Name: HERA
Pronunciation: HEHR-uh
Pantheon: Greek
Domain: Queen of the Gods, Goddess of Marriage, Women, and Family

🏛️ Overview / Myth & Story

Hera is the queen of the Olympian gods and the powerful wife and sister of Zeus. As the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, she was swallowed at birth by her father and later freed by Zeus during his rise to power. Despite her divine status and majesty, Hera is often portrayed in myth as a deeply complex figure — regal, proud, and frequently scorned.

Much of Hera’s mythology centers around her jealousy and vengeance against Zeus’s many lovers and illegitimate children. However, she was also a protector of marriage and childbirth, representing the sacred bond of union and the strength of matriarchy in ancient Greek culture.

Notable myths involving Hera include:

• Her plotting against Heracles, Zeus’s mortal son

• The Judgment of Paris, which sparked the Trojan War

• Her rebellion against Zeus, where she temporarily overthrew him with help from other gods

• Her role in the birth of Hephaestus, whom she cast out of Olympus for his imperfection

🙏 Worship & Cult

Hera was honored throughout the Greek world, especially by women seeking fertility, protection during childbirth, or harmony in marriage. She was often worshiped in partnership with Zeus, though her temples and rites were distinctly her own.

Major centers of her worship include:

• Argos, where the Heraion (her grand sanctuary) stood as a major religious site

• Samos, believed to be her birthplace and home to one of the oldest temples in Greece

• Olympia, where she was worshiped alongside Zeus, with her own altar and cult following

Festivals like the Heraia celebrated her with athletic games and sacred rites performed by women.

🔱 Symbols, Animals & Attributes

• Peacock (her sacred bird, symbolizing pride and immortality)

• Cow (representing motherhood and nurturing)

• Pomegranate (symbol of fertility and marital union)

• Diadem or Crown (marking her status as queen)

• Scepter (symbol of royal authority)

👑 Related Gods