In the Olympian pantheon of classical Greek Mythology, Hera (pronounced /ˈhɪərə/ or /ˈhɛrə/, Greek Ήρα) or Here (Ήρη in Ionic and Homer) was the wife and older sister of Zeus. This article focuses on the cultural aspects of the Hellenistic age for the historical aspects see Hellenistic period. The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon ( Greek: Δωδεκάθεον Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Ionic Greek was a sub-dialect of the Attic-Ionic dialectal group of Ancient Greek (see Greek dialects) Homeric Greek is the form of Ancient Greek that was used by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology Her chief function was as goddess of women and marriage, her equivalent in Roman mythology being Juno. Roman mythology, or more appropriately Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its Juno was the protector and special counselor of the Roman state The cow and, later, the peacock were sacred to her.

Hera was born of Cronus and Rhea, but was swallowed by her father after birth due to a prophecy that one of his children would take over the throne. Cronus or Kronos, ( Ancient Greek Κρόνος Krónos) was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants Rhea ( ancient Greek) was the Titaness daughter of Uranus, the sky and Gaia, the earth in classical Greek mythology Zeus was not swallowed because of a plan hatched by Rhea and Gaia. Gaia (ˈgeɪə or /ˈgaɪə/ (" land " or " Earth " from the Ancient Greek Γαîα also Gæa or Gea The former wrapped a stone in baby clothes and gave it to Cronus. Zeus, meanwhile, was moved to a cave on Crete. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the Rhea later gave Cronus an herb which, she said, could make him completely invincible, but it actually made him regurgitate the five other Olympians: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon, as well as the previously ingested stone. In Greek mythology, virginal Hestia, (Roman name Vesta daughter of Kronus and Rhea, ( ancient Greek) is the Goddess Demeter (dɨˈmiːtɚ Greek:, possibly "distribution-mother" from the noun of the Indo-European mother-earth * dheghom * mater Hades (from Greek, Hadēs, originally, Haidēs or, Aidēs, probably from Indo-European *n̥-wid- 'unseen' refers both to the ancient In Greek mythology, Poseidon ( Greek:; Latin: Neptūnus) was the god of the Sea and as "Earth-Shaker" When Zeus grew older, he banished Cronus to Tartarus, the deepest chasm in the underworld, because the Titans were immortal and could not be killed. In classic Greek mythology below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros ( Greek Τάρταρος deep place

Portrayed as majestic and solemn, often enthroned, and crowned with the polos (a high cylindrical crown worn by several of the Great Goddesses, Hera may bear in her hand the pomegranate, emblem of fertile blood and death, and a substitute for the narcotic capsule of the opium poppy. The pomegranate ( Punica granatum) is a Fruit -bearing Deciduous Shrub or small Tree growing to between five and eight metres tall Opium is a Narcotic formed from the Latex (ie sap released by lacerating (or "scoring" the immature seed pods of opium poppies ( ^[1] "Nevertheless, there are memories of an earlier, aniconic representation, as a pillar in Argos and as a plank in Samos". ^[2] Hera was well known for her jealous and vengeful nature, most notably against Zeus's paramours and offspring, but also against mortals who crossed her, like Pelias and arguably even Paris, who offended her by choosing Aphrodite as the most beautiful of goddesses, thus earning her hatred. Pelias was king of Iolcus in Greek mythology, the son of Tyro, daughter of Aleus, and of either Poseidon or Cretheus See List of King Priam's children Paris ( Greek:; also known as Alexander or Alexandros, c

"The name of Hera, the Queen of the gods, admits a variety of mutually exclusive etymologies; one possibility is to connect it with hora, season, and to interpret it as ripe for marriage. " So begins the section on Hera in Walter Burkert's Greek Mythology^[3] In a note, he records other scholars' arguments "for the meaning Mistress as a feminine to Heros, Master. Walter Burkert (born Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, February 2, 1931) a scholar of Greek mythology and cult, is an emeritus " A. J. van Windekens,^[4] offers "young cow, heifer", which is consonant with Hera's common epithet βοώπις (boôpis, cow-eyed). E-ra appears in Mycenaean tablets.

Greek deities series
Primordial deities
Titans (predecessor deities)
Greek sea gods (aquatic deities)
Chthonic deities
Muses (personified concepts)
Other deities
The Twelve Olympians
Zeus Hera Poseidon Hermes Hestia Demeter Aphrodite Athena Apollo Artemis Ares Hephaestus

Contents 1 The cult of Hera 1.1 Hera's early importance 1.2 Matriarchy? 2 Emblems of the presence of Hera 2.1 Epithets 3 Hera and her children 4 Hera, the nemesis of Heracles 4.1 The Twelve Labors 4.2 The young Hera 5 Hera's jealousies 5.1 Echo 5.2 Leto and Artemis/Apollo 5.3 Callisto and Arcas 5.4 Semele and Dionysus 5.5 Io 5.6 Lamia 5.7 Gerana 6 Other stories involving Hera 6.1 Cydippe 6.2 Tiresias 6.3 Chelone 6.4 The Iliad 6.5 The Golden Fleece 6.6 The Metamorphoses 7 In popular culture 8 See also 9 Notes 10 Sources 11 External links

