Ancient Greek mythology is in many ways reminiscent of a fairy tale - everything here is interesting, mysterious, deities have supernatural powers and are capable of much. It is very difficult to understand all their connections and relationships, but today we will try to describe in as much detail as possible the supreme goddess, wife and sister of Zeus - Hera. She is the patroness of marriages, protects women during childbirth. But at the same time, the ancient Greek goddess Hera was distinguished by a very domineering character, jealousy and cruelty. What myths will allow you to learn more about her?
Introduction
The ancient Greek goddess Hera in ancient mythology is the type of woman who, in her properties and qualities, corresponds to the ruler of the sky - Zeus. Her "analogue" in ancient Roman mythology is Juno. The Greek goddess Hera primarily acted as the guardian and patroness of marriage, family relations, and decrees. Zeus also guarded public institutions. Before the ancient Greeks, polygamy (polygamy) reigned everywhere, it was they who advocated monogamy and introduced it. Therefore, the goddess of Greece, Hera, personifies the protest against polygamy and defends monogamy.
goddess attributes
If you study the works of ancient poets, you can find out that in them the goddess is described as the owner of a stubborn, proud and grumpy character. Art always gives her a majestic and austere beauty. The main symbol of the goddess Hera is the veil. In ancient images, it completely enveloped her figure, but Phidias has already depicted her with an attribute thrown back. Another unchanging symbol of the goddess Hera is the diadem. It is also very rare to see her without such attributes as a peacock and a cuckoo. This is a tall goddess with calm and measured movements, she has gorgeous hair and big eyes.
Quarrels and jealousy
The strongest and most powerful of all the goddesses of Olympus is Hera. The goddess character is domineering and wayward, but still obeys her spouse. She often angers Zeus, usually through her jealousy. A huge number of ancient Greek myths are based on stories about the troubles that the Greek goddess Hera sends to the mistresses of Zeus, their relatives and children. For example, on the island where Aegina, who had a son from Zeus, lived, Hera sent many poisonous snakes. What did she do to other mistresses? The goddess Hera incinerated Semele, cursed Echo. And she also made Ino distraught, turned Lamia into a monster, and Callisto into a bear.
Hera and the cuckoo
The goddess Hera is often depicted with a scepter, on top of which sits a cuckoo. What does mythology say about this? It turns out that Zeus fell in love with her when she was still very young. However, the proud girl did not show him any signs of attention, she rejected requests to become his wife. The lord of the gods, who wanted more than anything else to become the husband of Hera, went to the trick. He turned into a cuckoo. Then Zeus made it so that a violent storm broke out. All wet, cold and unhappy, he flew in the form of a bird to the goddess, sat down at her feet, as if begging for shelter and salvation. The goddess Hera, who, oddly enough, was compassionate, picked up the cuckoo and pressed it to her chest to warm it. It was at this moment that Zeus became himself, and the girl, touched by such an unusual proposal, agreed to become his wife. It turns out that the bird on the scepter personifies Zeus himself.
How did Zeus punish Hera?
We have already mentioned that the goddess was too jealous. Although she, according to mythology, patronizes marriages, her married life takes place in constant scandals with Zeus, who was forced to stop her and even punish her. Hera (the goddess of Ancient Greece) is proud not only of her virtues, but also of her rights. Sometimes she makes her husband such high demands that he refuses to fulfill. She often contradicts him, reproaches him, but cannot do anything by force, therefore she tries to show cunning and resourcefulness. Once she entered into an agreement with Poseidon - they planned to deprive Zeus of his supreme power. They were even able to put him in chains, but then Thetis came to the rescue, who turned to the terrible giant. One of his formidable appearance made Hera change his mind and abandon his plans. Zeus was so angry that he hung his wife between heaven and earth on a golden chain, and hung a huge anvil at her feet. In one of the many paintings, this myth was displayed by Correggio.
