Mighty and powerful, with a jealous character and cruel goddess Hera - the mythology of Greece describes the identity of the wife and blood sister of Zeus (Jupiter). In her silver chariot, the queen of the gods, exuding the divine fragrance, descends from Olympus - all respectfully and reverently bow before her.
Goddess Hera in Greek mythology
Ancient Greek history inhabits Mount Olympus with a pantheon of 12 major deities, led by Zeus the Thunderer. His wife is the goddess Hera, no less important, and at times even more influential figure than her husband, who is in power. Sometimes, Hera makes attempts to overthrow Zeus, for which it is mercilessly punished. The goddess is cunning and cunning, but a steep temper does not prevent her from being a favorite of people and nature. The daughter of the titan Kronos and Rhea piously honors marriage and family traditions, protects women in marriage, protects them in childbirth. Hera suffers from the infidelities of Zeus and sends troubles to his illegitimate children and mistresses.
What does the goddess Hera look like?
Homer, a famous Greek poet who wrote the Iliad, describes the ruler of Olympus as a "fly-eyed" (with large cow's eyes), a lady with long, luxurious hair. Hera the goddess of Ancient Greece appears in ancient sculptures and frescoes high, stately and covering the entire body, except for the arms and neck clothing. Polyclet, an ancient Greek sculptor created a statue of the goddess for the temple in Argos - his majestic Hera-Juno, is considered the greatest masterpiece in the world art.
What did the goddess Hera do?
The ancient world was immersed in a state of chaos and lawlessness. Polygamous relations were considered the norm of life. Hera decided to destroy such habitual for that time course of existence of things and established the institution of marriage. Gradually, the monogamous relationship and responsibility of men for the family became a priority for the ancient Greeks. At the top of Olympus and in the skies there are many functions, for which the goddess Hera answers:
- patronizes married couples;
- punishes infidel husbands;
- personifies the feminine;
- protects women in pregnancy, childbirth;
- responsible for natural phenomena, together with Zeus, the goddess of Greece Hera can throw lightning;
- guardian of the moon and sky light, the Milky Way;
- the fertility of the earth depends on its mercy.
Goddess Hera - Attributes
Symbols of power are inherent in all deities, each subject can be a hint for the modern researchers of the direction of the activity of a particular god. What rules are the goddess Hera? Together with her husband the thunderer, the ancient goddess Hera personified authoritative authority and, apart from the rule on Olympus, instituted a social order on the earth and among the people. Immutable attributes and symbols of Hera:
- a veil - envelops the whole figure, a symbol of chastity and fidelity in marriage;
- the diadem is the symbol of supremacy among other goddesses;
- a silver chariot with golden spokes in wheels, harnessed by two peacocks. In it, the goddess travels around her possessions and creates the weather;
- the scepter with the cuckoo is the symbol of Zeus, the messenger of spring, of love;
- lilies - according to legend, a drop of milk from Hera's breasts fell to the ground and blossomed wonderful white flowers;
- The cow is a symbol of fertility and the Great Mother, with which the ancient Greeks personified the goddess.
Zeus and Hera
The goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus is also his sister. Rey's mother, knowing the lascivious nature of the son of Zeus, hid Hera on the edge of the earth, by the Ocean. Raised her sea nymph Thetis. Zeus accidentally saw an adult goddess and fell in love. Thunderbolt took care of his lover for a long time, but Hera was adamant. Then Zeus turned into a little cuckoo that froze from the cold. Hera, felt pity for the bird and put it on her breast to warm it, and then Zeus regained his guise. The goddess was moved by the desire to conquer her.
The wedding of Hera and Zeus lasted several days, all the gods brought them luxurious gifts. Honeymoon , according to ancient traditions, lasted 300 years, during which the god-thunderer was an attentive and faithful spouse. Happy Hera gave birth to Zeus son Ares and daughters Ilifia and Geba. Zeus, a connoisseur of female beauty, became bored in the arms of his wife, and his nature of the seducer, including other women's wives, took over. Hera, burning with jealousy, took revenge on her mistresses and tried to kill her husband's illegitimate children.
Goddess Hera - Myths
The goddess Hera - Greek mythology tells of her mainly as a jealousy who tries to eliminate her rivals and quarrels with Zeus. One of the stories tells how Zeus fell in love with the nymph Callisto. The Thunderer turned into the goddess of hunting Artemis and tricked the beautiful woman. Hera, goddess of Ancient Greece, turned Callisto into a bear and wanted to force her son to kill her mother in ignorance. Zeus learned of the impending revenge and placed the nymph together with his son in the sky in the form of constellations of the Great and the Lesser Bears.
Goddess Hera - interesting facts
Ancient mythology contains in itself many curious phenomena, which the consciousness of modern man perceives as a fairy tale. The Greek goddess Hera, being an understandable image, contains in herself both the features of an ordinary woman and the inherent qualities of a deity:
- sometimes uses the belt of Aphrodite to become more attractive to Zeus, seduce or lull his vigilance to accomplish his plans (helping the Achaeans during the Trojan War);
- Every year Hera bathes in the source of Kanaf and again becomes a virgin;
- became pregnant and gave birth without a husband to two children: Hephaestus the smith and from touching the earth - the monstrous giant Typhon;
- of the spilled milk of Hera during the feeding of Hermes the Milky Way arose.