The cult of Hera

Hera was especially worshipped, as "Argive Hera" (Hera Argeia), at her sanctuary that stood between the former Mycenaean city-states of Argos and Mycenae, where the festivals in her honor called Heraia were celebrated. Argos ( Greek: Ἄργος, Árgos ˈaɾɣos is a city in Greece in the Peloponnese near Nafplio, which was its historic harbor "Lion Gate" redirects here For other uses see Lions' Gate (disambiguation. The ancient Heraea Games, dedicated to the goddess Hera (also spelled Heraia) is the first sanctioned (and recorded women's athletic competition to be held in the "The three cities I love best," the ox-eyed Queen of Heaven declares (Iliad, book iv) "are Argos, Sparta and Mycenae of the broad streets. " Her other main center of cult was at Samos. Samos (Σάμος is a Greek island in the North Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off There were also temples to Hera in Olympia, Corinth, Tiryns, Perachora and the sacred island of Delos. Olympia ( Greek: Olympí'a or Olýmpia, older transliterations Olimpia, Olimbia) a sanctuary of ancient Greece Corinth, or Korinth ( Greek Κόρινθος ( is a city in Greece. Tiryns (in ancient Greek Τίρυνς and in modern Τίρυνθα is a Mycenaean Archaeological site in the Greek nomos of Historical population Other Perachora has a school a middle school (lyceum a secondary (gymnasium school a church and a square ( Plateia The island of Delos ( Greek: Δήλος Dhilos) isolated in the centre of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos In Magna Graecia, the temple long called the Temple of Poseidon among the group at Paestum was identified in the 1950s as a second temple there of Hera. Paestum is the classical Roman name of a major Graeco-Roman city in the Campania region of Italy.

Greek altars of Classical times were always under the open sky. An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place Hera may have been the first to whom an enclosed roofed temple sanctuary was dedicated, at Samos about 800 BC. (It was replaced later by the Heraion, one of the largest Greek temples anywhere. ) There were many temples built on this site so evidence is somewhat confusing and archaeological dates are confused. We know that the temple from the architects Rhoechus was destroyed between 570- 60 BC. This was replaced by the Polycratean temple 540-530BC. In one of these temples we see a forest of 155 columns. There is also no evidence of tiles on this temple suggesting either the temple was never finished or that the temple was open to the sky.

Earlier sanctuaries, whose dedication is less secure, were of the Mycenaean type called "house sanctuaries". Samos excavations have revealed votive offerings, many of them late 8th and 7th century, which reveal that Hera at Samos was not merely a local Greek goddess of the Aegean: the museum there contains figures of gods and suppliants and other votive offerings from Armenia, Babylon, Iran, Assyria, Egypt, testimony to the reputation which this sanctuary of Hera enjoyed and to the large influx of pilgrims. Aegean civilization is a general term for the Bronze Age Civilizations of Greece and the Aegean. Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani Babylon was a City-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Compared to this mighty goddess, who also possessed the earliest temple at Olympia and two of the great fifth and sixth century temples of Paestum, the termagant of Homer and the myths is an "almost. Olympia ( Greek: Olympí'a or Olýmpia, older transliterations Olimpia, Olimbia) a sanctuary of ancient Greece Paestum is the classical Roman name of a major Graeco-Roman city in the Campania region of Italy. . . comic figure". ^[5]

In Euboea the festival of the Great Daedala, sacred to Hera, was celebrated on a sixty-year cycle. For the mythological figure see Euboea (mythology Euboea ( Modern Greek, Εύβοια - Évia &mdash This article is about the mythological character For other uses see Daedalus (disambiguation.

Hera's early importance

Both Hera and Demeter had many characteristic attributes of the former Great Goddess. ^[6] The Minoan goddess represented in seals and other remains, whom Greeks called Potnia theron, "Mistress of the Animals", many of whose attributes were later also absorbed by Artemis, seems to have been a mother goddess type, for in some representations she suckles the animals that she holds. The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. Potnia Theron ("Mistress of the Animals" is an ancient title of the Minoan Goddess an aspect of her power that was assumed by Artemis among others in the In Greek mythology, Artemis language|Greek] ( Nominative), ( Genitive))] was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister Sometimes this devolved role is as clear as a simple substitution can make it. According to the Homeric Hymn III to Delian Apollo, Hera detained Eileithyia, to already prevent Leto from going into labor with Artemis and Apollo, because the father was Zeus. The thirty-three anonymous Homeric Hymns celebrating individual gods are a collection of ancient Greek Hymns "Homeric" in the sense that they employ the Eileithyia (Εἰλείθυια was the Cretan goddess whom Greek mythology adapted as the goddess of childbirth and midwifery Lētṓ ( Greek:, Λ&alphaτώ, Lato in Dorian Greek etymology and meaning disputed in Greek mythology, is a daughter of In Greek mythology, Artemis language|Greek] ( Nominative), ( Genitive))] was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology The other goddesses present at the birthing on Delos sent Iris to bring her. In Greek mythology, Iris (Ἴρις is the personification of the Rainbow and messenger of the gods As she stepped upon the island, the divine birth began. In the myth of the birth of Heracles, it is Hera herself who sits at the door instead, delaying the birth of Heracles until her protegé, Eurystheus, had been born first. In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles ("glory of Hera " or In Greek mythology, Eurystheus was king of Tiryns, one of three Mycenaean strongholds in the Argolid: Sthenelus was his father