The myth of yet another trick of the goddess
During the Trojan War, Hera (the goddess of Ancient Greece) desperately supported the Greeks and was opposed to the Trojans. Zeus forbade any of the gods to take part in the battle, and Gargan was on the top of the mountain and strictly enforced this order. Hera, accustomed to go against Zeus, decided to help the Greeks, seeing that Hector from Troy was defeating them. She turned to Aphrodite with a request to give her a belt for a while. It was a magical thing that bestowed an unearthly beauty on the one she was wearing. Hera put on her belt and went to Zeus. He, not suspecting anything, accepted all her caresses, because it was so strange for him to see his wife so captivating and charming. After that, he fell asleep soundly, and Hera nevertheless helped the Greeks at this time, and the Trojans were defeated. When Zeus woke up and saw everything around, he understood the intention of his wife and threatened her with the punishment she already knew. However, this did not make sense in that situation, because nothing could be fixed.
The myth of Io and Hera
Great, powerful and very jealous was the goddess Hera. Myths, as we said, are mainly built on this theme. And this story is no exception. One day, Hera began to look for her husband in order to resolve an extremely important issue with him. But, not finding it in its usual place, on Olympus, she began to examine the earth and suddenly noticed a very dark large cloud there. It seemed strange to her, the goddess decided to go down and see with her own eyes what was happening there, scattering this cloud. But in fact, Zeus was there, running after the very beautiful Io, who was the daughter of the god of the river Inach. And he surrounded himself with a cloud on purpose, so that jealous Hera would not notice him from a great height. The ancient goddess began to disperse the cloud, and Zeus, guessing whose hands it was, quickly turned Io into a cow so that his wife would not guess anything. He told his wife that this cow had just been born, and he was just admiring her. The goddess asked to give her this animal. Zeus, having no reason to refuse such a seemingly insignificant present, was forced to do so.
What did Hera do next?
The goddess ordered Argus (a hundred-eyed giant) to keep an eye on the cow and constantly watch her. And that one, even if he was sleeping, he closed only two eyes, while the rest continued to observe. The ancient creators could not fully display this myth, so they painted Argus under the guise of an old man who grazes a cow. Zeus was outraged by such continuous supervision, he was insanely sorry for the unfortunate Io. He called Mercury to him and ordered him to kill the giant.
Mercury intervention
The deity, summoned by his master to kill Argus, descended to earth. Mercury took with him a special rod, which has the ability to almost instantly put to sleep. He took the form of a shepherd who watches over his flock of goats and plays the flute superbly. Argus, on the other hand, adored such musical motives, they gave him great pleasure. Without thinking twice, the giant invited the shepherd to sit closer to him, assuring him that there is no better pasture anywhere, and the place here is good and shady. Mercury, of course, was not going to refuse the offer. He moved closer to the terrible giant and continued to play. Mercury noticed that Argus began to doze off from such pleasant music. And in order to finally put him to sleep, he also used a rod. All one hundred eyes of the vigilant guard closed. And Mercury, in order to bring the matter to its logical conclusion, took his sword and cut off the giant's head. Upon learning of this, Hera was very upset. The goddess collected all the eyes of her servant and placed them on the tail and wings of her peacock. Since then, this bird has been dedicated to Hera, and its eyes sparkle with bright spots on it.
What happened next with Io?
If you think that this is the end of the myth, then you are wrong. The inexorable and jealous goddess Hera was not going to stop her persecution. On the contrary, she summoned one of the Furies to her and ordered her to constantly sting poor Io under the guise of a horsefly. Trying to hide from the annoying insect, Io reached the banks of the Nile, where she simply fell from loss of strength and terrible fatigue. Zeus could no longer watch this. He turned to his wife and asked her to spare the girl. She, oddly enough, agreed, but put a condition - Io should never have returned to Greece.
Daughters of the goddess Hera
In total, Hera had four children - two sons (Ares and Hephaestus) and two daughters (Ilithyia and Hebe). Hebe personified youth. According to myths, she presented miraculous nectar to all the deities, thanks to which they never got sick and did not grow old. The wife of Hercules was always depicted as a young girl who caresses the eagle Zeus.
Ilithyia is the goddess of successful and auspicious childbirth. According to mythology, she never lost her virginity, but devoted all her time to helping to deliver. She was very obedient and never dared to contradict her mother. Hera, taking advantage of the absolute obedience of Ilithyia, often used her for her own purposes as an instrument of revenge. For example, when the time came for the birth of the baby Latona, who was pursued by a jealous goddess, Ilithyia, on the orders of her mother, went to the top of Mount Olympus. There the girl spent nine nights and days, preventing Latone from giving birth. Irida, the goddess of the rainbow, begged the girl for help, asked her to come down and have mercy on the poor woman. Ilithyia was touched by these prayers, and she helped Latona. As a result, Apollo and Artemis were born.
