Who Is Hera Powerful?

Improved Essays
“Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best” said Edward Abbey, an American author. Hera was Queen of the ancient Greek gods and was an extremely powerful figure. Her family, marriage, extensive wrath, and Roman counterpart all played an important role in her daily life. Hera was born to Cronus and Rhea, two of the Titans. In total she had five siblings: Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hestia, and Zeus. Her father Cronus was nervous one of his children would overthrow him, so he swallowed them whole right after they were born. Cronus was not aware of Zeus’s birth so Zeus poisoned his food forcing him to throw up the rest of his siblings. From then on until she was grown, the Tethys raised Hera to be a powerful young woman. …show more content…
Zeus was intrigued by Hera’s beauty and competence. Hera refused Zeus’s flirting gestures and as a result he tried a different approach. He turned himself into a distressed cuckoo bird so Hera would comfort him. His plan worked and Hera rested the bird on her chest and he suddenly transformed back into his normal form. Hera was extremely taken aback and could not move so Zeus trapped her and raped her. Hera was so embarrassed by her pre-marital pregnancy she finally accepted his marriage proposal. The children they had together were Ares, Hebe, and Eileithya. Alone she gave birth to Hephaistos, who was later thrown off Mount Olympus for his ugliness. Hera had many troubles with her family but she always found a way back to

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Hera was so jealous of her husband’s affair causing her to be distant with Heracles due to him being a constant reminder of adultery. Disney decided that the concept of infidelity was to mature for the younger audience and decided that Heracles’s mother would be Hera, Zeus’s wife, and father as Zeus. They acted as the loving and caring parents of Heracles and the name Alcmeme was never mentioned. Another major inaccuracy between the myth and movie involves the depiction of Hades. In the movie, Hades is portrayed as the evil being that has one main goal/dream, dominating the realm of Zeus.…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hera Gender Roles

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages

    She delivers proper daughters –Hebe, Eris, Eileithyia–but none of the male children are equal to their father. First of all, Hephaistos’s lameness and ugliness, whether he was born out of Hera or out of both gods, exemplifies Hera’s failure as a wife. On the other hand, Ares symbolizes their hateful union and their failure as a couple. In my own opinion Hera’s failure as a wife appears as an excuse for Zeus to fool around and emphasizes Zeus’s patriarchal rulership.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Role Of Zeus In Persephone

    • 1476 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Zeus is known for his infidelity and Hera often punishes his offspring for his affairs. She is always jealous because of his constant unfaithfulness. Zeus is representative of leadership and power, and is usually portrayed by a character who overpowers a previous leader in order to increase their own status. Zeus became the supreme god because of his forcefulness in…

    • 1476 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hera Accomplishments

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hera is the queen of the ancient Greek gods, and is the goddess of marriage and family. She descended from her father Cronus and mother Rhea. Cronus swallowed her at birth along with her sisters, Demeter and Hestia, and her brothers, Poseidon and Hades; however her youngest brother, Zeus, was hidden from this fate and he later helped rescue his siblings. Because of Hera’s natural physical beauty she was forced to marry her brother, Zeus, when he fell in love with her. Many people deemed becoming married to Zeus as one of Hera’s accomplishments; however, she did not see it this way.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Throughout The Iliad, mortal women are portrayed as property of man in the male-centric epic. They are confined to outdated gender roles; mortal women have little or no control over their own destiny. However, the immortal world creates a platform for Homer to exemplify and examine women personas thorough the Olympian goddesses. The three main goddesses presented in The Iliad are Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera. During the Trojan War, Athena and Hera fight with the Achaeans, while Aphrodite favors the Trojans.…

    • 1006 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When reading this play for the first time I believed strongly that the deaths were to be solely blamed on Hera. The Goddess who out of jealousy had Heracles go through the twelve labors and then sent the Goddess of Madness, Lyssa, to put Heracles in a rage so deep that he killed his wife and children. “Heracles: Who would pray to such a goddess? One who because of a woman, in jealousy over Zeus’ union, destroyed Greece’s benefactor, who was not at all blameworthy”. (Heracles, lines 1308-1310).…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hera Research Paper

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hera is the goddess of the gods/goddess and the goddess of marriage. Lover of Peacocks and cows, Daughter, sister, mother, and wife. (Hamilton 22-23) Hera is best suited to be a marriage counselor because she is willing to listen to others, she is comforting in difficult situations, and is comfortable to work hard to achieve something.…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Hercules, born to Zeus and a mortal woman. Hera was jealous of Hercules that she sent snakes to him, for an attempt to get rid of him. Hera was enraged and was determined to do anything to destroy Hercules. For what Hercules was known for: his strength; Hercules strangled the snake with his bare hands.…

    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She was raised by two titans, not Gods. She is the Goddess of childbirth, marriage, and was the supreme goddess. Hera didn't have a symbol, but she has sacred animals, the cow and peacock. Legend says that she gathered people to go against Zeus, so she drugged him, then bound him to the couch.…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Most people have heard of the Greek goddess Hera or the Roman goddess Juno. However, not very many people completely understand the differences between the two. Both goddesses are considered to be the goddess of marriage and childbirth, but they have very distinct personalities that set themselves apart from each other. Hera is often portrayed as being very vindictive and someone who shows no mercy to those who wrong her, including women and children.…

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For example, Heracles’ is no longer under the protection of Zeus after finishing his tasks; as a result, Hera can harm him if she pleases, “he may recognize what sort is Hera’s anger against him” (Euripides 840). Furthermore, Heracles reveals the happiness Hera should feel for the madness he went through: “Let the famous wife of Zeus dance, Striking Olympus’ sparkling floor with her shoes. Turning upside down the first man of Greece From the foundations” (Euripides 1303-1307).…

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Greek Conceptions of Gender Gender inequality has been the major topic of discussion for many cultures right the way through history. Throughout Greek mythology, women are portrayed pessimistic and troublesome symbols, while men are known for being strong and controlling. Greek mythology has always been thought of as a patriarchal society and there are many reason as to why. Talking about Greek Goddesses we always think of a typical woman who is correlated with women’s roles, for example being a loyal wife, kind and caring towards her children and husband and be the idea women.…

    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hera is known for her many revengeful plots against Zeus’s many girlfriends. In the past, Hera is involved in the Trojan War, she sought to bring down the city of Troy because Prince Paris chose Aphrodite over her. A temple and many statues are dedicated to Hera for her importance in her cult following. Hera is the Greek goddess of childbirth, marriage and women.…

    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why Is Hestia Important

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hestia was the goddess of hospitality, meaning she would heal mortals and sometimes even other gods or goddesses when they were in need. People in the time period that greek…

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When his wife Gaea, the goddess of the earth, gave birth to their children such as the Hundred-Handed Children, Cyclops, and the Twelve Titans, Uranus did not like the idea that one day his children will take his power from him. Uranus was jealous of the possibility and decided to fix his problem by burying them all alive. His selfish and jealous actions ended in his death by a long, curved knife wielded by his son Cronus, one of the Twelve Titans with the help of his mother Gaea. Another example of jealousy is shown from Hera, the goddess of women and marriage in multiple occasions. Many incidents of jealousy are sparked by her husband Zeus and habit of cheating.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays