Assignment 2: Goddess Essay Hera
Adam Smith
24th April 2012

Hera is undoubtedly one of the most complex goddesses portrayed throughout history. Unlike many other goddesses who have kept relatively stable images, Hera has been tossed out and about being perceived on entirely different ends of the spectrum as both the Great Mother Goddess and the nagging and jealous wife of Zeus. She is the perfect example of a matriarchal deity that was taken over and transformed by patriarchal culture. It was in “Old” Ancient Greece that Hera was the primary divinity of a matriarchal culture, until the “New” Ancient Greece was founded by the Indo-European Hellenes from the north. It was the Mediterranean pre-Hellenic Greeks that worshiped Hera, and their culture was based around women (Morgan, 2006). Hera was portrayed in the three stages that women experience: the maiden (youth without children or responsibility), the mother (women with children and families in the prime of their lives), and the crone (past mothers who live for themselves once again). There was actually a competitive festival that happened every four years (like a sort of female Olympics) in which women of all ages were divided into three age groups (representing the three stages of Hera) and participated in 160-yard races, bare-breasted and with their hair unbound. There were three winners (one for each age/life stage category) and each winner had the honour of placing a statuette of herself in Hera’s shrine, received an olive crown, and had a share of the cow sacrificed for the festival in the honour of Hera (Morgan, 2006). The pre-Hellenic Greeks worshiped Hera as the Queen of the Heavens, needing the support of no king. Even for the human throne, it was the queen that everyone looked up to, and one only became king by marrying the queen, and it would be their daughter who would be the next queen (Morgan, 2006). The pre-Hellenic matriarchal culture was disturbed however once the patriarchal Hellenes came along to create New Ancient Greece, the more recent version of Ancient Greece that we hear about most often. When the Hellenes came to Greece, the pre-existing image of Hera as generous and self-assured gave way to a new image of her as spiteful and malicious. The Hellenes recast Hera in their mythology in a much more negative way, possibly to persuade the pre-Hellenes to give her up and follow their patriarchal beliefs. As the wife of Zeus, king of the gods, Hera was reduced to the jealous wife of the king, and even though she was queen of the gods, she lost her generous, independent nature. Hera was so beloved of the pre-Hellenic people however that she was not given up entirely. Despite all of the slander against her, Hera was still portrayed as the goddess who cared for women at festivals in her honour. Some cities kept Hera as the primary divinity of their matriarchal culture (such as Argos and Samos), but most of Greece eventually settled on the version of Hera known in the patriarchal culture of this New Ancient Greece (Clark, 1998, p. 14). To the Hellenes, Hera was the wife of Zeus and the marriage deity. As king and queen of the gods, Hera and Zeus were the most important couple in the pantheon, and their relationship appears in many stories. Hera’s role as goddess of marriage in Ancient Greek mythology encompasses not only the bride and wedding aspect of marriage, but the whole married life, of being married and a wide range of associated experiences including preparation for female adulthood, pregnancy, and raising children (Clark, 1998, p. 14). Unlike what might be expected from the most important couple in the pantheon, the relationship between Hera and Zeus is far from perfect. Instead of portraying an “ideal” marriage for others to aspire to, the couple’s marriage has its ups and downs with basically all levels of negative and positive, creating the broad spectrum of what marriage is all about for humans (Clark, 1998, p. 14). This makes Hera more “real” as the marriage deity, since even though she has run through some rough spots with Zeus (especially after his many infidelities), they always stayed together representing the hard work that is needed in all marriages in real life. This was a Hera that the Ancient Greeks could relate to, the hard-working wife that strived to make her marriage work no matter what happened. This was the domestic version of Hera, the marriage deity with experience that Ancient Greek women could relate to and trust. Before heading too far with this new version of Hera, let’s compare the Hera of the pre-Hellenic people and that of the Hellenes. There are major differences between these two versions of the goddess and how women of the time saw them. The matriarchal pre-Hellenic people saw Hera as the generous, self-assured Great Mother that was really someone to look up to. This Hera was kind and really represented women for what they are, beings to be celebrated just for being women! Pre-Hellenic women could look up to Hera and feel inspired, for they were the children of the Great Mother and could feel close to her just by being themselves! When the Hellenes arrived, everything changed. Hera was thrown into a patriarchal culture that portrayed her as the wife of Zeus, king of the gods. This Hera represented marriage, but she also represented devotion to the husband as the head of the household. This Hera was not kind and generous like the Great Mother that she was, but was instead the jealous and nagging wife that struggled to make her marriage to Zeus work. Hera still represented women, but the Hellenes could not look up to her the same way at all. Women instead looked up to her the way patriarchal men would want them to, as a source of direction for them to become the hard-working wives that submitted to their husbands, and as the ideal wives that no matter what happened, strived to keep their domicile lives in order, living happy in the honour of their husbands. What a transformation! Who could