Conclusion
Finally, we note a few more facts about this wayward, jealous, but at the same time helping many goddesses. So, once a year, she always went to the source of Kanaf to bathe there and become a virgin again. She helped Jason when he organized a campaign against the Argonauts, and sent winds to Odysseus with the help of Aeolus. Also mentioned in the sources of a god named Ixion, who was passionately in love with Hera. He even tried to get hold of her. Zeus, however, did not like such attempts, and therefore he created a cloud, which took the form of his wife, and slipped it to the poor lover. As a result of such a union, a whole generation of centaurs was born. It is with these myths and stories that the name of such an ancient Greek goddess as Hera is associated.
Hera is the goddess of the Greek Olympus, embodying a woman worthy of Zeus the Thunderer. In Roman mythology, she acted as her counterpart. Homemaker, patroness of the family and marriage, Hera stood for monogamy, while being a symbol of polygamy.
Character history
Artists sang the image of Hera in their work. described her as a big-eyed beauty with amazing hair. Polikleitos gave her preference, creating sculptures. The image of the goddess adorned frescoes, paintings and mosaics. On them tall woman with a proud posture appeared in a toga that covered a stately body.
The image of Hera was symbolic. Ancient Greece was not famous for order and a clear power structure. Lawlessness and chaos reigned everywhere. Polygamy was preferred by most residents of the policies. Hera took it upon herself to establish the norms of life that would become habitual. The creation of the institution of marriage belongs to her. Gradually, she brought up in the minds of the Greeks respect for the family and love for the values of each family name.
Hera had extensive functionality. On her shoulders lay the responsibility for the union of spouses and the punishment of traitor husbands. The goddess personifies femininity and patronizes pregnant women, mothers and those who need help in childbirth. In addition to protection family values, Hera had authority in the field of natural phenomena. The goddess controlled lightning, guarded the lunar and solar light, as well as the Milky Way. Hera was worshiped, asking for fruit and fertility.
Each character of mythology has attributes that accompany him on life path. Being an authoritative ruler, Hera kept order on Olympus and among mere mortals. She was accompanied by a veil, in which she wrapped herself, emphasizing chastity, and a diadem, emphasizing her status among other representatives of the divine host. A silver chariot drawn by peacocks served as a means of transportation for a woman, and a cuckoo scepter foreshadowed love for those whom Hera blessed.
Mythology
The biography of Hera consists entirely of myths and legends. Her name is present in almost all the legends of the ancient Greeks. In the Iliad, Homer described the goddess as a quarrelsome, quarrelsome woman, treacherous and arrogant. She often contradicted Zeus and showed cunning. Deciding to conquer Olympus, the woman persuaded her husband to be chained. But Thetis saved him by calling the giant Briareus for help. Zeus hung his wife on a chain between earth and sky and fixed an anvil on his feet. Such was the punishment that the artist Correggio captured in the picture.
During the Trojan War, Hera tried to help the Greeks. Noticing that fortune was on the side of the Trojans, the goddess wanted to stand up for her people, but Zeus forbade the gods to take part in the battle. Hera asked for a belt of love, which gave the owner unsurpassed beauty. Putting it on, the woman appeared before her husband and charmed him. A couple of moments was enough for Hera to help the Greeks out while Zeus was inattentive. Waking up, Zeus realized what had happened and was angry, but it was impossible to save the situation.
A family
Hera is the legal wife of Zeus and his sister. The daughter of Rhea, she was saved by her mother from the lustful gazes of Zeus. As a girl, she was hidden at the edge of the Earth in order to prevent a discrediting union. The nymph was the teacher of the young goddess. Zeus met Hera by chance as an adult and fell in love without looking back. Courtship did not melt the girl's heart. Zeus went to tricks and turned into a cuckoo. Noticing the frozen bird, Hera warmed it on her chest. Having reincarnated, Zeus made it clear that he would go to any action for the sake of his beloved, and this won her heart.
