 |
||
The Gods of Ancient Greece:
Hera Hera, as the wife (and sister) of Zeus, is the Queen of the gods. She is the goddess of marriage and birth. It should be pointed out that she is not a mother goddess. She does have children, giving birth to Ares by Zeus, and Hephaistos alone, according to myth. She is also not a goddess of love, in the typical sense. Myth says that every year Hera bathes in the waters which restore virginity, and she is then brought to Zeus (see below the epithet of Numpheuomene).
As many myths agree, Zeus had many love affairs both with goddesses and mortal women. These infidelities cause Hera to be jealous, often to the extent that she punishes the women or their children. One such myth will be recounted below.
Animals sacred to her are the peacock and the cow. In art she is shown seated on a throne, holding a scepter. Her sacred tree is the willow.
The remains of temples dedicated to Hera are some of the oldest in existence. Her temple in Samos was one of the largest Greek temples. (Burkert, p. 131)
In addition to the Gamelia (which we read about in the lesson on Zeus) one of the festivals held in her honor is the Heraia, in which only women participate. A cow is the normal sacrifice.
Boöpis, “cow-eyed”
Gamelia, “of marriage”
Khera, “solitary”
Numpheuomene, “led as a bride”
Parthenos, “virgin”
Teleia, “accomplished”
(Campbell, p. 52)
incense- aromatic herbs
You are ensconced in darksome hollows, and airy is your form,
O Hera, queen of all and blessed consort of Zeus.
You send soft breezes to mortals, such as nourish the soul,
and, mother of rains,
you nurture the winds and give birth to all.
Without you there is neither life nor growth;
and, mixed as you are in the air we venerate, you partake of all,
and of all you are queen and mistress.
You toss and turn with the rushing wind.
May you, O blessed goddess and many-named queen of all,
come with kindness and joy on your lovely face.
Ttranslation by Apostolos Athanassakis
I sing of golden-throned Hera whom Rhea bare. Queen of the Immortals is she, surpassing all in beauty: she is the sister and wife of loud-thundering Zeus, - the glorious one whom all the blessed throughout high Olympos reverence and honour even as Zeus who delights in thunder.
From: “Cult of Hera,” http://www.theoi.com/Cult/HeraCult.html
Here is one story that shows the jealousy of Hera.
Zeus loved a woman named Io. Hera, in her anger, turned Io into a cow, expecting that to end the affair. However, Zeus continued to pursue her, and turned himself into a bull. For punishment, Hera made a gadfly that would constantly pester Io. She (Io) ran to get away from the fly, but it followed her everywhere. She ran so far that eventually she ended up in Egypt, where she gave birth to a son. Legend says that the son is the Egyptian god Apis.
Last updated: 01/11/2006