Hera

Ἥρα

Queen of the Olympians, guardian of marriage and women's lives

Hera (Ἥρα) is queen of the Olympian gods and wife of Zeus. In the myths she is the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, and her name already appears on Linear B tablets from Pylos and Thebes. Devotees honoured her as goddess of marriage, of women and the life of women, and as protector of women in childbirth.

Her cult at Argos, Samos and Olympia was among the most important in the Greek world, and her sanctuaries on Samos and at Argos were among the earliest monumental Greek sanctuaries. Today Hellenic polytheists honour her around the world, and in Greece followers of the Hellenic Ethnic Religion do too. Groups such as Hellenion keep her festival, the Theogamia, marking her marriage to Zeus and honouring the love and bond of committed partners.

See the gallery

Hera Campana Louvre Ma2283, 2006. Wikimedia Commons (public domain), Marie-Lan Nguyen

How to recognise Hera

Polos or diademLook for a tall cylindrical crown (a polos, also worn by other great goddesses) or a diadem, the sign of a queen; her statue at Argos wore a crown worked with the Graces and the Seasons.
VeilA thin veil falls down the back of her head from the crown, the himation drawn up over her hair, marking her as the bride of Zeus.
SceptreShe holds a tall royal sceptre with an ornamental top; the Argos statue had a cuckoo on it, and other images show a lotus tip.
PomegranateA pomegranate in her other hand, as on the Argos statue by Polykleitos, is read as a symbol of fertility, though Pausanias declined to explain it because its story was a holy mystery.
Robes and bearingShe is fully clothed in a long chiton or peplos with a himation, a mature and majestic matron with a broad brow, large open eyes, a grave expression and the white arms the Greeks praised.
ThroneShe is often shown enthroned, as in Polykleitos's gold-and-ivory seated statue at the Argive Heraion, though standing images exist too, such as the upright full-grown (Teleia) image at Plataea.
Cow, cuckoo and peacockThe cow (she is cow-eyed Hera, Boōpis) and the cuckoo are sacred to her, while the peacock is a later emblem, reaching Greece from Persia and linked to her Samian cult in later sources.

Names and titles

Teleia, the Fulfilled WifeHera Teleia, the full-grown wife who brings marriage to its fulfilment; Athenians honoured her with Zeus Teleios at the Theogamia
The Betrothed BrideNympheuomene at Plataea, the bride honoured at the Daidala festival of reconciliation
Queen of HeavenShe was worshipped as consort of Zeus and queen of heaven
The Cuckoo on the SceptreAt Argos the cult statue's sceptre carried a cuckoo, tied to a tale of Zeus courting her as a bird; Pausanias reports the tale without believing it
The White-Armed GoddessHomer calls her white-armed (leukōlenos); arms are a classic feature of her image

Feast days

Theogamia4 February 2027 (date to be confirmed)

The Theogamia, also called the Gamelia, is the anniversary of the marriage of Zeus Teleios and Hera Teleia. The month of Gamelion takes its name from it. Devotees honour the divine marriage and marriage itself.
How it's celebrated. Little is recorded about the ancient rites beyond great feasting. Hellenic polytheists today honour their partners or relationships and recite hymns to Hera and Zeus, such as the Orphic Hymns and Homeric Hymn 12. Some groups hold a short altar ritual with purification, offerings and libations. Observance is optional, and groups differ on the exact date.
Sources: Hellenion: Theogamia / Gamelia · Hellenion: Theogamia Ritual · Elaion: Hellenic Calendar