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Mythos Atlas

Greek Pantheon

Hera

Ἥρα(Hera)

Also known as Juno

Illustration of Hera, a deity of the Greek Pantheon
Illustrative imageIllustration of Hera. Generated with an AI image model; not a historical artifact. About our images
  • marriage
  • women
  • family
  • childbirth

Queen of the gods and goddess of marriage and family. Wife and sister of Zeus, known for her jealousy toward Zeus's lovers and illegitimate children.

About Hera

Queen of the Gods

Hera is the majestic queen of Olympus and the goddess of marriage and childbirth. As the wife of Zeus, she holds immense power, but she is most famously known for her jealousy and vengeance against Zeus's lovers and illegitimate children.

The Divine Marriage

Her marriage to Zeus is turbulent, reflecting the storms of the sky. Despite his infidelities, Hera remains the protector of lawful marriage and the sanctity of the family. She is often depicted holding a pomegranate (symbol of fertility) and accompanied by a peacock.

Origin story

Hera was the eldest daughter of Cronus and Rhea, swallowed by Cronus at birth and later freed by Zeus. She became Zeus's wife after he courted her in the form of a cuckoo bird.

Across traditions

Parallel figures

Figures who play a role like Hera's in other traditions.

Worship and cult

Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Hera

Argos and Samos kept her oldest houses. The Heraia were women's games at Argos and a foot-race at Olympia. Marriage, cattle, and the cuckoo or peacock are hers; the cult is civic and jealous, not only a wedding story.

Sacred sites

  • Heraion of Argos
  • Heraion of Samos
  • Temple of Hera at Olympia

Festivals

  • Heraia
  • Daedala (Boeotia)

Family

Parents
CronusRRhea
with
Zeus
Hera
Children
AresHephaestus
Siblings
Zeus

Relationship sources

  1. Theogony — Zeus spouse of Hera

    Hesiod · Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica (1914), Project Gutenberg #348 · Theogony 921–923

  2. Theogony — Zeus sibling of Hera

    Hesiod · H. G. Evelyn-White, Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica (1914), Loeb Classical Library 57; Theoi transcription · Theogony 453–458

  3. Theogony — Hera parent of Ares

    Hesiod · Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica (1914), Project Gutenberg #348 · Theogony 921–923

  4. Theogony — Hera parent of Hephaestus

    Hesiod · Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica (1914), Project Gutenberg #348 · Theogony 924–929

  5. Theogony — Cronus parent of Hera

    Hesiod · Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica (1914), Project Gutenberg #348 · Theogony 453–491

  6. Theogony — Rhea parent of Hera

    Hesiod · Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica (1914), Project Gutenberg #348 · Theogony 453–491

Questions about Hera's family
Who are Hera's parents?
The atlas's kinship records name 2 parents of Hera: Cronus and Rhea. Ancient accounts do not always agree on divine parentage.
Who are Hera's children?
Children of Hera recorded in the atlas: Ares and Hephaestus.
Who were Hera's spouses and consorts?
Spouses and consorts of Hera recorded in the atlas: Zeus.
Who are Hera's siblings?
Siblings of Hera recorded in the atlas: Zeus.

In the atlas

Where Hera appears

In the museums

Hera in art

Real objects in public collections, released into the public domain by the museums that hold them. Dates refer to when each object was made. Objects made within the tradition come first, later depictions after.

Sources and further reading

Ancient sources

Quotations, paraphrases and verification notes. Each passage states what has been checked.

Direct quotation

“I sing of golden-throned Hera whom Rhea bare. Queen of the immortals is she, surpassing all in beauty: she is the sister and the wife of loud-thundering Zeus.”

Homeric Hymn to Hera · 1-3

Translation: Hugh G. Evelyn-White

H. G. Evelyn-White, 1914

Read source

Appears in

Ancient and classical works featuring this figure.

  • TheogonyHesiod

    eventually becomes Zeus's queen (the catalog of Zeus's unions)

Further reading

An editorial selection, not a full bibliography. Browse every text on the Sources page.

About this entry

By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. . Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.

Parallels are editorial comparisons across traditions: a shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.

Family relationships come from the atlas's kinship records. Ancient sources often disagree on divine genealogy.

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Genealogy

Family tree

Hera's parents, consorts, children and rivals, as recorded in the atlas.

Open the full tree