Hera

In ancient Greek religion, Hera (/ˈhɛrə, ˈhɪərə/; Ancient Greek: Ἥρα, romanized: Hḗrā; Ἥρη, Hḗrē in Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. She is an important figure in stories about the gods and plays a big role in keeping families together.

In Greek mythology, Hera is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Olympus. She is the sister and wife of Zeus, the leader of the gods, and the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Her stories often show her strong feelings, especially when she feels upset about things that happen.

Iris (on the left) with Zeus and Hera, east frieze of the Parthenon, British Museum.

Hera is usually shown as a proud and serious-looking woman, often sitting on a throne or standing tall. She wears a special crown called a polos or diadem and sometimes a veil to show she is married. She looks after weddings and helps make sure they are good and fair. She also protects women when they are having babies.

Her special animals are the cow, cuckoo, and peacock. In some pictures, she holds a pomegranate, which stands for living forever. The goddess who is like Hera in Roman stories is called Juno.

Etymology

The name Hera (Hḗrā or Hḗrē) was used in very old forms of Greek, written as e-ra in special ancient writing found in places like Pylos and Thebes. The exact meaning of her name is still a mystery today.

Scholars have shared different ideas about what Hera’s name might mean. Some think it could be linked to a word for “hero,” but that doesn’t give a clear meaning either. Others guess it might mean “young cow,” which matches one of Hera’s nicknames, “cow-eyed.” Still, others believe her name might come from an ancient language that is not fully understood.

Epithets

Hera had many special names, or epithets, used to describe her different roles and places where people honored her. She was mainly seen as the wife of Zeus and the protector of marriage and married women. In some areas, she was also linked to the earth and fertility.

As the goddess of marriage, she had names like Gamēlios (presiding over marriage) and Syzygios (patroness of marriage). As the wife of Zeus, she was called Anassa (Queen) and Basíleia (Queen). In many places, she was honored as a founder or protector of cities, with names such as Archēgetis (founder) and Hypercheiria (the goddess who holds her protecting hand over a thing).

She was also seen as an earth and fertility goddess with names like Antheia (flowery) and Ge (Earth). In some areas, she had warlike titles such as Hoplosmia (bearing arms or shield) and Tropaia (giver of victory). Locally, she had many other names depending on where she was worshipped, like Eileithyia (goddess of childbirth) in Argos and Athens, and Theomētōr (mother of a god) in Samos.

Origins

In ancient Greece, Hera was known as the partner of Zeus, the god who protected rights and traditions. As Zeus's partner, Hera became the guardian of marriage and the rights of married women. She was linked to a goddess from earlier times and was often shown with cows, which were her sacred animals.

Her stories connect her to many places and traditions. Some believe she was originally a goddess of the earth or linked to other goddesses who cared for cows. Her relationship with Zeus was celebrated in festivals, showing their union as a symbol of harmony and nature.

Cult

The worship of Hera was not common in Thessaly, Attica, Phocis, and Achaea. In Boeotia, she was linked to a special event called the fest Daedala. Her most important worship places were in North-Eastern Peloponnese, especially in Argolis, including cities like Argos, Tiryns, Corinth, Sicyon, Epidaurus, and Hermione. She was also honored in Arcadian cities such as Mantineia, Megalopolis, Stymphalus, and Sparta. The oldest temple dedicated to Hera stood at Olympia. On islands like Samos, Paros, Delos, Amorgos, Thera, Kos, Rhodes, and Crete, Hera was also worshipped. The island Euboea was thought to be her sacred place.

Hera on an antique fresco from Pompeii

Hera was one of the first goddesses to have a large, enclosed temple, built at Samos around 800 BCE. This temple was later replaced by an even bigger one called the Heraion of Samos. Many temples were built for her, and some were very grand. In the Greek mainland, Hera was especially honored as "Argive Hera" at her sanctuary between Argos and Mycenae, where festivals called Heraia were held. There were also temples to Hera in Olympia, Corinth, Tiryns, Perachora, and the sacred island of Delos. In Magna Graecia, two large temples dedicated to Hera were built at Paestum around 550 BCE and 450 BCE.

During a later time called the Hellenistic period, Greek culture spread far beyond Greece. The Greek gods, including Hera, were often linked with local deities from other places. For example, Hera was sometimes seen as the same as a Syrian goddess named Atargatis. There were also stories linking Hera to Virgin Mary in early Christianity.

Emblems

Jupiter and Juno on Mount Ida by James Barry, 1773 (City Art Galleries, Sheffield)

In ancient stories, Hera was often shown with peacocks pulling her chariot. These beautiful birds became linked with her after explorers brought them back from faraway lands. Another bird connected to Hera was the cuckoo, which appears in tales about her and Zeus.

