Greek Goddess Hera

While most of the Greek Deities were male in form some were in fact envisioned as female and the Greek goddess Hera was one of these female deities. Because the name Hera is not actually a Greek name much speculation has been done regarding where the concept of Hera originated and some researchers have traced the name and the concept of this goddess to an ancient peoples that predate the Greeks that are referred to as the Physicians.

Where she actually was originally conceived of is for archaeologists and historians to figure out because as far as the ancient Greeks were concerned Hera was the half sister and wife of Zeus and they were both progeny of Titans. While Hera was not the patron saint of anything in ancient Greece she was considered to wield some measure of power being that she was the wife of Zeus who was the most powerful god of all the gods that resided on Mount Olympus.

However; in many instances Hera has been depicted in Greek works of art holding a pomegranate in her hand which was a universal Greek symbol for blood and fertility. Hence it is generally felt that Hera may have been called upon during fertility rites. Hera was also felt to connected to cattle in some way and this involvement eventually evolved to include her being depicted and spoken of as having large cow eyes.

The places where a Greek god or goddess were most often worshiped or recognized are what are commonly referred to as their cult cities and the cult cities of Hera were Argos and Mycenae. While Hear was viewed as a wise and cerebral goddess she was also attributed to be jealous and spiteful which served as fuel for the many myths that surrounded her. Most of these myths involved Hera plotting against Zeus's many consorts and the offspring that they consequently conceived. Hence; the resulting story line of most of the myths involving Hera and the use of her powers was one in which someone who had angered her was punished or dealt out misfortune of one sort or another.

Most of the writing that was done about Hera by noted Greek authors such as Homer depicted her in less than benevolent terms and much of it bordered on the derogatory. To many Greeks Hera was the mythical representation of the jealous wife or lover and my have been the goddess that ancient Greek wives and lovers turned to for for inspiration and protection during their own times of jealousy.