Hera's importance in the early archaic period is attested by the large building projects undertaken in her honor. The temples of Hera in the two main centers of her cult, the Heraion of Samos and the Heraion of Argos in the Argolid, were the very earliest monumental Greek temples constructed, in the 8th century BC. This article discusses cult in the original and typically ancient sense of "religious practice" (cultus For other uses see Heraion (disambiguation The Heraion of Samos was a sanctuary on the Southern region of Samos The Heraion of Argos was the temple in the main sanctuary in the Argolid dedicated to Hera, whose epithet "Argive Hera" ( Here Argeie) is familiar Argolis (Αργολίδα Argolída, aɾɣo̞ˈliða Argolís in Ancient Greek and Katharevousa) is one of the fifty-one Prefectures of Greek temples ( Ancient Greek:, grc-Latn ho naós "dwelling" semantically distinct from Latin la templum " Temple The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC.

The Homeric Hymn to Pythian Apollo makes the monster Typhaon the offspring of archaic Hera in her Minoan form, produced out of herself, like a monstrous version of Hephaestus, and whelped in a cave in Cilicia ^[7]. In Greek mythology, Typhon ( Ancient Greek:, Tuphōn) also Typheus / Typhoeus ( Tuphōeus) Typhaon ( She gave the creature to Gaia to raise.

At Olympia, Hera's seated cult figure was older than the warrior figure of Zeus that accompanied it. Homer expressed her relationship with Zeus delicately in the Iliad, in which she declares to Zeus, "I am Cronus' eldest daughter, and am honourable not on this ground only, but also because I am your wife, and you are king of the gods. The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient Cronus or Kronos, ( Ancient Greek Κρόνος Krónos) was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants "[1] Though Zeus is often called Zeus Heraios ("Zeus, consort of Hera"), Homer's treatment of Hera is less than respectful, and in late anecdotal versions of the myths (see below) she appeared to spend most of her time plotting revenge on the nymphs seduced by her Consort, for Hera upheld all the old right rules of Hellene society and sorority. In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human female form

Matriarchy?

There has been considerable scholarship, reaching back to Johann Jakob Bachofen,^[8] about the possibility that Hera, whose early importance in Greek religion is firmly established, was originally the goddess of a matriarchal people, presumably inhabiting Greece before the Hellenes. The Swiss Anthropologist and Sociologist Johann Jakob Bachofen (1815 &ndash 1887 is most often connected with his research into the matriarchal clans The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions In this view, her activity as goddess of marriage established the patriarchal bond of her own subordination: her resistance to the conquests of Zeus is rendered as Hera's "jealousy", the main theme of literary anecdotes that undercut her ancient cult. A goddess is a Female Deity. Many Cultures have goddesses Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities This article discusses cult in the original and typically ancient sense of "religious practice" (cultus ^[9].

Emblems of the presence of Hera

In Hellenistic imagery, Hera's wagon was pulled by peacocks, birds not known to Greeks before the conquests of Alexander: Alexander's tutor, Aristotle, refers to it as "the Persian bird. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. " The peacock motif was revived in the Renaissance iconography that unified Hera and Juno, and which European painters have kept familiar to us. ^[10] A bird that had been associated with Hera on an archaic level, where most of the Aegean goddesses were associated with "their" bird, was the cuckoo, which appears in mythic fragments concerning the first wooing of a virginal Hera by Zeus. The cuckoos are a family Cuculidae, of Near passerine Birds The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos also includes the

Her archaic association was primarily with cattle, as a Cow Goddess, who was especially venerated in "cattle-rich" Euboea. For the mythological figure see Euboea (mythology Euboea ( Modern Greek, Εύβοια - Évia &mdash On Cyprus, very early archaeological sites contain bull skulls that have been adapted for use as masks (see Bull (mythology). Appearances of the Bull (also known as Taurus) in Mythology and worship are widespread in the ancient world Her familiar Homeric epithet Boôpis, is always translated "cow-eyed", for, like the Greeks of Classical times, its other natural translation "cow-faced" or at least "of cow aspect" is rejected. A characteristic of Homer 's style is the use of recurring Epithets as in "rosy-fingered dawn" or "swift-footed Achilles A cow-headed Hera, like a Minotaur would be at odds with the maternal image of the later classical period. In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( Greek:, Mīnṓtauros) was a creature that was part man and part bull. In this respect, Hera bears some resemblance to the Ancient Egyptian deity Hathor, a maternal goddess associated with cattle. In Egyptian mythology, Hathor (Pronounced Hah-Thor ( Egyptian for house of Horus) was originally a personification of the Milky Way

The pomegranate, an ancient emblem of the Great Goddess (see Pomegranate), remained an emblem of Hera: many of the votive pomegranates and poppy capsules recovered at Samos are made of ivory, which survived burial better than the wooden ones that must have been more common. The pomegranate ( Punica granatum) is a Fruit -bearing Deciduous Shrub or small Tree growing to between five and eight metres tall Opium is a Narcotic formed from the Latex (ie sap released by lacerating (or "scoring" the immature seed pods of opium poppies ( Like all goddesses, Hera may be displayed wearing a diadem and be veiled.

