Hera: Goddess of Marriage, goddess of childbirth.
I am, I was once loving, I was once amiable. But Zeus, Oh Zeus! He fooled me. He said I was his love, A cuckoo bird, did no one see? I was lovely, gracious and kind,But often, Zeus way ward strays. So I have been angry. is that a crime? I have lost respect, to my dismay.
And now, they will feel my anger, they will feel my wrath, all those he visited their beds. Hera, was the Olympian goddess of marriage and childbirth, and Queen of the gods, in Greek mythology.
She was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, the wife of Zeus - King of the gods, and the mother of Ares (god of war), Hebe (goddess of youth), Hephaestus - god of arts and crafts, and Eileithyia (Goddess of childbirth). Hera is associated with family and welfare,and is known by the Romans with the name, Juno.
A mighty queen, she was one of the fairest goddesses on Mount Olympus. She was the protector of children, Marriage, and a symbol for married woman Hera is usually depicted, sometimes alongside Zeus, as a fully clothed woman of solemn beauty, wearing a radiant crown or a wreath and a veil, and Sometimes carrying a scepter as a symbol of fertility.
She is also often accompanied by a peacock, which is one of her sacred animals, or a Cuckoo, as a token of the way she was wooed by Zeus. The Greek stories tell that Zeus seduced Hera into marriage. Knowing full well that the goddess loved animals dearly, he transformed himself into a sick cuckoo, and reverted to his original form only when she took the poor creature to her breast to warm it.
However, Hera is known to be an extremely jealous goddess.Her marriage to Zeus, was an unhappy one, mostly due to the reason that Zeus had numerous affairs with goddesses and mortal women alike. Jealous and vengeful, but knowing she could not hurt or stop her husband, Hera directed her anger towards Zeus' lovers, and filled their lives with a great deal of suffering.
One of her unfortunate victims, was Semele, whom she killed by tricking her into forcing her lover Zeus, to reveal himself before her in all his glory. Since humans can’t look upon at gods without perishing, Semele vaporised into thin air.
Others who have suffered the powerful goddess's anger include Callisto, whom she turned into a bear, for giving birth to Zeus’ child Arcas, Leto, whom she pursued for a long time and delayed her giving birth to Apollo, and then Heracles, whose birth she delayed, costing him the throne of Argolid, and additionally subjecting him to a lifetime of trials and hardship.
Hera was as much a vain goddess as she wasa jealous one. Like most of the other Greek goddesses, when it came to her beauty, She was easily offended. This was shown when she sent Orion’s wife to the underworld, because the woman had boasted that she was as beautiful as the goddess. Also, after Paris chose Aphrodite instead of her, she became a sworn enemy of Troy.
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