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Hera

Biographical

Goddess of marriage and of the birth of children
One of the Twelve Olympians

Hera, a goddess of thoroughly Greek origin, was regarded as one of the principal deities of Olympus and was most commonly known as the wife and sister of Zeus. Some traditions name her the eldest daughter of Cronos and Rhea, while others argue Hestia had that distinction, and there are even accounts portraying Hera as Zeus’s twin. As with her siblings, Hera was swallowed at birth by Cronus, but restored to life by Metis and Zeus after Cronus was overthrown. Following this, she was raised by Oceanus and Thetys, and her marriage to Zeus took place without the knowledge of their parents, though this story was embellished in many local traditions. Several regions, including Argos and Samos, claimed the honour of her birthplace, and likewise, numerous cities contended for the glory of hosting her wedding with Zeus. This union was marked by a grand celebration known as the sacred marriage, during which the Earth presented her with a golden-apple tree, later guarded by the Hesperides. In the Homeric epics, Hera holds a position of high esteem, though not equal power to Zeus. While she is able to influence him, often through cunning, she ultimately must submit to his authority and has suffered his wrath more than once, including being bound and suspended from the heavens. Her character in these poems is marked by jealousy, obstinacy, and a tendency toward conflict, especially with Zeus, and at times she even plotted against him alongside other gods. Hera used deception when her arguments failed; in one instance, she borrowed Aphrodite’s girdle to seduce Zeus and distract him. Despite her turbulent relationship with him, she bore Ares, Hebe, and Hephaestus by Zeus. Among the Olympian goddesses, Hera was unique as a truly wedded figure, embodying the sanctity of marriage and childbirth, with many of her epithets reflecting these roles. Revered especially in Argos, where she had a grand sanctuary, Hera was also worshipped in Sparta, Samos, Olympia, and beyond. In Argos, she was believed to have won the land from Poseidon, and her temple there housed a famed ivory-and-gold statue by Polycleitus, depicting her with a crown adorned with Graces and Seasons, a pomegranate in one hand, and a sceptre topped with a cuckoo in the other. Hera was associated with regal imagery—diadem, sceptre, veil, and the peacock being her primary attributes—and her figure was often depicted as a mature, majestic woman, solemn and awe-inspiring. Though various ancient interpretations saw her as a personification of atmosphere, the queen of heaven, or even the moon, she was more broadly seen as the embodiment of nature’s generative and protective forces. The Romans equated her with Juno, maintaining much of her character and symbolism.

Daughter of Cronus and Rhea (alternatively, of Cronus and Hestia), she married Zeus, and had issue.