Hera was also closely tied to cattle and was sometimes called the "cow-eyed" goddess. She was especially loved in places where there were many cows. Some believe she shared traits with an ancient Egyptian goddess who also watched over cattle. Her stories include a special heifer named Io, and she was sometimes shown as a simple wooden plank or pillar to show her presence.

Temples of Hera

Perachora, Corinth. One of the earliest Greek temples was built for Hera Akraia at Perachora in the 9th century BC. It was a small building with walls made of stones and dried bricks, and it had wooden columns and a roof covered with straw.
Olympia. The Heraion temple was built around 620 BC. It had a style called Doric and measured 18.75 by 50.01 meters. The wooden columns were later changed to stone ones. The temple had special rooms and a very old back room.
Corfu. The temple of Hera was built in 610 BC and had large terracotta decorations like lions on the roof. Sadly, it was destroyed by fire in the 5th century BC.

First temple of Hera, Paestum (Basilica)

Samos. The older Heraion was built in 560 BC. It was a large temple with Ionic style and measured 50.50 by 103.00 meters. It was made partly of limestone and marble and was designed by Rhoecus of Samos.
Samos. The new Heraion was built in 525 BC and called the "Polycrates temple". It was very large, measuring 54.58 by 111.50 meters, with many columns and special designs on the tops.

Heraion of Samos. A reconstruction of the "Polycrates temple" (front view)

Selinus. The Doric temple for Hera was built in 490 BC. It measured 25.32 by 67.82 meters and had columns around it.
Paestum. The first temple of Hera, called the "Basilica", was built in the early 6th century BC. It had a special row of inner columns and measured 24.52 by 54.30 meters.

Selinunte-TempleE- Temple of Hera

Paestum. Another Doric temple for Hera was built in the first half of the 5th century BC. It measured 24.3 by 60.00 meters and was also used to honor Zeus and another unknown god or goddess.
Agrigento. The temple of Hera was built in 450 BC. It measured 16.90 by 38.15 meters and had columns around it.
Argos. An older temple for Hera was built in the late 7th century BC, but not much remains. A longer building called a stoa was built between the late 7th and 6th century BC.
Argos. A new Heraion was built around 410 BC after the old one was burned in 423 BC. It measured 17.40 by 38.00 meters.

Mythology

Birth

Hera is the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, and the sister of Hestia, Demeter, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Cronus was fated to be overthrown by one of his children, so he swallowed all of his newborn children whole. Rhea tricked him into swallowing a stone instead of her youngest child, Zeus. Zeus grew up in secret and then tricked his father into regurgitating his siblings, including Hera. Zeus then led a revolt against the Titans, banished them, and divided the dominion over the world with his brothers, Poseidon and Hades.

Hera (according to inscription); tondo of an Attic white-ground kylix from Vulci, ca. 470 BCE

Marriage with Zeus

Hera is the goddess of marriage and childbirth. Much of her mythology revolves around her marriage with her brother Zeus. She is charmed by him and seduces him, but he cheats on her and has many children with other goddesses and mortal women. She is intensely jealous and vindictive towards his children and their mothers.

Leto and the Twins: Apollo and Artemis

Marble statue of Hera, 2nd century, Cyprus Museum, Nicosia.

In early myths, Hera shows no dislike towards Leto or her children. In later stories, Hera is enraged when she discovers that Leto is pregnant by Zeus. She tries to prevent Leto from giving birth, but Leto finds refuge on the floating island of Delos, where she gives birth to Apollo and Artemis.

Semele and Dionysus

When Hera learns that Semele is pregnant by Zeus, she tricks Semele into asking Zeus to show himself in his true form. This destroys Semele, but Zeus saves her unborn child, Dionysus, and completes his gestation sewn into his own thigh.

God council in Olympus: Zeus and Hera throning, Iris serving them. Detail of the side A of an Attic red-figure belly-amphora, ca. 500 BC.Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich

Heracles

Hera is the stepmother and enemy of Heracles. She prevents Heracles from being born at the same time as another child of Zeus, resulting in another child, Eurysteus, being born instead. Hera sends serpents to kill the infant Heracles, but he throttles them with his bare hands. Later, Hera drives Heracles mad, leading him to commit terrible acts before undertaking his famous labours.

Trojan War

During the Trojan War, Hera sides with the Greeks and opposes the Trojans. She encourages Athena to aid the Greeks in battle and devises plans to deceive Zeus so that the gods can interfere in the war without his knowledge.

Minor stories

Hera convinces Jason to kill Pelias, aiding the Argonauts on their journey. She impresses Cydippe’s sons, Biton and Cleobis, with their devotion, and grants them peaceful deaths in their sleep. When Ixion lusts after Hera, Zeus tricks him into coupling with a cloud shaped like Hera, leading to Ixion’s eternal punishment. Hera turns Aëtos, a boy she fears Zeus loves, into an eagle. She blinds Tiresias after he sides with Zeus in a debate about pleasure, giving him the gift of prophecy instead. Hera transforms Io into a heifer to hide her from Zeus, leading to Io’s journey and eventual return to human form. She turns Gerana into a crane for boasting to be more beautiful than Hera. Hera robs Lamia of her children because of her jealousy, leading Lamia to become a creature who hunts and kills other children.

