Oceanus and Tethys were models of matrimonial fidelity ; and it may thus be deduced that this was the reason why Hera always remained faithful to Zeus despite his frequent affairs. Zeus fell in love with Hera as she was the most beautiful of the immortals. However, Hera refused his advances. Zeus knew that Hera had great love for animals and other beings. He transformed himself a s a cuckoo , flew outside her window and pretended to be in distress due to the cold.
Hera felt pity for the bird, took it inside and held it to her breast to warm it. Zeus then transformed back into himself and raped her. Hera, ashamed of being exploited, agreed to marriage with Zeus.
Even after marriage, Zeus kept having sexual relationships with immortal as well as mortal women. There are numerous myths in which Hera plotted the demise or cursed these women. For her part, Hera always remained faithful to Zeus and was jealous of his affairs. Hera gave birth to 7 children , of which Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe and Eileithyia are the best known. Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera and is also known as the God of War.
He fought on the side of the Trojans during the famous Trojan War. According to legend, Hera gave birth to Hephaestus without a union with Zeus. She was so disgusted by his ugliness that she threw him from Mount Olympus. He only released her after he was given Aphrodite as his wife. Hebe and Eileithyia are the daughters of Zeus and Hera. While Hera dedicated herself to the protection of married women, Eileithyia became responsible for women in childbirth.
She was able to delay or prevent births as well. Hera is often regarded as the most beautiful of the immortals. She took great pride in her beauty and accentuated it with sandals, chariot and a throne, all made of pure gold. She also wore a high, cylindrical crown that made her look even more beautiful. Similarly, she held a long grudge against Paris when he declared Aphrodite to be more beautiful than her. This played a big role in the Greeks winning the Trojan War as Hera d id her best to ensure that they won the war through her indirect deceptions as well as direct interventions.
Echo was a mountain nymph that lived on Mount Kithairon. However, Echo would distract Hera by engaging her in long conversations and flattering her. This gave Zeus time to get away and visit the nymphs without being disturbed. Finally, Hera discovered that Echo was deceiving her so that Zeus could get away with his affairs. In order to punish her, Hera cursed Echo to only be able to repeat the words of others and not be able to frame any sentences of her own accord.
In some cities in ancient Greece, an all-female athletic competition called the Heraia was held every fourth year. The competition consisted primarily of foot races for unmarried women and was a way of honoring the Greek Goddess Hera. The race was however one-sixth of the length of the equivalent race for men. The festival was presided by a group of sixteen women.
These women would weave a robe for Hera after which the games were held. The first to run were the youngest, followed by those who were next in age and so on, until the oldest of the maidens ran.
The Olympic stadium was reserved for the games. The winning maidens were given crowns of olive and a portion of the cow that was sacrificed to Hera as part of the festivities. They were also permitted to dedicate statues inscribed with their name to Hera. Read more on our privacy policy here. Cookie Settings Accept All. Manage consent. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.
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