According to legend, the honeymoon of the gods lasted 300 years. All this time, Zeus was faithful to his wife. Hera bore him a son and daughters Hebe and Ilithyia. The habit of seducing did not leave Zeus, and over time he lost interest in his wife. He began to look at the young beauties, and Hera took revenge on her husband's new chosen ones. The goddess showed intolerance and could not stand intrigues.
It was she who almost killed Hercules, the illegitimate son of Zeus. The birth was a blow to the mother of Olympus. She decided to cheat and gave birth. The boy was born handicapped, and this humiliated Hera even more.
Tired of her husband's infidelity, Hera often traveled and rarely visited Olympus. On the road, she shrouded herself in darkness in order to become invisible to others and her husband. One day the goddess decided not to return home. Enraged, Zeus started gossip about plans to marry again. Deciding to act on his wife through jealousy, he played a wedding ceremony with a statue. Hera relented and, having mercy on her husband, returned to Olympus.
Temples adorned with images of Hera were not uncommon in Ancient Greece. People praised her and relied on the mercy of the wise goddess, who could make the land fertile, marriage happy, and healthy offspring.
Which corresponds in its qualities and properties to her husband, the ruler of heaven. She is first of all the patroness of marriages, the guardian of the family and family decrees, just as Zeus is the guardian of public institutions. In ancient myths and literature, she has a proud, stubborn and quarrelsome character; art always gives it a strict and majestic beauty. Already on the most ancient images she appears with a veil. At first, it enveloped her entire figure, but Phidias in his Parthenon frieze depicted Hera already with the veil thrown back. The main attributes of this goddess are a veil, a diadem, a peacock and a cuckoo. (See also its description in the article Gods of ancient Greece.)
Goddess Hera. Hellenistic period statue
Hera is always covered with clothes from head to toe, only part of the neck and arms are bare; she is tall, with calm and measured movements; her beauty is strict and majestic; she has luxurious hair and large, wide-open eyes, which is why she was called the Hero of the Volooka.
Hera - the great goddess of Olympus
The most remarkable and typical image of her is considered to be the colossal statue of Polykleitos, sculpted by him for the temple in honor of this goddess in Argos. This is how the poet Martial describes this statue: “Policlet, this Hera is a miracle of your art, the main foundation of your glory, Phidias himself would envy your chisel. Her beauty is so majestic that on the top of Ida, Paris would not hesitate to recognize her superiority over all goddesses, and they would have to admit defeat. Polikleitos, if Zeus had not loved his Hera, he would have loved yours!”
Irida - Hera's maid
In the physical order of the world, Hera personifies the humidity of the air, which is why the goddess Irida, the personification of the rainbow, is considered her servant. Irida dresses the goddess and prepares a bath for her; her main duty is to fulfill the instructions of the queen of heaven. It flies through the air with the speed of a swallow, and the road along which it runs is the arc that the rainbow describes. In art, Irida is depicted as a winged young girl; like Mercury (Hermes), she has wings on her heels and a caduceus (Mercury rod) in her hands. Only a few very ancient monuments preserved her images.
Hera's Cuckoo
The image of a cuckoo on the top of Hera's scepter is explained by the following myth. Proud Hera for a long time did not agree to give in to the requests of Zeus to become his wife; then the lord of the gods, wanting to beg her, took the form of a cuckoo, caused a strong storm and, shivering from the cold, all wet, flew to the feet of the goddess, looking for shelter where he could hide. The compassionate goddess, touched by the unfortunate sight of the bird, picked it up and warmed it on her chest. Then the god took on his usual form, and Hera, who was probably affected by such an original declaration of love, became his wife. Since then, as if in remembrance of this incident, the cuckoo has been one of the hallmarks this goddess.
Jupiter and Juno on Mount Ida. Artist James Barry, 1790s
Hera punished by Zeus
Despite the fact that Hera is the founder and patroness of marriages and married life, her married life takes place in almost constant disputes and disagreements with Zeus, who has to stop her and even punish her. In particular, in The Iliad, Hera is given a grumpy, stubborn and obstinate character; she is proud of her high virtues and her marital rights, she makes such demands to Zeus that he cannot and does not want to fulfill. She often contradicts the lord of the gods, and since she cannot achieve anything by force, she mostly resorts to cunning.
