Hera


In ancient Greek religion, Hera is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Olympus, sister and wife of Zeus, and daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. One of her defining characteristics in myth is her jealous and vengeful nature in dealing with any who offended her, especially Zeus's numerous adulterous lovers and illegitimate offspring.
Her iconography usually presents her as a dignified, matronly figure, upright or enthroned, crowned with a polos or diadem, sometimes veiled as a married woman. She is the patron goddess of lawful marriage. She presides over weddings, blesses and legalises marital unions, and protects women from harm during childbirth. Her sacred animals include the cow, cuckoo, and peacock. She is sometimes shown holding a pomegranate as an emblem of immortality. Her Roman counterpart is Juno.

Etymology

The name Hera has several possible and mutually exclusive etymologies. One possibility is to connect it with Greek ὥρα or, according to Plato, with ἐρατή ; another one is to interpret it as "ripe for marriage". as Zeus is said to have married her for love. According to Plutarch, Hera was an allegorical name and an anagram of aēr. So begins the section on Hera in Walter Burkert's Greek Religion. In a note, he records other scholars' arguments "for the meaning Mistress as a feminine to Heros, Master", with uncertain origin. John Chadwick, a decipherer of Linear B, remarks "her name may be connected with hērōs, but that is no help since it too is etymologically obscure." A. J. van Windekens proposes the meaning "young cow, heifer", which is consonant with Hera's common epithet βοῶπις. Robert S. P. Beekes has suggested a Pre-Greek origin. Her name is attested in Mycenaean Greek, written in Linear B syllabary as e-ra, appearing on tablets found in Pylos and Thebes; it is attested also in the Cypriotic dialect, in the dative form e-ra-i.
The Proto-Indo-European root might have meant either 'the female who is attached/coupled' or 'the female who attaches herself'.
Many theophoric names, such as Heracles, Heraclitus, Herodotus and Herodicus, derive from Hera.

Epithets

Hera bore several epithets in the mythological tradition and in literature. In the historical times the majority of the Greeks recognized Hera as the consort of Zeus. Hera is the protector of marriage and of the rights of the married women. In some cults she has some functions of the earth goddess. She is occasionally related to warfare as tutelary goddess.

Goddess of marriage and bride

  • Γαμήλιος, 'presiding over marriage'. A sacrifice to Hera ensured a happy married life.
  • Γαμηστόλος, 'leading the troop of marriage'.
  • Νυμφευομένη, 'led as a bride' at Plataea, in relation to her festival Daedala.
  • Νυμφη, 'bride'.
  • Παρθένος 'Virgin'
  • Παρθενία,
  • Παῖς 'Child' at Stymphalus.
  • Συζύγιος 'patroness of marriage'
  • Τελεία 'bringing the fulfillement of marriage'.
  • Ζυγία, 'yoke of marriage'. Her husband Zeus had also the epithet Zygius.
  • Χήρα 'Widowed' at Stymphalus.

    Consort of Zeus

  • Ανασσα, 'Queen'.
  • Ἀμμωνία, at Elis related to Zeus-Ammon
  • Βασίλεια 'Queen' at Ialysus in Rhodes
  • Βασιλίς 'Queen' at Libadia and Argos.
  • Διώνη as the consort of Zeus at Dodona.
  • Ηνιόχη, at Libadia. She was worshipped together with "Zeus-Basileus".
  • Ολυμπία, with an altar near the altar of Olympian Zeus.
  • Σκηπτούχος,'bearing a sceptre'.

    Founder and protector

  • Αρχηγέτις, 'founder', leader of the settlement at Samos.
  • Ἀκραῖα ' of the Heights '
  • Βουναία ' of the Mound'
  • Ὑπερχειρία, 'the goddess who holds her protecting hand over a thing'. Hera was worshipped under this surname at a sanctuary in Sparta, which was built following an oracle's command after the Eurotas River flooded the land.

    As an earth and fertility goddess

  • Ἄνθεια, meaning flowery at Argos and Miletos.
  • Βοῶπις 'Cow-Eyed'. probably a form of the earth-goddess.
  • Γή, 'Earth' by Plutarch in a passage of Eusebius.
  • Ευεργεσία, 'doing a good service'
  • Ζευξιδία,'yoking the oxen' at Argos.
  • Πάμφοιτος 'repeatedly coming'.
  • Φερέσβιος 'life giving'. by Empedocles .
  • Ωρόλυτος at Samos as the controller of the seasons and times of the year

    As goddess of the hymns

  • Εὑκέλαδος, 'well sounding, melodious'.
  • Προσυμναία, 'goddess of the hymn' at Argos.

    Place of worship

  • Ἀργείη ' of Argos'. Hera was probably the goddess of the palace.
  • 'Ιμβραση after the river Imbrasus at Samos.
  • Κανδαρηνή at the city Kandara of Asia-Minor.
  • Κιθαιρωνία 'of the mountain Kithairon' in Boeotia, in relation with her fest Daedala.
  • Λιμανία ' of the harbour' at Perachora near the Isthmus of Corinth.
  • Πελασγίς at Iolcus. A sacrifice was performed to Hera by Pelias.
  • Σαμία, with a famous temple at Samos.
  • Φαρυγαία at the city Pharygae of Locris.

