Discover all the secrets of Hera, the queen of Olympus. Learn about her legends, relationships, myths and most famous representations.

Hera, Queen of Olympus

Hera is a goddess of Greek mythology and one of the 12 Olympian gods. As the wife of Zeus she was considered the queen of Mount Olympus. She is most associated as the goddess of women, marriage and childbirth.

More: Discover the myths of the 12 Gods of Olympus

Table of Contents

who was Hera?

Hera is the wife of Zeus, the Queen of Olympus and the Olympian goddess of marriage. As such, she is also the deity most associated with family and the welfare of women and children. Their marriage, however, was an unhappy one, as Zeus had numerous affairs. Jealous and vengeful, Hera made sure to give each of her consorts a hard time.

History Hera

The mythology of Hera would fill several books, and although ancient writers often wrote contradictory things about the goddess, some basic stories of this goddess can be established.

Birth of Hera

Hera was the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, and was therefore an older sister of Zeus. Cronus was at that time, the supreme ruler of the cosmos, but he was afraid of his position, as a prophecy had proclaimed that one of his own sons would defeat him.

Mitología griega diosa — Greek mythological goddess

To circumvent the prophecy, when Rhea gave birth to a child, Cronus took the child and swallowed it whole, imprisoning it inside his stomach. Thus, this goddess was imprisoned, along with Hestia, Demeter, Hades and Poseidon. Zeus would have suffered the same fate, but Rhea replaced her son with a stone, so Zeus was moved to Crete to grow up.

Hera, and her other siblings, would eventually be freed by Zeus, when Cronus was tricked into drinking a potion, which caused the Titan to regurgitate them. The three siblings were then said to have taken up arms against the Titans, but Hera was said to have passed into the care of Oceanus and Thetys, and there she was said to have reached maturity.

The role of Hera in Greek mythology

In popular Greek mythology, Hera is seen as the Queen of Mount Olympus, a role she assumed after the Titans had been deposed, and upon her marriage to Zeus. Hera would be Zeus’ third wife, with the supreme god transforming into a cuckoo to seduce her.

As a wedding gift, Gaia would present Hera with a garden in which the Golden Apples grew. Hera acted as Zeus’ advisor, offering him advice and guiding him on occasion; although she was less powerful than he was, she could not overstep certain boundaries. On one occasion Hera, Athena and Poseidon tried to imprison Zeus, although the plot was prevented when Thetis summoned the Hecaton of Briaros to act as the god’s bodyguard.

Hera would then be worshipped as a goddess of womanhood, birth and marriage; and the story is told of Hera having regained her virginity every year, when she bathed in the well of Canathus or in the spring.

She was also known to turn her wrath on mortals who also betrayed her, for example, Paris, who chose Aphrodite over Hera as the most beautiful goddess at the wedding of the sea nymph Thetis to a mortal named Peleus.

Majestic and solemn

In images and statues, Hera is depicted as majestic and solemn, crowned with the poles, a tall cylindrical crown worn by many of the Great Goddesses. Even before her marriage to Zeus, she ruled over the heavens and Earth. This is one of the reasons she is known as “The Queen of Heaven” – ruling over Mount Olympus, where all the gods and goddesses live.

Even the great Zeus feared his wife Hera. Her never-ending hatred of Herakles, the illegitimate son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, stemmed from his ongoing adultery and, among other things, this goddess stirred up a storm in the sea to drive Herakles off his course and kill him.

Zeus was so angry that he hung her in the clouds with a golden chain, and put heavy anvils on her feet. Her son Hephaestus tried to free his mother from her humiliating position, so Zeus threw him out of the sky, and his leg was broken by the fall.

The sons of Hera

Despite being the matriarchal figure, Hera was not actually spoken of as the mother of many children, unlike her husband. A general consensus from ancient sources sees this goddess as the mother of three children by Zeus; Ares (God of War), Eileithyia (Goddess of Childbirth) and Hebe (Goddess of Youth).

More famously, Hera also gave birth to Hephaestus, although this time, Zeus was not involved. It was said that Hera was angry that Zeus had given birth to Athena. In retribution, this goddess slapped her hand on the ground, and so the goddess gave birth to a son, Hephaestus.