Children of Hera and Zeus
Hera had two sons from Zeus - Ares (Roman Mars) and Hephaestus (Roman Vulcan), as well as two daughters - Hebe and Ilithyia. Hebe is the personification of youth, she gives the gods the divine drink nectar, thanks to which the gods know neither disease nor old age. She became the wife of Hercules after the deification of this hero. Antique cameos depict her as a young girl caressing the eagle of Zeus.
Sculptor Canova He presented Hebe in all the brilliance of youth and beauty, slender, full of grace, with her hand raised, as if ready to fill the goblets of the gods. Thorvaldsen gave it more calm, majestic movements and forms, more consistent with the ideas of the ancient Greeks about it.
Ilithyia - the goddess of happy childbirth; she remained a virgin and spent all her time assisting women in childbirth. obedient daughter, she obeys all the orders of her mother Hera, who often forced her to serve as an instrument of her revenge. When the time came for the birth of the goddess Latona, the mother of Apollo and Artemis, whom Hera pursued, Ilithyia, following the orders of her mother, retired to the top of Olympus. There she spent nine days and nights, not allowing the unfortunate Latona, who had been terribly tormented all this time, to give birth. Finally, touched by the pleas of Iris, Ilithyia went to Delos, and Latona safely gave birth to the twin gods.
The Romans called Ilithyia Lucina and often confused her with Hera, who sometimes bore the same name among the Romans and was considered the goddess of childbirth and the guardian of childhood. A beautiful statue in the Vatican, which has survived to this day, depicts Hera Lucina nursing Mars.
Hera Hera
(Ηρα, Juno). Sister and wife of Zeus, queen of heaven, daughter of Kronos and Rhea. She was considered the patron goddess of women, the patroness of marriages and childbirth. Homer portrays her as a stubborn, jealous, and quarrelsome woman. She hated Paris for his judgment, and therefore during the Trojan War she was on the side of the Greeks. Her sacred bird was the peacock, and her main place of worship was Argos. The Romans identified their goddess Juno with Hera.
(Source: " Concise Dictionary mythology and antiquities. M. Korsh. St. Petersburg, edition of A. S. Suvorin, 1894.)
HERA(Ήρα) in Greek mythology, spouse and sister Zeus supreme Olympian goddess, daughter Kronos and Rhea(Hes. Theog. 453 ff.). Her name probably means "guardian", "mistress". G.'s marriage to his brother is a vestige of an ancient consanguineous family. Together with the rest of the children of Kronos, G. was swallowed by him, and then, thanks to cunning Metis and Zeus, regurgitated by Kronos. Before the titanomachy, the mother hid G. with her parents, Oceanus and Tethys, at the end of the world; in the future, G. reconciled them in marital quarrels (Hom. II. XIV 301-306). G. was the last, third after Metis and Themis, lawful wife of Zeus (Hes. Theog. 921). However, long before their marriage, G. had a secret relationship with Zeus, and it was G. who played an active role (Hom. II. XIV 295 following). The marriage of G. determined her supreme power over other Olympic goddesses. But in this image, the features of the great female local deity of the pre-Olympic period are seen: independence and independence in marriage, constant quarrels with Zeus, jealousy, anger. G. pursues the illicit connections of Zeus as the guardian of the legal marital foundations of a monogamous family of the era of classical Olympic mythology. Known for her hatred Hercules - son of Zeus and a mortal woman Alcmene. G. caused death Semele, who gave birth to Zeus Dionysus (Eur. Bacch. 1-42; 88-98). Angry at Tiresia, she punishes him with blindness (according to another version, Athena does this) (Apollod. Ill 6, 7), sends madness on the daughters of King Proyt, on ino, thrown into the sea (I 9, 2). In retaliation to Zeus, who gave birth to Pallas Athena, G. gives birth without a spouse Hephaestus(Hes. Theog. 927 next). However, her matriarchal independence ends in failure, because Hephaestus is terrible and ugly. In anger, G. throws him off Olympus (Hymn. Hom. II 138-140), whence the lameness of Hephaestus, as well as his enmity towards G., whom he cunningly chained to the throne (Hyg. Fab. 166).
