Side ("pomegranate"), Orion's wife, once bragged that she was as lovely as Hera, so the goddess sent her to the Underworld. When Antigone, Laomedon's daughter, did the same, Hera transformed her into a stork. After Paris chose Aphrodite over her, she became a sworn adversary of Troy.

Hera is one of Greek mythology's most significant deities

  • The great mother goddess was immensely significant to the Greeks, and it is said that she was the first deity to be honoured with a roofed shrine.
  • The site was established in 800 BC in Samos, but it was eventually superseded by the Heraion, one of the biggest Greek temples.
  • Archaeological evidence at the location shows that people came from all over the Mediterranean to give offerings. During the eighth and seventh century BC, pilgrims travelled from Armenia, Babylon, Iran, Assyria, and Egypt to give sacrifices for Hera.
  • There were temples devoted to the great goddess all across mainland Greece, most notably in Argos, Sparta, and Mycenae, towns Hera mentions in Homer's "Iliad" as the three she "loves best."
  • There were additional Hera temples in Olympia, Corinth, Tiryns, Perachora, and on Delos, Apollo's sacred island.
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