Greek Mythology 101: Who is Hera?
If you’re looking to learn more about Greek mythology and have a particular fascination with the gods and their stories, then you’ve come to the right place. Welcome to Greek Mythology 101! Today’s topic: the queen of queens, Hera.
General Info
Hera is the queen of the gods, one of the original six gods born to the Titans Kronos and Rhea. She is the embodiment of royalty, always depicted with a crown on her head, and is said to be the patron of royal dynasties, looking over all other kingdoms from her throne on Olympus. Her specific domains, however, are marriage, women, and childbirth.
Symbols & Sacred Animals
Other than wearing a crown, Hera is often depicted holding a lotus-tipped scepter to symbolize her divine sovereignty. The lotus itself is a symbol of beauty, purity, and renewal, so when combined with the scepter, this signifies her power over life and marriage as a whole.
Hera’s sacred animal is the peacock. It is said that when her beloved guardian, the hundred-eyed giant Argus, died, Hera took his eyes and placed them on the tail feathers of a peacock. In this way, the peacock isn’t just another symbol of royalty; with the many eyes on its feathers, it is symbolic of Hera’s all-seeing wisdom. And trust me, she really does see everything.
Relationships
Hera is married to Zeus, and of her children with him, two are Olympians: the gods Ares and Hephaestus. While her relationship with Ares isn’t all that noteworthy, Hera and Hephaestus have a rather tumultuous relationship, seeing as she thought him so ugly that she threw him off of Olympus right after he was born.
Since marriage is Hera’s domain, she takes her vows incredibly seriously. Zeus, unfortunately, does not. And even though she can’t turn her wrath on Zeus, him being the all-powerful king of the gods, she can turn her wrath on his lovers and bastard children, which she does frequently and with fervor.
A few famous examples of this include cursing Leto (the mother of Artemis and Apollo) to not be able to give birth on any land (which Leto eventually finds a loophole for), tricking the mortal Semele (mother of Dionysus) into asking Zeus to reveal his true form to her (which incinerates her), and sending serpents to kill a baby Heracles (son of Zeus) in his crib (which simply doesn’t work).
Final Thoughts
There are three things that always remain the same in every depiction, every story, of Hera: she is the queen of all queens, she is the goddess of marriage, and she is extremely vindictive. If you mess with Hera in any way, you better be prepared to experience all of the pain and suffering imaginable.
At Mythic Tees, we celebrate all the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. So, whether Hera is your favorite goddess or you just don’t want to get on her bad side, we have a wide variety of shirts that honor her. Check out our full Hera collection here!