In Greek mythology, Hera, also named JINO, was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea and spent her childhood with Oceanus and Tethys in the far-off western regions of the sea. Hera grew up very beautiful, and when Zeus had usurped the throne of the heavens, he decided that she should be his queen. The myths tell that hera and Zeos were married in the garden of the gods, and in honor of the occasion, a marvelous tree, bearing apples of gold, sprang out of the earth (Slater 32). By Greeks, Hera was honored as the Queen of Heaven and also as the patroness of all marriages, human and divine. Her Roman name, Juno, underlines her beauty, brevity, and wit.
Greek myths depict that Hera’s sandals, her chariot, and her throne were all pure gold, and the cow, the cuckoo, and the peacock were sacred to her. In art, she is represented as a handsome, matronly figure, and Homer refers to her as the ‘ox-eyed’ goddess. Proud, revengeful, and jealous, Hera resented the fickleness of her husband’s affections and was wont to wreak her revenge on any being, mortal or divine, upon whom he looked with too much favor. She had her own messenger, the fleet-footed Iris, whose name means ‘Rainbow,’ and whose track through the clouds was marked by the colors of her many-colored mantle as she sped upon Hera’s errands. Peacocks and “the Persian” bird was often associated with Hera and symbolized her presence.
The pomegranate was a unique emblem of Hera. In ancient paintings, Hera is portrayed wearing a diadem, which symbolizes her greatness or veiled. During her union with Zeus, Hera had four children: Hebem Eris and Eileithyia. Also, Hera was born Athena and Hephaestus (Slater 99). The Greeks honored Hera, especially at Argos, Sparta, and Mycenæ. Though the family tree of the Olympian deities is often complicated and even contradictory, most mythologists agree that she had three children, Ares (Mars), the god of war, Hebe, and Hephæstus. One of the semi-mortals of whom Hera was not unreasonably jealous was the maiden Io, a daughter of the river-god Inachus. Zeus, anxious to elude the watchful eyes of his queen, changed Io into a sleek and beautiful heifer when he saw Hera descending through the dense cloud which he had created to hide his whereabouts.
Questioned as to the beast, he deceitfully replied that he had just created it from the earth; whereupon Hera begged that he would give his newest creation to her. The king of gods dare not refuse such a simple request. Poor Io, still in the form of a cow, was led away and left to graze on a riverbank, in the care of one of Hera’s servants, the many-eyed Argus, who never closed more than two of his numerous eyes at one time. Another maiden whom Zeus admired and of whom Hera felt jealous was the young huntress Callisto of Arcadia. To her, a son was born who received the name of Arcas and from whom the people of Arcadia claimed descent. Hera’s jealousies were Echo and Leto and Apollo, Callisto and Arcas, IO, Lamia, and Georama (Slater 92). That Hera was not always represented in mythology as being cruel and implacable is shown by the story of her priestess Cydippe. For Greeks, Hera was one of the main most preached goddesses depicted in many works of art and literary works.
Works Cited
Slater, Philip E. The Glory of Hera: Greek Mythology and the Greek Family. Princeton University 1992.