Download Hera

Hera
By Matt Corby
Who?
 In Greek Mythology, she is the Queen of Heaven
 She was the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, and
both the sister and wife of the King of the Gods, Zeus
 The Greeks considered her a protector of marriage and
childbirth
Birth
 Hera was swallowed after birth by Cronus, one of her parents
 Her siblings were also swallowed, but they were all saved by
Zeus after he gave Cronus a potion that made him vomit
them up
Growing Up
 Some stories say that Hera was raised by Oceanus and
Tethys, both Titans
 Others believe that she grew up under the care of Temenus,
who ruled Arcadia in Greece
Marriage
 After defeating the Titans, Zeus and his brothers divided the
universe among themselves without giving any to their sisters
 Hera was naturally angered by this
 Her anger continued throughout her relationship with Zeus
 How Zeus and Hera became married is not certain, some say
Zeus seduced Hera while disguised as a cuckoo, others say
that Zeus found her on an island and carried her away to a
cave
 They often fought, sometime fierce enough to shake the halls
of Olympus
Children
 Hera bore 4 children as the
wife of Zeus: Hephaestus,
Ares, Ilithyia, and Hebe
 Hephaestus was the god of fire
and crafts
 Ares was the god of war
 Ilithyia was the goddess of
childbirth
 Hebe was the cupbearer of the
gods
Hera’s Anger
 Zeus wandered the world seducing beautiful
women, often while disguised as a mortal or an animal
 This made Hera insane with rage and jealousy
 Strangely enough, most of her anger was directed at
Zeus’s lovers and their children instead of Zeus himself
 One of Hera’s targets was Hercules, the son of Zeus
and a mortal woman named Alcmena
 She sent snakes to kill him and when that didn’t work
she later drove him temporarily insane causing him to
kill his own family
Juno
 The Romans identified Hera with the Goddess Juno
 Juno was essentially the same as Hera and myths about her were
pretty much identical, although Juno had greater authority than Hera
 To the Romans, Juno symbolized marriage, home, and family
Significance
 Hera is significant because she represents marriage and how marriage
is not to be betrayed and ignored
 She also represents the anger and revenge we feel when we are hurt
or offended
Works cited
 “Hera.” Myths and Legends of the World. Ed. John M.
Wickersham. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2000.
Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 10 Sep. 2012
 Atsma, Aaron J. "HERA : Greek Goddess of Marriage,
Queen of Heaven Roman Juno." HERA : Greek Goddess of
Marriage, Queen of Heaven | Mythology, W/ Pictures |
Roman Juno. Theoi Project, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.