Hera
Goddess of Marriage and Family
Crash Course On Hera
- Her Roman name is Juno.
- She was beautiful but vain.
- Hera married her brother Zeus.
- She had 4 children.
- Hera was the master of revenge.
- She tried to revolt against Zeus.
- She was know as the protector of women.
- Also she was known as the Queen of Heaven.
- Hera stayed faithful to Zeus, but he did not stay faithful to her.
The Temple of Hera
Overview Of Hera
Although many people did not like Hera, her actions may have been influenced by the bad things that happened to her. Zeus was rejected by Hera (his sister) over and over again. So Zeus tricked her into marrying him. He turned himself into a bird, and Hera got too close to the bird. Then, he turned back to himself and raped Hera. Out of shame, Hera married Zeus. They had three children: Ares (god of war), Hebe (goddess of youth), and Eileithyia (goddess of childbirth). Hera also had a child by herself (Hepaistos) because she was jealous of Zeus' and Athena's child. However, things did not go as planned for Hera. She threw Hepaistos off Mount Olympus because of his ugliness. This resulted in him having a hard time walking. For years, he held a grudge against Hera and later imprisoned her in a throne. She was later released after making a deal with her son. One time she tried to revolt against Zeus and got the gods to go against him. However, this did not end well for Hera. He chained her to the clouds with tight gold chains, and she was hurt and humiliated. Finally, she made a deal with Zeus that she would never revolt again.
Hera's Symbols
Peacock
The peacock symbolizes:
- pride
- wisdom
- protection
Pomegranate
The pomegranate symbolizes fertility.
Cuckoo Bird
The cuckoo bird symbolizes:
- Zeus's love for Hera
- Zeus tricking her into marrying him
Lily
The lily symbolizes:
- innocence
- rebirth
- motherhood
Hera's Victims
(Hera's Special Power)
- Leto was pregnant with Zeus's baby, so she was punished by Hera. She cursed any land that Leto tried to make a home and had Eilethyia make her labor long (9 months).
- Semele was tricked by Hera and was destroyed by looking at Zeus.
- Since Alkemene had a son with Zeus she focused her wrath on the son ( Hercules). Hera made many monsters go after Hercules.
- Callisto was turned into a bear and was hunted by Artemis (goddess of hunting). Zeus felt bad so he made her the bear constellation.