Tales of Hera

Hera was both the twin sister and wife of the great god Zeus. She was the goddess of all matters concerning women, including marriage and childbirth, and was also worshipped as the Queen of Heaven. Born the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, the origin of Hera's birthplace varied throughout Greece. The regions most often associated with this divine birth were Samos, Argos, Euboea and Stymphalus. According to most accounts the goddess favored the city of Argos and was said to have been chosen over Poseidon to rule as its patron god. At the time of the great battle between the Titans and the Olympians, Hera was whisked away and safely deposited in Arcadia.

Here she was cared for faithfully by Temenus and nursed by the four seasons. After the banishment of Cronus, Zeus sought out his sister on Mount Thornax but Hera would have nothing to do with him. Hoping to win her sympathy, the enterprising god quickly assumed the shape of a dowdy cuckoo and paraded himself before the goddess.

Just as he hoped, Hera instantly took pity upon the shabby creature and nestled him closely against her warm breast. In the blink of an eye Zeus resumed his true form and ravished the unsuspecting goddess, causing her so much shame that she had no other choice but to marry him.

At the wedding Mother Earth presented Hera with a magic fruit tree who bore beautiful golden apples. Wanting to keep her gift safe, the goddess traveled far beyond the River Oceanus until she reached the Hyperborean Land. Hera planted her tree and left it in the care of the three daughters of Night, the Hesperides.

She then commanded Ladon, a hundred-headed serpent who was blessed with the gift of human speech to guard and protect her sacred orchard. It was from this same orchard that Eris picked the apple of discord, the means by which she instigated the Trojan War .

Hera's wedding present was also the focal point of the eleventh labor of Heracles, for the hero's task was to bring back samples of the divine fruit and present them to King Eurystheus.

Hera went on the bear Zeus three children; Ares, Hebe and Eileithya but in spite of this, her marriage was anything but happy. It seems that her husband was quite the rogue and was known throughout Greece for his countless romances. Hera spent most of her time trying to catch the scoundrel in the act and when she did, it surely meant misfortune for any maiden involved. You can read more on my page titled The Loves of Zeus . Hera played a major role in the story of Jason and his quest for the golden fleece. She was a loyal friend to the Argonauts and frequently came to them in their time of trouble.

Because of her dislike of Paris, Hera also fought fiercely on the side of the Greeks during their ten year seige on Troy. She was known to be jealous and demanding, and could be relentless to those showing her the slightest bit of impiety. It is sais that Hera sent Side, the first wife of Orion to hades for claiming to have beauty that surpassed her own.

Hera caused the daughters of Proetus to go mad for not showing proper reverance to one of her statues, and has been credited with blinding the seer Teiresias for siding with Zeus during one of their many arguments. Because she was a goddess of feminine causes, Hera was often worshipped in the three phases of womanhood; maiden, mother, crone. It was said that she was able to renew her virginity every year by traveling to Argos and bathing in the Canathus Spring. The peacock was her favorite bird and can often be seen in the background of any artwork bearing the likeness of the goddess. To see why the peacock was so cherished please read the story of Io found on my page dedicated to Zeus

Ixion

Hera also received her share of attention from perspective suitors, though their advances were usually rejected. One unfortunate admirer was a Thessalian king named Ixion. It came to be that Ixion was pledged to marry a daughter of Eioneus named Dia, but when the day came he failed to come up with the promised bride-price. As a precautionary act, Eioneus took for himself Ixion's mares as collateral, pledging to return them once the price was met. Before long Ixion sent word to his new father-in-law. The message stated that all would be made well if he would just come to collect the money.

Seeing nothing dubious in the request, Eioneus gathered up his cloak and promptly set out for the home of his daughter. Instead of being greeted with a warm embrace, the unsuspecting old man was mercilessly seized by Ixion and savagely thrown into a pit of fire. Because of the seriousness of his crime, Ixion could find no person dwelling among men or gods willing to purify him.

Finally Zeus took pity upon him and agreed to perform the purification on Mount Olympus. After the rites were finished Ixion insulted his godly host by trying to seduce Hera. Astounded and appaled, Zeus decided to teach the impertinent mortal a lesson. First, he began by taking a cloud from heaven and shaping it into Hera's image.

He then placed the phantom goddess in Ixion's bed and waited for him to retire. Thinking he had been blessed by Fortune, Ixion began to have his way with his new lover. His pleasure was was short lived, for soon after Zeus burst into the room and caught the two in the midst of passion.

The angry god punished Ixion by chaining him to a fiery wheel which was condemned to forever revolve through the heavens. The phantom likeness of Hera, now called Nephele bore Ixion a curious creature named Centaurus. For reasons unknown Centaurus fell into ill favor with both gods and men. He later went on to father the race of centaurs by copulating with some Magnesian mares.

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