Epithets

Aside from the aforementioned Boôpis, Hera bore several other epithets in the mythological tradition. One was Aegophagus, "goat-eater", under which she was worshiped by the Lacedaemonians. ^[11]

Hera and her children

Hera presides over the right arrangements of the marriage and is the archetype of the union in the marriage bed, but she is not notable as a mother. The legitimate offspring of her union with Zeus are Ares, Hebe, Eris (the goddess of discord) and Eileithyia (goddess of childbirth). In Greek mythology, Ares ( Ancient Greek:, Μodern Greek Άρης) is the son of Zeus and Hera. In Greek mythology, Hēbē ( Greek:) is the Goddess of youth ( Roman equivalent Juventas) Eris ( Greek Ἔρις, "Strife" is the Greek Goddess of strife her name being translated into Latin as Discordia Eileithyia (Εἰλείθυια was the Cretan goddess whom Greek mythology adapted as the goddess of childbirth and midwifery Hera was jealous of Zeus' giving birth to Athena without recourse to her (actually with Metis), so she gave birth to Hephaestus without him. ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. In Greek mythology, Metis (Μῆτις was of the Titan generation and like several primordial figures an Oceanid, in the sense that Metis was born of Hephaestus (hɨˈfiːstəs or /hɨˈfɛstəs/ Greek Hēphaistos) was a Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan. Zeus was then disgusted with Hephaestus' ugliness and threw him from Mount Olympus. Mount Olympus (Όλυμπος also transliterated as Ólympos, and on Greek maps Óros Ólimbos) is the highest Mountain in Greece As another alternative version, Hera gave birth to all of the children usually accredited to her and Zeus together, alone by beating her hand on the Earth, a solemnizing action for the Greeks.

Hephaestus gained revenge against Hera for rejecting him by making her a magical throne which, when she sat on it, didn't allow her to leave it. The other gods begged Hephaestus to return to Olympus to let her go but he repeatedly refused. Dionysus got him drunk and took him back to Olympus on the back of a mule. In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman Hephaestus released Hera after being given Aphrodite as his wife.

Hera, the nemesis of Heracles

Hera was the stepmother and enemy of Heracles, who was named "Hera-famous"^[12] in her honor; Heracles is the hero who, more than even Perseus, Cadmus or Theseus, introduced the Olympian ways in Greece ^[13]. In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles ("glory of Hera " or Perseus, Perseos, or Perseas ( Greek: Περσεύς, Περσέως, Περσέας) the Legendary founder Cadmus, or Kadmos (Κάδμος in Greek mythology, was a Phoenician prince son of Agenor and the brother of Phoenix, Cilix For other uses see Theseus (disambiguation Theseus (Θησεύς was a Legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered When Alcmene was pregnant with Heracles, Hera tried to prevent the birth from occurring by tying Alcmene's legs in knots. In Greek mythology, Alcmene or Alcmena ( Greek:) was the mother of Heracles She was foiled by Galanthis, her servant, who told Hera that she had already delivered the baby. In Greek mythology, Galanthis (or Galinthias) was the red-gold haired servant of Alcmene, who assisted her during the birth of Heracles. Hera turned her into a weasel. Weasels are Mammals in the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family.

While Heracles was still an infant, Hera sent two serpents to kill him as he lay in his cot. Serpent is a word of Latin origin (from serpens serpentis "something that creeps snake" that is commonly used in a specifically mythic or Heracles throttled a single snake in each hand and was found by his nurse playing with their limp bodies as if they were child's toys. The anecdote^[14] is built upon a representation of the hero gripping a serpent in each hand, precisely as the familiar Minoan snake-handling goddesses had once done. "The picture of a divine child between two serpents may have been long familiar to the Thebans, who worshiped the Cabeiri, although not represented as a first exploit of a hero". In Greek mythology, the Cabeiri, ( Cabiri, Kabeiroi, Greek: Κάβειροι were a group of enigmatic Chthonic deities ^[15]

One account of the origin of the Milky Way is that Zeus had tricked Hera into nursing the infant Heracles: discovering who he was, she pulled him from her breast, and a spurt of her milk formed the smear across the sky that can be seen to this day. The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea, in turn derived from the Greek Γαλαξίας (Galaxias sometimes referred to simply The Etruscans pictured a full-grown bearded Heracles at Hera's breast.