Name	Father	Functions	Explanation
Angelos	Zeus	An underworld goddess	Her story only survives in scholia on Theocritus's Idyll 2. She was raised by nymphs. One day she stole Hera's anointments and gave them away to Europa. To escape her mother's wrath, she tried to hide. Hera eventually ceased prosecuting her, and Zeus ordered the Cabeiroi to cleanse Angelos. They performed the purification rite in the waters of the Acherusia Lake in the Underworld. Consequently, she received the world of the dead as her realm of influence, and was assigned the epithet katachthonia ("she of the underworld").
Ares	Zeus	God of war	According to Hesiod's Theogony, he was a son of Zeus and Hera.
Arge	Zeus	A nymph	A nymph daughter of Zeus and Hera.
Charites	Not named	Goddesses of grace and beauty	Though usually considered as the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, or Dionysus and Coronis according to Nonnus, the poet Colluthus makes them the daughters of Hera, without naming a father.
Eileithyia	Zeus	Goddess of childbirth	In Theogony and other sources, she is described as a daughter of Hera by Zeus. Although, the meticulously accurate mythographer Pindar in Seventh Nemean Ode mentions Hera as Eileithyia's mother but makes no mention of Zeus.
Eleutheria	Zeus	Personification of liberty	Eleutheria is the Greek counterpart of Libertas (Liberty), daughter of Jupiter (Zeus) and Juno (Hera) as cited in Hyginus, Fabulae Preface.
Hebe	Zeus	Goddess of youth	She was a daughter of Zeus and Hera. In a rare alternative version, Hera alone produced Hebe after being impregnated by eating lettuce. A fragment by Callimachus describes Hera holding a feast to celebrate the seventh day after the birth of Hebe. Pindar states that Hebe stays by her mother's side in Olympus forever.
Hephaestus	Zeus	God of fire and the forge	Attested by Hesiod, Hera was jealous of Zeus's giving birth to Athena with Metis, so she gave birth to Hephaestus without union with Zeus (though Homer has Hephaestus refer to "father Zeus"). In some versions, Zeus threw Hephaestus off Mount Olympus because he protected Hera from his advances. In other versions, Hera was the one who threw Hephaestus out of disgust for his ugliness. He gained revenge against Hera for rejecting him by making her a magical throne that did not allow her to leave once she sat on 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. Hephaestus released Hera after being given Aphrodite as his wife.
Pasithea	Dionysus (?)	One of the Graces	Although in other works Pasithea doesn't seem to be born to Hera, Nonnus made the Grace Hera's daughter. Elsewhere in the book, Pasithea's father is said to be Dionysus, but it's unclear whether those two together are meant to be Pasithea's parents.
Prometheus	Eurymedon	God of forethought	Although usually Prometheus is said to be the son of Iapetus by his wife Clymene or Asia, Hellenistic poet Euphorion made Prometheus the son of Hera by the giant Eurymedon, who raped the young goddess while she was still living with her parents.
Typhon	–	Serpent-monster	Typhon is presented both as the son of Hera (in Homeric Pythian Hymn to Apollo) and as the son of Gaia (in Hesiod's Theogony). According to the Homeric Hymn to Apollo (6th century BCE), Typhon was the parthenogenous child of Hera, whom she bore alone as a revenge at Zeus who had given birth to Athena. Hera prayed to Gaia to give her a son as strong as Zeus, then slapped the ground and became pregnant. Hera gave the infant Typhon to the serpent Python to raise, and Typhon grew up to become a great bane to mortals. The b scholia to Iliad 2.783, however, has Typhon born in Cilicia as the offspring of Cronus. Gaia, angry at the destruction of the Giants, slanders Zeus to Hera. So Hera goes to Cronus and he gives her two eggs smeared with his own semen, telling her to bury them, and that from them would be born one who would overthrow Zeus. Hera, angry at Zeus, buries the eggs in Cilicia "under Arimon", but when Typhon is born, Hera, now reconciled with Zeus, informs him.

Genealogy

Hera was the goddess of marriage, women, and families in ancient Greek stories. She was the queen of the gods on Mount Olympus and was both the sister and wife of Zeus. Hera was born to two powerful beings named Cronus and Rhea.

Sometimes in the stories, Hera would get upset when Zeus spent time with others, and she would stand up for what she believed was right for marriages and families.

Art and events

There are many beautiful sculptures inspired by Hera, such as the Barberini Hera, Hera Borghese, and Hera Farnese. The Heraea Games were special games held in honor of Hera. They were the first official women's sports competition ever held at the stadium at Olympia.