G.'s ancient connection with the chthonic forces was reflected in the fact that, from touching the earth, she gave birth to the monster Typhon (Hymn. Hom. II 154-174; according to another version, Typhon is the offspring of Gaia and Tartarus) with fifty heads, which was destroyed by the lightning of Zeus (Hes. Theog. 853-859). The ancient functions of G. include her assistance to women during childbirth. She is the mother of the goddess of childbirth Ilithyia, whom she sent to hasten the birth of Nikippa, the rival of Alcmene, who gave birth to an insignificant Evrchsfeya, and deliberately delayed the birth of Alcmene, that is, the birth Hercules. However, this act of hers led to unexpected consequences: Hercules, forced to serve Eurystheus, accomplished his great feats thanks to this (Hom. N. XIX 95-133) and even G. eventually had to reconcile with him, giving him (already on Olympus ) to wife his daughter Gebu.
The archaism of G. is also reflected in the fact that her son is considered Ares - one of the most bloody and elemental gods. A wooden fetish of G. is known on the island of Samoc (Clem. Alex. Protr. IV 46). G.’s zoomorphic past is indicated by her epithet in Homer (Hom. Il. I 568 next) and Nonn of Panopolitan (Nonn. Dion. 47, 711) - “hair-eyed”, cows sacrificed to her (Sen. Agam. 352), veneration of G. in Argos (Eur. El. 171 next) in the form of a cow. However, G. firmly entered the system of heroic mythology and, moreover, from the beginning of Greek, therefore she is the patroness of heroes and cities. She helps the Argonauts, especially Jason (Apoll. Rhod. Ill 55-75); in the Trojan War, she is an ardent defender of the Achaeans and an opponent of the Trojans, in the person of Paris, who preferred Aphrodite in the disputes of the three goddesses (G., Aphrodite, Athena). She even goes to the trick, seducing Zeus with the help of the wonderful belt of Aphrodite and lulling him into her arms in order to enable the Achaeans to win. This famous love scene of G. and Zeus on one of the peaks of Ida (Gargar) among fragrant flowers and herbs (Hom. N. XIV 341-352) is an undoubted analogue of the ancient Crete-Mycenaean "sacred marriage" of G. and Zeus, who solemnly celebrated in the cities of Greece, recalling the greatness of the matriarchal female deity. The cult of G. was widespread on the mainland (especially in Mycenae, Argos - the temple of Heraion, Olympia) (Paus. V 16, 2) and the islands (on Samos, where there was a temple of G. of Samos and her ancient fetish in the form of a board; in Crete, where in Knossos the "sacred marriage" of G. and Zeus was celebrated). In Roman mythology, G. is identified with Juno.
Lit.: K1inz A., Ίερος γάμος, Halle, 1933; Pestallozza U., Βοώπις πότνια Ηρη, "Athenaeum", Pavia, 1939, fasc 2-3. p. 105-37; Potscher W., Hera und Heros, "Rheinisches Museum", 1961, Bd 104, no. 4; his own, Der Name der Göttin Nega, ibid., 1965, Bd 108, no. 4.
A. A. Takho-Godi.
Among the ancient sculptures of G.: "G. Farnese" (a copy of the Greek original of the 5th century BC). On a number of reliefs (the frieze of the Siphnian treasury in Delphi, the eastern frieze of the Parthenon), G. is depicted next to Zeus; the wedding of G. and Zeus - on the metope of the temple of G. in Selinunte. In the vase painting - plots of the myth about G. in scenes with Io, the "Judgment of Paris", etc. In the European fine arts G. appears mainly in scenes from the myths of Hercules, Io and Paris. Among other plots: “Juno decorates the peacock’s feather with the eye of Argus” (X. Goltzius, P. P. Rubens, J. Jordans, A. Blumart, N. Poussin, etc.), “Juno asks Venus for her belt” (A. Kuapel, J. Reynolds), “Jupiter and Juno” (X. Goltzius, Annibale Carracci, A. Kuapel and others), “Sacrifice to Juno” (P. Lastman, J. B. Tiepolo). As the patroness of marriage, she appears in Rubens's painting "Henry IV receives a portrait of Mary Medici", as a giver of abundance - in the garden sculpture of the Baroque era. Among the musical and dramatic works of the 17th-19th centuries are Pacified Juno by I. I. Fuchs and other operas, the cantatas New Contest of Juno and Pallas by G. B. Bononcini and Juno and Pallas by S. Mayr.