Some myths state that Hera befriended Heracles for saving her from a giant who tried to rape her, and that she even gave her daughter Hebe as his bride. Whatever myth-making served to account for an archaic representation of Heracles as "Hera's man" it was thought suitable for the builders of the Heraion at Paestum to depict the exploits of Heracles in bas-reliefs. Decorum (from the Latin: "proper fit becoming" was a principle of classical Rhetoric, poetry and theatrical theory Paestum is the classical Roman name of a major Graeco-Roman city in the Campania region of Italy. A bas-relief (baʁəljɛf in French; French for "low relief" derived from the Italian basso rilievo) or low relief is a Sculpture ^[16]

The Twelve Labors

Hera assigned Heracles to labor for King Eurystheus at Mycenae. In Greek mythology, Eurystheus was king of Tiryns, one of three Mycenaean strongholds in the Argolid: Sthenelus was his father She attempted to make almost each of Heracles' twelve labors more difficult.

When he fought the Lernaean Hydra, she sent a crab to bite at his feet in the hopes of distracting him. In Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra ( Greek: ( was an ancient nameless serpent -like Chthonic water beast that possessed numerous To annoy Heracles after he took the cattle of Geryon, Hera sent a gadfly to bite the cattle, irritate them and scatter them. In Greek mythology, Geryon ( Geryones, Geyron) son of Chrysaor and Callirrhoe and grandson of Medusa was a fearsome Hera then sent a flood which raised the water level of a river so much that Heracles could not ford the river with the cattle. He piled stones into the river to make the water shallower. When he finally reached the court of Eurystheus, the cattle were sacrificed to Hera. In Greek mythology, Eurystheus was king of Tiryns, one of three Mycenaean strongholds in the Argolid: Sthenelus was his father

Eurystheus also wanted to sacrifice the Cretan Bull to Hera. In Greek mythology, the Cretan Bull was either the bull that carried away Europa or the bull Pasiphaë fell in love with giving birth to the She refused the sacrifice because it reflected glory on Heracles. The bull was released and wandered to Marathon, becoming known as the Marathonian Bull. In Greek mythology, the Cretan Bull was either the bull that carried away Europa or the bull Pasiphaë fell in love with giving birth to the

The young Hera

Hera was most known as the matron goddess, Hera Teleia; but she presided over weddings as well. In myth and cult, fragmentary references and archaic practices remain of the sacred marriage of Hera and Zeus,^[17] and at Plataea, there was a sculpture of Hera seated as a bride by Callimachus, as well as the matronly standing Hera. Hieros Gamos ( Greek ιερός γάμος, "holy wedding" or Hierogamy (Greek ιερογαμία, again "holy wedding" For the Geometer moth Genus, see Plataea (moth. Plataea or Plataeae was an ancient city located in Greece Callimachus ( Greek:, 310 BC/305 BC-240 BC was a native of the Greek colony of Cyrene, Libya. ^[18]

Hera was also worshipped as a virgin: There was a tradition in Stymphalia in Arcadia that there had been a triple shrine to Hera the Virgin, the Matron, and the Separated (Chêra, Widowed or Divorced). Stymphalia ( Greek: Στυμφαλία ancient Stymphalos) is a municipality in Corinthia, Greece. Arcadia or Arkadía ( Greek Αρκαδία is a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus. ^[19] In the region around Argos, the temple of Hera in Hermione near Argos was to Hera the Virgin; ^[20] at the spring of Kanathos, close to Nauplia, Hera renewed her virginity annually, in rites that were not to be spoken of (arrheton). Argolis (Αργολίδα Argolída, aɾɣo̞ˈliða Argolís in Ancient Greek and Katharevousa) is one of the fifty-one Prefectures of Hermione (Greek grc ῾Ερμιόνη English pronunciation /hɚ In Ancient Greek religion, Kanathos (Κάναθος in the Argolid was the spring at Nauplia, where Hera annually renewed her Virginity Nafplion (Ναύπλιο in the Peloponnese in Greece, is a seaport town that has expanded up the hillsides near the north end of the Argolic Gulf ^[21]

Hera's jealousies

Echo

For a long time a nymph named Echo had the job of distracting Hera from Zeus' affairs by leading her away and flattering her. In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human female form In Greek mythology, Echo ( Greek: Ἠχώ was an Oread (a mountain Nymph) who loved her own voice When Hera discovered the deception, she cursed Echo to only repeat the words of others (hence our modern word "echo"). In Audio signal processing and Acoustics, an echo (plural echoes) is a reflection of sound arriving at the listener some time after the direct

Leto and Artemis/Apollo

When Hera discovered that Leto was pregnant and that Zeus was the father, she banned Leto from giving birth on "terra-firma", or the mainland, or any island at sea. Leto found the floating island of Delos, which was neither mainland nor a real island and gave birth there. The island of Delos ( Greek: Δήλος Dhilos) isolated in the centre of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos The island was surrounded by swans. As a gesture of gratitude, Delos was secured with four pillars. The island later became sacred to Apollo. Alternatively, Hera kidnapped Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, to prevent Leto from going into labor. Eileithyia (Εἰλείθυια was the Cretan goddess whom Greek mythology adapted as the goddess of childbirth and midwifery The other gods forced Hera to let her go. Either way, Artemis was born first and then assisted with the birth of Apollo. Some versions say Artemis helped her mother, Leto, give birth to Apollo for nine days. Another version states that Artemis was born one day before Apollo, on the island of Ortygia and that she helped Leto cross the sea to Delos the next day to give birth to Apollo. Ortygia is an island near the city of Syracuse Sicily. The island also known as Città Vecchia (Old City contains many historical landmarks

Callisto and Arcas

Hera also figures in the myth of Callisto/Arcas.