have known that a strong goddess that represented all the right things like Hera could suffer at the hands of patriarchal culture to the extent she did! It just goes to show how the Ancient Greeks used mythology to shape their society, using gods and goddesses to explain how and why the world worked they way they wanted it to, supporting their patriarchal way of life by suppressing Hera and all that she represented, and all women of the time in the process. Hera does have a strong character (she is not totally submissive) but even the story of how she got married to Zeus is symbolic of patriarchal culture “breaking” women. Hera and Zeus were both born to the same parents, Cronus and Rhea, and Hera was one of five siblings that Cronus swallowed in an attempt to break the prophecy that he would be overthrown by his own son as kind of the gods. Rhea saved Zeus, the sixth child, by replacing Zeus with a rock that Cronus swallowed, thinking it was his son. Zeus later came back and saved his siblings, Hera included (Goddess Guide, 2010). Zeus originally married Metis, but devoured her when he found out that she would bear children stronger than him, to keep her from giving birth and being overthrown as king of the gods like his father was. For his second marriage, he wanted to marry Hera, goddess of marriage and childbirth (after all, who could be better to marry?) but she refused him. Hera did not see Zeus as a suitable husband for a combination of reasons including the fact that he had already been married, ate his last wife, was eternally attracted to women outside his marriage, and was her brother. After three hundred years of refusal by Hera, Zeus came up with a sneaky plan. One day, he decided to make a fierce storm. He then turned himself into a cuckoo, and flew in through Hera’s window, wet and in distress. Hera’s motherly instincts kicked in (she also had a bit of a sweet spot for cuckoos) and she took the cuckoo to her breast to keep it warm. At this point the story branches off with different versions. The first is that at this point Zeus turned himself back into a god and wooed Hera, making her finally agree to marry him (Mitchell-DeLuca). The other version however is not quite as romantic and really reeks of patriarchal dominance breaking women. This version of how Hera agreed to marry Zeus ends by Zeus turning himself into a god after Hera puts him on her breast, and he rapes her, causing her so much shame that she agrees to marry him (Goddess Guide, 2010). Talk about breaking a role model for women! This patriarchal version of how Zeus and Hera got together differs much from the sacred marriage version of the Hera cults in various parts of Ancient Greece, most notably the island of Samos (Elderkin, 1937, p. 424). This version involves a wedding ritual performed between Zeus and Hera. This ritual was a sexual act, usually performed in the remote or open settings of a meadow or on a mountain, and was performed in secret, without the knowledge of the other gods. This act was often performed by humans representing deities, as a rite of passage (Clark, 1998, p. 13). Other rituals played out at Hera festivals include premarital bathing and processions. It is said that Hera bathed to renew her virginity, and ritual bathing was also used as a way to enhance the bride’s fertility and for purification (Simon, 1983, p. 16). Statuettes of Hera were sometimes also bathed symbolically. Processions were metaphorical of the passage of brides from their old to their new homes, and special bridal clothing was prepared for the bride (Clark, 1998, p. 13). Annual Hera festivals also symbolically bathed statuettes and the image of Hera, preparing her for the seasonal cycle of vegetative maturation and death. This celebration of renewal used the representation of the water-cleansed Hera statuette as a symbol of how her worshipers would forever be reborn, just like the earth every year (Morgan, 2006). To the islands of Argos and Samos, Hera was the mistress of the whole island. As opposed to the Hellenes’ version of Hera as only the marriage deity of what is female and domestic, worshipers from these islands saw Hera as the great mother, and did not confine her to merely a deity of marriage. As the mistress of these whole islands she was the motherly protector of the cities and those who lived in them, and had close links with both their military and political functions (Morgan, 2006). Modern women can really look at Hera and gain an understanding of how patriarchal culture can just take over and how women suffered as a consequence. What happened to Hera in Ancient Greece is the perfect example of how women were dominated by their male counterparts and made