Hera, Goddess of Marriage
THE MYTH
Hera, daughter of Cronus and Rhea, was born
on the island of Samos and raised in Arcadia. The seasons were
her nurses. After banishing his father Cronus, Zeus sought his
twin sister, Hera, at Knossus in Crete. He courted her
unsuccessfully for a prolonged time. She took pity on him only
when he adopted the disguise of a bedraggled cuckoo, and tenderly
warmed him at her breast. He then resumed his true shape and
ravished her. She was shamed into marriage with him. After the
wedding, to which all the gods brought gifts, Hera and Zeus
honeymooned for three hundred years on the island of Samos. Hera
bathes regularly in the spring of Canathus and, thus, renews her
virginity. Hera was equal to Zeus in only one way: she could
bestow the gift of prophecy. Peeved by his infidelities, she
often humiliated him through various schemes.
THE HISTORICAL HERA
Long before the Indo-European Hellenes came down from the north
to occupy the land and islands of Greece, a Mediterranean race,
speaking a language different from the Hellenes, occupied Greece.
The older race, which we call Minoan and Early Helladic, had
customs and codes of conduct different from those of the incoming
Hellenes. The older culture was, for example, matriarchal.
Society was built around the woman; even on the highest level,
where descent was on the female side. A man became king by a
formal marriage and his daughter succeeded. Therefore the next
king was the man who married the daughter.
The great goddess was supreme. Though she was known by different
names around the Mediterranean, she had no regular husband, but
her mate was ritually killed every autumn. He was resurrected
every spring, coming back to the goddess in the form of a newly
selected young king. The lover of the goddess was a lover-god
often associated with some bird. (e.g., Leada and the swan,
Athena and the owl, Europa and the eagle.)
Until the Northerners arrived, religion and custom were dominated
by the female, and the goddess (Hera means lady in ancient Greek)
was supreme. When the Hellenes came down, beginning between 2200
and 2100 B.C., this must have seemed quite different from their
simpler sky gods,a divine heavenly family which reflected the
pattern of their own domestic life.
With the subjugation of the indigenous Mediterranean people of
Greece by the Hellenes, the Great Mother, Hera, became the wife
of the invading Hellenes' god, Zeus.
After the fusion of the two peoples she was established above all
as the goddess of marriage, married life, and the home. Marriage
was the great social stabilizer. Hera's Sacred Marriage to Zeus
was annually commemorated at Argos, her chief sanctuary, and at
other important sanctuaries.
By the union of Zeus and Hera marriage was first sanctioned by
divine example. Marriage was now more than a tribal custom, it
had become dignified as a rite and sanctified as a sacrament.
HERA IN ART
Her role in art is principally that of the wife of a faithless
husband, plotting revenge on his lovers. She is sometimes shown
lurking behind clouds while Zeus attempts to charm a lady. The
peacock is sacred to her, and a pair of them draw her chariot.
Occasionally, she borrows Aphrodite's magic belt, which makes the
wearer irresistibly desirable, to wring some vow from Zeus. Two
of her attributes are the cuckoo, the emblem of the deceived
spouse, and the pomegranate, a symbol of fertility.
Hera Today
Hera, and Hera's piercing eyes, have been played by Meg Foster on Hercules and Xena. Ms. Foster was born on May 10, 1948 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Those of you who are children of the 80's like me may remember Meg as Evil Lynn in the He-Man Movie.
Click here to see Meg Foster's Filmography.
The Hera Episodes
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Season 6: "Full Circle", played by Meg Foster, Zeus releases Hera from The Abyss
Xena: Warrior Princess
Home Guestbook E-mail Shop Links NMDP Banshee Sitemap
Visitors to www.shrinkingbanshee.com