A follower of Artemis, Callisto took a vow to remain a virgin. A vow ( Lat votum, vow promise see Vote) is a promise or Oath. But Zeus fell in love with her and disguised himself as Artemis in order to lure her into his embrace. Hera then turned Callisto into a bear out of revenge. Later, Callisto's son with Zeus, Arcas, nearly killed her in a hunt and Zeus placed them in the heavens. An alternate version: One of Artemis' companions, Callisto lost her virginity to Zeus, who had come disguised as Artemis. Enraged, Artemis changed her into a bear. Callisto's son, Arcas, nearly killed his mother while hunting, but Zeus or Artemis stopped him and placed them both in the sky as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Ursa Major ( is a Constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere

Another alternate version: Artemis killed Callisto in bear form, deliberately.

Semele and Dionysus

Dionysus was a son of Zeus by a mortal woman. When Hera learned that Semele, daughter of Cadmus king at Thebes, was pregnant by Zeus, she disguised herself as Semele's nurse and persuaded the princess to insist that Zeus show himself to her in his true form. Stimula redirects here For the Genus of Grass skipper Butterflies, see Stimula (butterfly. Cadmus, or Kadmos (Κάδμος in Greek mythology, was a Phoenician prince son of Agenor and the brother of Phoenix, Cilix Thebes ( Classic Greek Θῆβαι, Mod Θήβα) is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range which divides When he was compelled to do so, his thunder and lightning blasted her. Zeus took the child and completed its gestation sewn into his own thigh. In another version, Dionysus was originally the son of Zeus by either Demeter or Persephone. Hera sent her Titans to rip the baby apart, from which he was called Zagreus ("Torn in Pieces"). Zeus rescued the heart and gave it to Semele to impregnate her. , or the heart was saved, variously, by Athena, Rhea, or Demeter. ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. Rhea ( ancient Greek) was the Titaness daughter of Uranus, the sky and Gaia, the earth in classical Greek mythology Demeter (dɨˈmiːtɚ Greek:, possibly "distribution-mother" from the noun of the Indo-European mother-earth * dheghom * mater ^[22] Zeus used the heart to recreate Dionysus and implant him in the womb of Semele--hence Dionysus became known as "the twice-born". Certain versions imply that Zeus gave Semele the heart to eat to impregnate her. Hera tricked Semele into asking Zeus to show his true form, which killed her. But Dionysus managed to rescue her from the underworld and have her live on Mount Olympus.

See also Dionysus' birth for other variations. In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman

Io

Hera almost caught Zeus with a mistress named Io, a fate avoided by Zeus turning Io into a beautiful white heifer. In Greek mythology, Io (ˈaɪoʊ or /ˈiːoʊ/ World Book «EYE oh», in Ancient Greek Ἰώ) was a priestess of Hera in Argos However, Hera was not completely fooled and demanded that Zeus give her the heifer as a present.

Once Io was given to Hera, she placed her in the charge of Argus to keep her separated from Zeus. In Greek mythology, Argus Panoptes (Ἄργος Πανόπτης or Argos, guardian of the heifer- Nymph Io and son of Arestor Zeus then commanded Hermes to kill Argus, which he did by lulling all one hundred eyes to sleep. In Ovid's interpolation, when Hera learned of Argus' death, she took his eyes and placed them in the plumage of the peacock, accounting for the eye pattern in its tail. Publius Ovidius Naso ( March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD was a Roman poet known to the English -speaking world as Ovid who wrote on many topics including The term peafowl refers to Gallinaceous Birds classified within the genera Rheinardia Argusianus Afropavoand Pavo ^[23] Hera then sent a gadfly (Greek oistros, compare oestrus)) to sting Io as she wandered the earth. Oestrus is also the biological genus name of the gadfly. The estrous cycle (also oestrous cycle; derived from Latin Eventually Io was driven to the ends of the earth, [which the Romans believed to be] Egypt, where she became a priestess of the Egyptian goddess Isis.

Lamia

Lamia was a queen of Libya, whom Zeus loved. In Greek mythology, Lamia was a Queen of Libya who became a child-murdering daemon. Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Hera turned her into a monster and murdered their children. Or, alternately, she killed Lamia's children and the grief turned her into a monster. Lamia was cursed with the inability to close her eyes so that she would always obsess over the image of her dead children. Zeus gave her the gift to be able to take her eyes out to rest, and then put them back in. Lamia was envious of other mothers and ate their children.