Hephaestus, however, was born crippled, and horrified by his ugliness, Hera threw him off Mount Olympus. Hephaestus would have his revenge, for he designed, and made, a magic throne, which trapped Hera; and Hephaestus only deigned to free his mother when Aphrodite was given to the metallurgical god as a wife.

Appearance

Hera was usually seen dressed in a flowing robe, a crown and holding a lotus scepter. Sometimes she was shown seated on a throne or riding in a chariot drawn by peacocks.

what powers and abilities did she have?

As Queen of Olympus and a major goddess, she was considered very powerful. The women of Greece prayed to Hera for protection during childbirth, good health and to help them in their marriages. She also had power over the heavens and could bless people with clear skies or curse them with storms.

Revenge against Zeus

Hera was a very jealous and vengeful wife. She wanted Zeus for herself, but Zeus constantly cheated on her with other goddesses and with mortal women. This goddess often took revenge on the women Zeus loved and the children they had with Zeus.

Pursuit of Herakles

The most famous example of this has Hera persecuting Heracles throughout his life. When Hera learned that Alcmene was pregnant with her husband’s child, she tried to prevent the pregnancy by tying Alcmene’s legs together.

Although Herakles was named after the goddess, Herakles meaning “Hera-famous,” Hera tried to kill the hero on many occasions. The first occasion was when Heracles was still a child, and two serpents were sent to kill him; the boy Heracles, of course, strangled the two serpents. It was also Hera who drove Herakles mad, and initiated the 12 Labors, hoping to kill her husband’s son.

Seed and Dionysus

Hera’s pursuit of Dionysus was similar to that of Herakles; although in the case of Dionysus, the goddess managed to take revenge on Dionysus’ mother Semele. Hera managed to trick the Theban princess Semele into asking Zeus to reveal himself in his true form. No good mortal looks upon the true form of an Olympian god, and so Semele died, but Zeus completed the gestation period of Dionysus by seeding him in his own thigh.

Hera would also try to kill the newborn Dionysus, sending the Titans to tear the baby apart, though of course Dionysus survived, but this goddess would still try to kill him.

Hera and the mistresses of Zeus

She faced a constant battle trying to keep up with Zeus’ mistresses, but when she did she tried to punish them and those who helped them.

She learned that the nymph Echo had been employed by Zeus to keep her distracted while he had extra-martial affairs. When the goddess discovered the ruse, Hera cursed Echo, so that the nymph could only repeat the words of others.

Io was another lover of Zeus, and Zeus had transformed Io into a heifer to disguise her as she. Hera was not so easily fooled, and when presented with the heifer, Hera left the cow in charge of the hundred-eyed giant Argus; meaning that Zeus could no longer get close to Io. Hermes would eventually kill Argus, so this goddess sent a gadfly to sting Io as the heifer roamed the earth, while the goddess placed Argus’ eyes in the peacock’s plumage.

Hera also sent the python to harass Leto, when the goddess discovered that Leto was pregnant by Apollo and Artemis. Hera also forbade any part of the earth to offer shelter to Leto. Leto finally found sanctuary on the floating island of Delos, where she was able to give birth to Artemis, and then to Apollo. Once born, this goddess could no longer pursue these sons of Zeus, as they were made fellow Olympians by their father.

Zeus might not have been afraid of his wife, but he was certainly wary of her powers, but the story goes that Zeus occasionally bound his wife, with anvils tied to her feet, to keep her in line.

Famous myths of Hera

Hera is present in many of the most famous stories of ancient Greece and, of course, is central to the story of the 12 Labors of Heracles, but the goddess was also prominent in other famous tales.

Trojan War

Hera was involved in the starting point of the Trojan War, as she was one of the three goddesses, along with Athena and Aphrodite, who claimed the Golden Apple with “most beautiful” written on it. The Judgment of Paris would ultimately decide who was the most beautiful of all the goddesses, and while Hera offered Paris wealth, power and kingship, the Trojan prince would ultimately choose Aphrodite.

Paris’ decision would, of course, infuriate this goddess, and the goddess would be an enemy of Troy thereafter, and would side with the Achaean heroes and forces in the Trojan War.