(Source: "Myths of the peoples of the world".)
HeraQueen of the gods, goddess of the air, patroness of family and marriage. Daughter of Kronos and Rhea. Sister and wife of Zeus. Differs in imperiousness, cruelty and jealous disposition. She corresponds to the Roman Juno. Mother of Apollo (Phoebe), Ares, Athena, Hebe, Hephaestus, Ilithyia.
// Jacopo AMIGONI: Juno receives the head of Argus // Peter Powell RUBENS: Judgment of Paris // Giovani Battista TIEPOLO: Juno and the Moon // N.A. Kuhn: HERA // N.A. Kuhn: IO // N.A. Kuhn: HERA AND ATHENA IN APHRODITE
(Source: "Myths of Ancient Greece. Dictionary Reference." EdwART, 2009.)
HERAThe great goddess Hera (1), the wife of the aegis-powerful Zeus, patronizes marriage and protects the sanctity and inviolability of marriage unions. She sends numerous offspring to the spouses and blesses the mother at the time of the birth of the child.
The great goddess Hera, after she and her brothers and sisters were vomited out of their mouths by the defeated Zeus Krov, her mother Rhea carried to the ends of the earth to the gray Ocean; There she raised Hera Thetis. Hera lived for a long time away from Olympus, in peace and quiet. The great Thunderer Zeus saw her, fell in love with her and stole her from Thetis. The gods magnificently celebrated the wedding of Zeus and Hera. Irida and the Charites dressed Hera in luxurious clothes, and she shone with her young, majestic beauty among the host of the gods of Olympus, sitting on a golden throne next to the great king of gods and people, Zeus. All the gods brought gifts to the sovereign Hera, and the goddess Earth-Gaia grew from her depths a marvelous apple tree with golden fruits as a gift to Hera. Everything in nature glorified Queen Hera and King Zeus.
Hera reigns on high Olympus. She commands, like her husband Zeus, thunder and lightning, at the word of her dark rain clouds cover the sky, with a wave of her hand she raises terrible storms.
beautiful great Hera, hairy, lily-armed, from under her crown marvelous curls fall in a wave, her eyes burn with power and calm majesty. The gods honor Hera, and her husband, the cloud-breaker Zeus, also honors her, and often consults with her. But quarrels between Zeus and Hera are not uncommon. Hera often objects to Zeus and argues with him on the advice of the gods. Then the thunderer becomes angry and threatens his wife with punishments. Then Hera falls silent and restrains her anger. She remembers how Zeus subjected her to scourging, how he bound her with golden chains and hung her between earth and sky, tying two heavy anvils to her feet.
Mighty is Hera, there is no goddess equal to her in power. Majestic, in long luxurious clothes woven by Athena herself, in a chariot harnessed by two immortal horses, she leaves Olympus. The chariot is all of silver, the wheels are of pure gold, and their spokes sparkle with copper. The fragrance spreads on the ground where Hera passes. All living things bow before her, the great queen of Olympus.
(1) Hera (among the Romans, Juno) - the goddess of heaven, the patroness of marriage, the guardian of the mother during childbirth; was especially revered in Sparta, Corinth, in Olympia and in Argos, where he was famous temple. The myths about Hera also reflected the position of women in Greece. Just as a Greek woman did not enjoy equal rights with a man and was largely subordinate to her husband, so Hera is subordinate to her husband Zeus. In the cult of Hera, traces of totemism have been preserved; we have information that she was sometimes depicted, for example, with the head of a horse. This already indicates that Hera is one of the most ancient goddesses of Greece.
(Source: "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece". N. A. Kun.)
Limestone.
Around 600 BC e.
Olympia.
Museum.
Fragment of a fresco from the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii.
5079.
Naples.
National Museum.
Fragment of painting of a white-backed kylix.
Middle of the 5th century BC e.
Munich.
Museum of ancient applied art.