    Warlike character

  • Ἀλέξανδρος 'Protector of Men' . Her cult was founded by Adrastus.
  • Οπλοσμία 'bearing arms or shield' at Elis
  • Προδρομία, 'running forward' at Sikyon.
  • Τροπαία, 'giver of victory'

    Local cults

  • Αἰγοφάγος 'Goat-Eater' among the Lacedaemonians
  • Εἰλείθυια at Argos and Athens as goddess of childbirth. In Theogony Εileithyia is the daughter of Hera.
  • Ἐλεία 'of the marsh' at Cyprus.
  • Θελξινία at Athens.
  • Θεομήτωρ 'mother of a god' at Samos.
  • Ἱππία, 'of the horse' at Olympia.
  • Λακίνια at Croton.
  • Λευκώλενος 'White-Armed'
  • Μειλίχιος, 'gentle', like "Zeus-Meilichios" at Selinus.
  • Μηλιχία 'gentle, with gentle words' at Hierapetna.
  • Τελχινία : Diodorus Siculus write that she was worshipped by the Ialysians and the Cameirans. She was named thus because according to a legend, Telchines were the first inhabitants of the island and also the first who created statues of gods.
  • Ὑπερχειρία, 'with the hand above' at Sparta.

    Origins

In historical times, the majority of the Greeks recognized Hera as the consort of Zeus. Zeus was the protector of rights and mores, and his partner Hera became the protector of legal marriage and the rights of married women. Hera emerged from a form of the "Mycenean goddess of the palace" and became the spouse of Zeus. Modern scholars suggest that Hera is not only the Olympian sky-goddess, but in some cults she may be identified with the earth-goddess. Her ancient connection with her sacred animal, the cow, still existed in historical times. She is probably related to Near-Eastern forms of cow-goddesses such as Hathor or Bat. The Greek earth-goddess Gaia is occasionally identified with Hera. Gaia may be related to the Vedic earth-goddess Prithvi, who was also associated with the cow and is the consort of Dyaus.

Mycenean Greece

An inscription in Linear B on a tablet found at Pylos mentions offerings "to Zeus-Hera-Drimios"; Drimios is the son of Zeus. Hera was the tutelary goddess of Argos and it is possible that she had Mycenean origin. Martin P. Nilsson suggested that Hera is mainly the "Argeiē", a name given by Homer which describes her not as Greek, but as an Argive goddess. She is the protectress of the citadel. In literature Argos is called "dōma Hēras" ", which probably relates her to a form of the Mediterranean goddess of nature. The epithet Qo-wi-ja appears in a Linear B inscription. Walter Burkert notices that it is difficult to confirm that the epithet "bowpis" corresponds to a Greek belief. However it is possible that Hera was conceived as a cow in her archaic cults.

Consort of Zeus

Hera exists as a spouse of Zeus and their "sacred marriage" was celebrated in many Greek festivals in a processional ceremony from ancient times. The myth of the premarital approach of Hera by Zeus is early mentioned by Homer. It is possible that the myth has its origins to an old custom of the European country population, the premarital intercourse of the engaged couple. According to Walter Burkert the "Mediterranean goddess of nature" becomes the bride of the Greek sky-god. He notices that "the disappearance and retrieval of Hera has parallels with other fertility cults". Hera was originally a goddess of fertility in her fest "Toneia" at Samos and at Knossos in Crete. At Samos the image of Hera was hidden bounted in willows and the participants tried to discover it. At Knossos Zeus is mating with the earth goddess in a very ancient ritual. In her festival Daedala at Plataia there is an account of Hera's quarrel with Zeus and their reconciliation.

Near-Eastern origin

In Crete the bull was associated with religious practices. In the legend of the Minotaur the Queen of Knossos is hidden inside an artificial hollow cow and she is mating with a bull-form god in a sacred ceremony. The hieros gamos indicates a ritual of fertility magic, which was probably introduced from Near East in the Aegean region. The "hieros gamos" of Zeus with the earth goddess was celebrated at Knossos in Crete. In Near East the solar-deity and the moon-goddess are often represented as a bull and a cow and Roscher proposed that Hera was a moon-goddess. The combination feminine divinity-cow-moon is not unusual in Crete and Near East. The relationship of Hera with the cow still existed in the historical times and this probably relates her to Near-Eastern forms of cow-goddesses like Hathor. The Egyptian sky-goddess Hathor is the consort of the sky-god Horus.

Indo-european origin

In the Vedic tradition the earth-goddess Prithvi is the consort of the sky-god Dyaus and she is associated with the cow. Prithvi may be identified with the Greek goddess Gaia. Pherecydes of Syros in his cosmogony describes the mating of two divine principles: The marriage of Zas with Chthonie. Geoffrey Kirk notices that after the marriage "Cthonie" becomes Ge who probably takes charge of the protection of marriage. Hera is occasionally identified with "Ge". In a fragment of Euripides the Aether of Zeus is the sky-god who is the father of men and gods, and the earth-goddess Ge is the mother of all life. It seems that Io the priestess of Hera at Argos and consort of Zeus, was another form of Hera. In a Greek myth "Io" is transformed into a cow. This seems to be correlated to how Homer in Iliad uses the formula "boōpis potnia Hērē)", suggesting that they may have been syncretized.