Hera

By B.S.

In ancient Greek mythology, Hera had many good qualities and had some negative ones as well. Hera had many interesting characteristics that demonstrated what she was the goddess of and what she was able to do. She was the goddess of life, especially women during childbirth. She was the queen of the gods. This shows that she had almost full authority. Sometimes she was able to overpower Zeus for a couple of hours. The peacock was Hera’s sacred bird of power because she thought it was just as beautiful as she. Even though Hera was the most beautiful female goddess, in myths she was often depicted as greedy and jealous. Hera would always make sure that Zeus was always her husband and not anybody else’s. She would often to horrible things to the “bride to be” so that Zeus was her husband and her husband only. Hera and Zeus would often argue because of Hera’s greediness.  This shows how Hera was greedy, jealous, and hostile to any woman who was in interest of Zeus. Because Hera was the wife of Zeus, she was respected and worshiped in many different places. She was a very well known goddess all over Greece because of her high authority. Two of the most common places she was recognized were Argos and Samos. She was the wife of Zeus and daughter of Cronus and Rhea (two Titans). She was the mother (with Zeus) of Ares and Hephaestus. Hera has changed some of the world by letting people know that women are powerful, strong, and can make a difference.

"Hera." Online Art. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 6 Nov. 2007           <http://school.eb.com/ebk/article?art-87298>.