Gerana

Gerana was a queen of the Pygmies who boasted she was more beautiful than Hera. For the village in Azerbaijan see Gərənə. Gerana was a queen of the Pygmy folk in Greek mythology. The wrathful goddess turned her into a crane and proclaimed that her bird descendants should wage eternal war on the Pygmy folk.

Other stories involving Hera

Cydippe

Cydippe, a priestess of Hera, was on her way to a festival in the goddess' honor. In Greek mythology, Prometheus (Προμηθεύς "forethought" is a Titan known for his wily intelligence who stole Fire from Zeus Volci or Vulci is an Etruscan city (in Etruscan Velch or Velx in the Province of Viterbo, north to Rome, central The name Cydippe is attributed to four individuals in Greek mythology. The oxen which were to pull her cart were overdue and her sons, Biton and Cleobis pulled the cart the entire way (45 stadia, 8 kilometers). Kleobis (Cleobis and Biton is the name of two human brothers in Greek mythology. Kleobis (Cleobis and Biton is the name of two human brothers in Greek mythology. Cydippe was impressed with their devotion to her and her goddess and asked Hera to give her children the best gift a god could give a person. Hera ordained that the brothers would die in their sleep.

This honor bestowed upon the children was later used by Solon as a proof while trying to convince Croesus that it is impossible to judge a person's happiness until they have died a fruitful death after a joyous life. ^[24]

Tiresias

Tiresias was a priest of Zeus, and as a young man he encountered two snakes mating and hit them with a stick. Everes redirects here For the Butterfly Genus, see Everes (genus. He was then transformed into a woman. As a woman, Tiresias became a priestess of Hera, married and had children, including Manto. There are two figures in Greek mythology named Manto, one a daughter of Tiresias, the other a daughter of Heracles. After seven years as a woman, Tiresias again found mating snakes, struck them with her staff, and became a man once more. As a result of his experiences, Zeus and Hera asked him to settle the question of which sex, male or female, experienced more pleasure during intercourse. Sexual intercourse, in its biological sense is the act in which the male reproductive organ (in humans and other higher animals enters the female reproductive tract Zeus claimed it was women; Hera claimed it was men. When Tiresias sided with Zeus, Hera struck him blind. Since Zeus could not undo what she had done, he gave him the gift of prophecy. An alternative and less commonly told story has it that Tiresias was blinded by Athena after he stumbled onto her bathing naked. ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. His mother, Chariclo, begged her to undo her curse, but Athena couldn't; she gave him prophecy instead. In Greek mythology, Chariclo was a Nymph, daughter of Cychreus and Stilbe.

Chelone

At the marriage of Zeus and Hera, a nymph named Chelone was disrespectful (or refused to attend). Chelone ( Χελωνη, Khelônê) an Oreiad Nymph of Arcadia in Greek mythology, invented to provide an etiological Zeus condemned her by turning her into a tortoise. Tortoises or land Turtles are land-dwelling Reptiles of the family of Testudinidae', order Testudines.

The Iliad

According to the Iliad, during the Trojan War, Diomedes fought Hector and saw Ares fighting on the Trojans' side. The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her Diomēdēs or Diomed ( Greek: Διομήδης English translation: "God-like cunning" or "advised by Zeus" is a Hero In Greek mythology, Hectōr ( "holding fast" or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and one of the greatest fighters in the In Greek mythology, Ares ( Ancient Greek:, Μodern Greek Άρης) is the son of Zeus and Hera. Diomedes called for his soldiers to fall back slowly. Hera, Ares' mother, saw Ares' interference and asked Zeus, Ares' father, for permission to drive Ares away from the battlefield. Hera encouraged Diomedes to attack Ares and he threw his spear at the god. Athena drove the spear into Ares' body and he bellowed in pain and fled to Mt. Olympus, forcing the Trojans to fall back.

The Golden Fleece

Hera hated Pelias for having murdered Sidero, his step-grandmother, in a temple to Hera. Pelias was king of Iolcus in Greek mythology, the son of Tyro, daughter of Aleus, and of either Poseidon or Cretheus In Greek mythology, Sidero (Σιδηρώ "the Iron One" was the second wife of Salmoneus and stepmother of the twins Pelias and Neleus She later manipulated Jason and Medea to kill Pelias. Jason ( Greek: Ἰάσων, Etruscan: Easun, Laz: Yason) was a late ancient Greek mythological Medea (Μήδεια Mēdeia) in Greek mythology was the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of

The Metamorphoses

In Thrace, Hera and Zeus turned King Haemus and Queen Rhodope into mountains,^[25] the Balkan (Haemus Mons) and Rhodope mountain chains respectively, for their hubris in comparing themselves to the gods. Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe In Greek mythology, King Haemus (Αἷμος Haîmos) of Thrace was the son of Boreas. In Greek mythology, Queen Rhodope of Thrace was the wife of Haemus. In earlier times the Balkan mountains were known as the Haemus Mons. The Rhodopes (Родопи Rodopi, usually used with a definite article Родопите Rodopite, sometimes also called Родопа Rodopa or Родопа Hubris, sometimes spelled hybris ( Ancient Greek ὕβρις is a term used in modern English to indicate overweening Pride, self-confidence