to believe that life was normal or fine that way. I originally choose Hera as the goddess to write this essay on, because I was already familiar with her, or at least I thought I was! I had no idea of the extent to which she suffered at the hands of patriarchal culture, and was manipulated to be as misunderstood as she was! I knew that the Ancient Greeks unjustly portrayed Hera as jealous and vindictive, but I had no idea how intense her story was! It was only when I dug a little deeper that I discovered that the story of Hera is a reflection of women as a whole throughout history, shifting from matriarchal to patriarchal cultures. As a human being I see the injustice that has befallen Hera, and as a man I almost feel guilty that my ancestors shaped women how they saw fit through mythological examples. Anyone can tell stories, but when a goddess that is looked up to is shot down to “tame” real people, there is something gravely wrong. Both contemporary women and men alike can learn from Hera. Her story can really open eyes to the situation of today. Of course times are changing and patriarchal culture is not as strong now as it was in Ancient Greece, but we do still live in a patriarchal culture that favours men. Why? Because we grew up this way and it is our accepted way of life. The transition from matriarchal to patriarchal culture is simple enough, since the loving and harmonious matriarchal culture is overshadowed by its dominant, power-seeking and greedy patriarchal counterpart. There are so many benefits to a matriarchal society, but shifting back to a matriarchal culture takes time and acceptance by people who don’t necessarily want to let go of patriarchal culture. Hera is one of the more known Ancient goddesses, mostly because Ancient Greek gods and goddesses are often portrayed in movies, TV shows, etc. However, she is basically always portrayed as her jealous and petty “wife-of-Zeus” version, such as the goddess who is mad at Paris when he chooses Aphrodite over her as the most beautiful (the beginnings of the Trojan War), and as the goddess that eternally hates Hercules (or Heracles), the half-god son that her husband Zeus had with another woman. These demonizing portrayals of Hera in Ancient Greek mythology hide her true nature as the Great Mother, and as someone for all women to look up to. Just like Hera, when women today say what they want or desire, they are greedy, and when they express authority, women are seen as demanding and carping. Compare this to men who can say what they want and are seen as leaders when they are authoritative. Of course today’s situation is not quite as bad as in the previous example, but preconceptions still exist and there definitely are some cultures in the world that think this way. Hera was the primary goddess of feminism, and modern women who can see past the negative conceptions thrown upon her over time can embrace Hera’s other aspects. She encourages women to become active in finding their strengths, follow their passions, and speak up and be heard in their relationships and their lives. There is actually a foundation on women’s cancer that bears her name. The HERA (Health, Empowerment, Research, and Awareness) Women’s Cancer Foundation chose her name because “Hera was considered the protector of women and empowered women to stand up for themselves. The HERA Foundation’s goal is to do the same; empower women to take control of their health by championing this unrecognized threat [ovarian cancer] to women’s health” (HERA Foundation, 2012). I feel that choosing Hera as the namesake for this foundation is very appropriate. On a personal level, I’m glad I was able to dig into Hera’s past and uncover her true meaning. She has lived through very different times, and has been displayed according to then-present beliefs. Her transformation induces such a vivid walk through the ages, and I really feel like I understand what women were submitted to as time went on. It’s really in studying Hera that I developed an appreciation for the grave takeover of patriarchal culture and how our society never fully recovered from it. Hera as the Great Mother goddess versus the Hera of patriarchal Ancient Greece… both versions have similar foundations but are perceived entirely differently. Where between the two extremities of Hera are we today? Where do you want us to be?

References
Clark, I. (1998). The Gamos of Hera: Myth and Ritual. In S. Blundell & M.
Williamson (Eds), The Sacred and the Feminine in Ancient Greece (pp. 12-23). London: Routledge.
Elderkin, G. W. (1937, July-Sept). The Marriage of Zeus and Hera and its
Symbol. American Journal of Archaeology, 41(3), 424-435.
Goddess Guide. (2010). Hera. Retrieved April 23, 2012, from http://www.goddess-guide.com/hera.html. HERA Foundation. (2012). Our name. Retrieved April 23, 2012, from http://www.herafoundation.org/about-hera/our-name/.era and iiii

Mitchell-DeLuca, E. (n.d.). Marriages of the Gods: Zeus and Hera. Retrieved
April 23, 2012, from http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/M/Erika.D.Mitchell-Deluca-1/ZeusandHera1.html.
Morgan, A. (2006). Hera: Great Mother Goddess. Retrieved April 23, 2012, from http://www.orderwhitemoon.org/goddess/Hera.html. Simon, E. (1983). Festivals of Attica: An Archaeological Commentary. London:
The University of Wisconsin Press.