Synonyms:
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Geranium and... Russian word stress
Hera- Gera. Fragment of a fresco from the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii: Hera and Iris. 50 79. National Museum. Naples. Gera. Fragment of a fresco from the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii: Hera and Iris. 50 79. National Museum. Naples. Hera in the myths of the ancients ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary"The World History"
- (Greek Hera). Among the Greeks, the queen of the gods, the wife of Zeus (the same as that of the Romans, Juno), the patroness of marriages and childbirth. Dictionary foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. HERA in Greek. myth. daughter of Kronos and Rhea, sister and wife ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
In the myths of the ancient Greeks, the sister and wife of Zeus, the supreme Olympic goddess. Her name probably means guardian, mistress. As the guardian of marriage, Hera pursued Zeus's illegal connections. Known for her hatred of Hercules son ... ... Historical dictionary
Y, female. Borrowed. Derivatives: Gerka. Origin: (In ancient mythology: Hera is the goddess of marriage and conjugal love, the patroness of women.) Dictionary of personal names. Gera s, f. Loans. Derivatives: Gerka. [In ancient mythology: Hera is the goddess of marriage and ... ... Dictionary of personal names
- (Nega) the eldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea, raised in the house of the Ocean and Tethys, the sister and wife of Zeus, with whom, according to Samos legend, she lived in a secret marriage for 300 years, until he openly declared her his wife and queen of the gods. Zeus honors her highly and ... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
Juno Dictionary of Russian synonyms. hera n., number of synonyms: 10 asteroid (579) ... Synonym dictionary
Hera (Hera), in Greek mythology, the queen of the gods, the goddess of the air, the patroness of the family and marriage. Hera, the eldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea, raised in the house of Oceanus and Tethys, sister and wife of Zeus, with whom, according to Samos legend, she lived in a secret marriage for 300 years, until he openly declared her his wife and queen of the gods. Zeus honors her highly and communicates his plans to her, although he keeps her on occasion within her subservient position.
Hera, mother of Ares, Hebe, Hephaestus, Ilithyia. Differs in imperiousness, cruelty and jealous disposition. Especially in the Iliad, Hera shows quarrelsomeness, stubbornness and jealousy - character traits that have passed into the Iliad, probably from the oldest songs that glorified Hercules. Hera hates and pursues Hercules, as well as all the favorites and children of Zeus from other goddesses, nymphs and mortal women.
When Hercules was returning on a ship from Troy, she, with the help of the god of sleep Hypnos, put Zeus to sleep and, through the storm she raised, almost killed the hero. As punishment, he tied the insidious goddess to the ether with strong golden chains and hung two heavy anvils at her feet. But this does not prevent the goddess from constantly resorting to cunning when she needs to get something from Zeus, against whom she can do nothing by force.
In the struggle for Ilion, she patronizes her beloved Achaeans; the Achaean cities of Argos, Mycenae, Sparta are her favorite places of residence; she hates the Trojans for the Judgment of Paris. The marriage of Hera with Zeus, which originally had an elemental meaning - the connection between heaven and earth, then receives a relation to the civil institution of marriage. As the only legal wife on Olympus, Hera is the patroness of marriages and childbirth. A pomegranate apple, a symbol of marital love, and a cuckoo, a messenger of spring, the pores of love, were dedicated to her. In addition, the peacock and the crow were considered her birds.
"Zeus and Hera", cameo, 1st century.
The main place of her worship was Argos, where stood a colossal statue of her, made of gold and ivory by Polykleitos, and where the so-called Hereias were celebrated every five years in her honor. In addition to Argos, Hera was also honored in Mycenae, Corinth, Sparta, Samos, Plataea, Sicyon and other cities.
Art represents Hera as a tall, slender woman, with a majestic posture, mature beauty, a rounded face, bearing an important expression, a beautiful forehead, thick hair, large, strongly opened "cow" eyes. The most remarkable image of her was the above-mentioned statue of Polikleitos in Argos: here Hera was sitting on a throne with a crown on her head, with a pomegranate in one hand, with a scepter in the other; at the top of the scepter is a cuckoo. Above the long tunic, which left only the neck and arms uncovered, a himation was thrown over, entwined around the camp.
In Roman mythology, Hera corresponds to Juno.