In popular culture

• Like the other gods of the Greek pantheon, Hera's character was burlesqued in the Disney animated film Hercules (1997 film). Hercules is a 1997 Animated feature, produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June The storyline of the movie took great liberties with the legend of Hercules; while in Greek lore Hera had particular ire toward this half-mortal son of Zeus, in the film she was Hercules's own mother. She was voiced in the film by Samantha Eggar. Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar (born 5 March 1939 in Hampstead, London) is an Academy Award -nominated
• Hera appeared for two episodes in the tv series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and one episode of its spinoff series Xena: Warrior Princess; she was portrayed by Meg Foster. Xena Warrior Princess is an American Television series that aired from September 15 1995 until June 18 2001 Meg Foster (born Megan Foster on May 10, 1948) is an American actress best known for her icy blue eyes Like in the original myths she despised Hercules and tried to kill him and was also the responsible for the death of Hercules' wife and children in the series premiere. Hera was banished to the Abyss of Tartarus by Hercules, and later brought back in the series finale where she was able to make peace with both Zeus and Hercules. In her appearance in Xena which took place after the Hercules series had ended, Zeus had killed Hera, after Hera sided with Hercules against Zeus and his doctrine of killing Xena's unborn child to prevent the prophecy that her child would be the end of the Olympian gods.

See also

• Deception of Zeus
• Category:Hera types, for Hellenistic sculptures of her

Notes

Sources

• Burkert, Walter, Greek Religion 1985. Walter Burkert (born Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, February 2, 1931) a scholar of Greek mythology and cult, is an emeritus
• Burkert, Walter, The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age, 1998
• Farnell, Lewis Richard, The cults of the Greek states I: Zeus, Hera Athena Oxford, 1896.
• Graves, Robert, The Greek Myths 1955. Robert Graves (24 July 1895 &ndash 7 December 1985 was an English Poet, Translator and Novelist. The Greek Myths (1955 is a Mythography, a Compendium of Greek mythology, by the Poet and Writer Robert Graves Use with caution.
• Kerenyi, Carl, The Gods of the Greeks 1951 (paperback 1980)
• Kerenyi, Karl, 1959. One of the founders of modern studies in Greek mythology, Károly (Carl Karl Kerényi ( January 19, 1897 &ndash April 14 1973 The Heroes of the Greeks Especially Heracles.
• Ruck, Carl A. P. , and Danny Staples, The World of Classical Myth 1994
• Seyffert, Oskar. Dictionary of Classical Antiquities 1894. (On-line text)
• Seznec, Jean, The Survival of the Pagan Gods : Mythological Tradition in Renaissance Humanism and Art, 1953
• Slater, Philip E. Jean Seznec ( March 19, 1905 - November 22, 1983) was a historian and Mythographer whose most influential book for English-speaking The Glory of Hera : Greek Mythology and the Greek Family (Boston: Beacon Press) 1968 (Princeton University 1992 ISBN 0-691-00222-3 ) Concentrating on family structure in 5th-century Athens; some of the crude usage of myth and drama for psychological interpreting of "neuroses" is dated.

External links

• Theoi Project, Hera Hera in classical literature and Greek art
• The Samos Museum: cult objects recovered from the Heraion at Samos

Greek deities series
Primordial deities | Titans | Aquatic deities | Chthonic deities
Twelve Olympians
Zeus | Hera | Poseidon | Hestia | Demeter | Aphrodite Athena | Apollo | Artemis | Ares | Hephaestus | Hermes

Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance The ancient Greeks proposed many different ideas about primordial deities in their mythology, which would later be largely adapted by the In Greek mythology, the Titans ( Greek: Tītā́n; plural Tītânes) were a race of powerful Deities that ruled during the legendary The ancient Greeks had a large number of sea deities. The philosopher Plato once remarked that the Greek people were like frogs sitting around a pond -- their Chthonic (from Greek χθόνιος khthonios "of the earth" from khthōn "earth" pertaining to the Earth; earthy subterranean The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon ( Greek: Δωδεκάθεον Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology In Greek mythology, Poseidon ( Greek:; Latin: Neptūnus) was the god of the Sea and as "Earth-Shaker" In Greek mythology, virginal Hestia, (Roman name Vesta daughter of Kronus and Rhea, ( ancient Greek) is the Goddess Demeter (dɨˈmiːtɚ Greek:, possibly "distribution-mother" from the noun of the Indo-European mother-earth * dheghom * mater ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. In Greek mythology, Artemis language|Greek] ( Nominative), ( Genitive))] was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister In Greek mythology, Ares ( Ancient Greek:, Μodern Greek Άρης) is the son of Zeus and Hera. Hephaestus (hɨˈfiːstəs or /hɨˈfɛstəs/ Greek Hēphaistos) was a Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan. Hermes ( Greek,, ˈhɝmiːz in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them of Shepherds and

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