Argonauts

In the generation prior to the one in which she aided the Achaean heroes, this goddess had also aided the Greek hero Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece. Hera would offer guidance to Jason and the Argonauts on their way to Colchis, and would also conspire to make Medea fall in love with the hero, allowing Jason to complete his quest.

Cydipe

Hera is mostly famous for her revenge, but the goddess was also kind to those who gave her proper respect. Cydipe was a priestess of Hera, who was devoted to the goddess. One day, when there was a problem with the oxen needed to pull Cydipe’s chariot, her two sons, Biton and Cleobis, were placed in the yoke of the chariot, and pulled it 5 miles so that their mother could attend a festival for Hera.

Cydippe asked Hera for a reward for his sons, and Hera, carried away by the sons’ respect for their mother, and also by Cydippe’s devotion to the goddess, gave them the highest reward she could think of. The two brothers were allowed to die in their sleep at the festival where Hera was worshipped, so that they would be remembered, along with Hera, forever.

The cult of Hera in ancient Greece

The worship of Hera was certainly widespread throughout Ancient Greece, with notable temples present at Corinth, Delos, Olympia, Paestum, Perachora, Sparta and Tiryns. There was also a temple at Samos, the Heraion, which was one of the largest Greek temples ever built.

Many cities in Ancient Greece, including Argos and Mycenae, worshipped this goddess as their city goddess; and Heraia, public celebrations of the goddess also occurred.

In addition to being widespread, the worship of Hera was also older than the worship of Zeus, and the oldest places of worship in Greece were all dedicated to the goddess. The arrival of the Hellenistic people, however, saw a male-dominated pantheon replace many of the formerly important female deities.

The Temple of Hera at Olympia

The temple of the this goddess in ancient Olympia was originally a temple for Zeus and this goddess. In the 7th century, this temple was built of wood, but eventually, the wood was replaced by stone. One of the oldest monuments in Greece, the Temple of Hera was dedicated exclusively to the goddess when the great Temple of Zeus was built nearby.

Today, it is at the altar of this temple that the Olympic flame is lit and carried to all parts of the world where the Olympic Games are held. During excavations at the site of the temple, a marble head of this goddess and the statue of Hermes, created by the sculptor Praxiteles, were discovered and are today in the archaeological museum of Olympia. Located near the stadium, the Temple of Hera was protected by a terraced wall. It dates back to 650 BC.

Historians believe that the original temple had only one room and a corridor, to which other structures were eventually added. During the Roman reign, the temple was transformed into a museum of sorts, with priceless treasures stored inside.

Gifts to Hera

Many people worshipped Hera. Temples were built for this goddess, people gave gifts to this goddess, made sacrifices and prayed to her. Some of the gifts people gave to Hera were sculptures that looked like her, objects that had her name on them. People brought sacrificial cakes.

They put the gifts on the altar (the place where people put them) and burned it with fire. Some people would take the statue of this goddess out of the temple and hide it. This would represent how this goddess escaped from Zeus. This was also part of worshipping Hera. These are the ways people worshipped Hera.

Finally, people worshipped her because they believed that this goddess could help them have a successful marriage (love) and have a successful child. They usually gave her gifts, built temples, made sculptures that looked like her, and created objects that had her name on them.

Facts about Hera

Hera was the Queen of the Olympian Gods
She was the wife and sister of Zeus.
this goddess, was a jealous wife, and quarreled with Zeus frequently over his extramarital affairs and illegitimate children. For this reason, Hera was known to punish offending husbands.
She was the protector of women, presiding over marriages and births.
While Hera was worshipped everywhere in Greece, temples were erected in her honor in Argos and Salmos.
The peacock was sacred to her.
She had few, if any, redeeming qualities. She never forgot an injury.
The Titans Oceanus and Thetis raised her.
This goddess is often described as “cow-faced,” although she was also called chief among the immortals of beauty.
Although she may have been physically attractive, her vengeful personality made her less attractive.
The Trojan War would have ended in peace, but she had a vested interest in its outcome and influenced Zeus to change sides or remain neutral.

Hera: Queen of Olympus and Goddess of Marriage +21 Facts