Ivy she was an important goddess of Greek religiosity, known for being the divine representative of women, marriage, family and birth. She was the queen of the gods for being married to Zeus, the supreme god of the Greek pantheon, and extremely jealous on account of her husband's extramarital affairs.
Access> also :Persephone — known as the goddess of agriculture and vegetation
Ivy Summary
- Hera was the goddess of women, marriage, family and birth.
- she was married to Zeus, the most powerful god in Greek mythology, so she was the queen of the gods.
- she was extremely jealous because of Zeus' betrayals.
- she was vengeful and punished all who wronged her.
- Her main temple was Heraião, located on the island of Samos.
Who Was Hera
Hera was one of the most important religious goddesses of the Greeks old. She represented women , the marriage , a family and the births , being seen as queen dos gods , as she was married with Zeus , the king of the gods. She was one of the 12 Olympic deities of the Greek religion for having resided on Mount Olympus.
Her parents were the titan Kronos and the titanid Rhea , and she was freed by her brother, who subsequently became her husband, Zeus. She was freed because Kronos devoured all of her children as soon as they were born, as he feared that one of them would turn against him by taking away her power, just as he had done with her father, Uranus.
One of the characteristics of Hera highlighted in Greek mythology was jealousy what she felt of her husband and his personality vindictive , for she punished all women who were involved with him. Her jealousy was justified to her since Zeus had several extramarital affairs.
One of the most symbolic cases of Hera's jealousy and vengeful actions involved Leto , the mother of Apollo and Artemis. She became pregnant with Apollo and Artemis after a relationship with Zeus, and Hera, upon learning of the situation, was furious. She then proceeded to stalk Leto and forbade her to give birth to his son.
This caused Leto to experience labor pains for days or months (myth may vary) until finally she was able to give birth to Apollo and Artemis. Hera even sent a giant serpent to kill Leto, but Apollo managed to kill the animal. Another character from Greek mythology who suffered from Hera's wrath was Heracles.
Heracles , better known as Hercules , Roman name, from his childhood he had to deal with the attacks of Hera. He was the son of Zeus by Alcmene, a mortal, and, with just a few months of birth, two serpents were left by the goddess in his cradle to kill him. However, he killed them.
Another example of Hera's vengeful stance occurred in the Trojan War , conflict supposedly fought between Greeks and Romans and narrated by Homer. In the war, Hera supported the Greeks, as she held a grudge against Paris, Prince of Troy, for choosing Aphrodite in the most beautiful goddess contest.
From Hera's marriage to Zeus, Hephaestus was born , Ares , Eris , Hebe , Illithia and Angelos . However, she also had other children whose father was not Zeus. Greek artistic depictions often depicted Hera with a pomegranate , symbol of fertility for the Greeks. Other symbols of her are the peacock and the cuckoo.
Login also :Hades — one of the most feared Greek gods and guardian of the underworld
Ivy in Greek Religiosity
Hera played an important role in the religiosity of Ancient Greece. She was the patron goddess of Argos and had temples, shrines and important cults in her honor in several cities of Ancient Greece, such as Olympia . This city was known for hosting the Olympic Games, held in honor of Zeus, and for having a statue in his honor.
One of the places that promoted the cult of Hera was the island of Samos. Archaeological excavations have shown that there were a number of shrines to this Greek goddess at this site, and there are historians who claim that the cult of Hera on this island dates back to the period of the Mycenaean civilization, which existed in the second millennium BC.
On this island was a temple dedicated to Hera known as Heraion of the island of Samos . Today, it is a World Heritage Site, and was built around the 8th century BC. There was also a sports competition in honor of Hera, the Heraia . Only women could participate in it.
One of the main celebrations for Hera was called Hieros Gamos, a re-enactment of her marriage to Zeus. This ritual was performed in the Heration of Samos. It is known that the Greek religion had a strong influence on the religion of the ancient Romans, and in this Hera became known as Juno .