Hera (Juno)

HERA (Juno).

Hera, the eldest daughter of Cronus and Rhea, was born at Samos, or,
according to some accounts, at Argos, and was reared by the
sea-divinities Oceanus and Tethys, who were models of conjugal
fidelity.^[16] She was the
[39]principal wife of Zeus, and, as queen of
heaven, participated in the honours paid to him, but her dominion only
extended over the air (the lower aërial regions). Hera appears to be the
sublime embodiment of strict matronly virtue, and is on that account the
protectress of purity and married women. Faultless herself in her
fidelity as a wife, she is essentially the type of the sanctity of the
marriage tie, and holds in abhorrence any violation of its obligations.
So strongly was she imbued with this hatred of any immorality, that,
finding herself so often called upon to punish the failings of both gods
and men in this respect, she became jealous, harsh, and vindictive. Her
exalted position as the wife of the supreme deity, combined with her
extreme beauty, caused her to become exceedingly vain, and she
consequently resented with great severity any infringement on her rights
as queen of heaven, or any apparent slight on her personal
appearance.

The following story will signally illustrate how ready she was to
resent any slight offered to her.

At the marriage of the sea-nymph Thetis with a mortal called Peleus,
all the gods and goddesses were present, except Eris (the goddess of
Discord). Indignant at not being invited, she determined to cause
dissension in the assembly, and for this purpose threw into the midst of
the guests a golden apple with the inscription on it “For the Fairest.”
Now, as all the goddesses were extremely beautiful, each claimed the
apple; but at length, the rest having relinquished their pretensions, the
number of candidates was reduced to three, Hera, Athene, and Aphrodite,
who agreed to appeal to Paris for a settlement of this delicate question,
he being noted for the wisdom he had displayed in his judgment upon
several occasions. Paris was the son of Priam, king of Troy, who,
ignorant of his noble birth, was at this time feeding his flocks on Mount
Ida, in Phrygia. Hermes, as messenger of the gods, conducted the three
rival beauties to the young shepherd, and with breathless anxiety they
awaited his decision. Each fair candidate endeavoured [40]to secure his
favour by the most tempting offers. Hera promised him extensive
dominions; Athene, martial fame and glory; and Aphrodite, the loveliest
woman in the world. But whether he really considered Aphrodite the
fairest of the three, or preferred a beautiful wife to fame and power, we
cannot tell; all we know is that to her he awarded the golden apple, and
she became ever after universally acknowledged as the goddess of beauty.
Hera, having fully expected that Paris would give her the preference, was
so indignant that she never forgave him, and not only persecuted him, but
all the family of Priam, whose dreadful sufferings and misfortunes during
the Trojan war were attributed to her influence. In fact, she carried her
animosity to such an extent that it was often the cause of domestic
disagreements between herself and Zeus, who espoused the cause of the
Trojans.

Among the many stories of these frequent quarrels there is one
connected with Heracles, the favourite son of Zeus, which is as
follows:—Hera having raised a storm at sea in order to drive him
out of his course, Zeus became so angry that he hung her in the clouds by
a golden chain, and attached heavy anvils to her feet. Her son Hephæstus
tried to release his mother from her humiliating position, for which Zeus
threw him out of heaven, and his leg was broken by the fall.

Hera, being deeply offended with Zeus, determined to separate herself
from him for ever, and she accordingly left him and took up her abode in
Eubœa. Surprised and grieved at this unlooked-for desertion, Zeus
resolved to leave no means untried to win her back again. In this
emergency he consulted Cithaeron, king of Platea, who was famed for his
great wisdom and subtlety. Cithaeron advised him to dress up an image in
bridal attire and place it in a chariot, announcing that this was Platea,
his future wife. The artifice succeeded. Hera, incensed at the idea of a
rival, flew to meet the procession in great anger, and seizing the
supposed bride, she furiously attacked her and dragged off her nuptial
attire. Her delight on discovering the deception was so great that a [41]reconciliation took place, and, committing
the image to the flames, with joyful laughter she seated herself in its
place and returned to Olympus.

Hera was the mother of Ares (Mars), Hephæstus, Hebe, and Eileithyia.
Ares was the god of War; Hephæstus, of Fire; Hebe, of Youth; and
Eileithyia presided over the birth of mortals.

Hera dearly loved Greece, and indeed always watched over and protected
Greek interests, her beloved and favourite cities being Argos, Samos,
Sparta, and Mycenæ.

Her principal temples were at Argos and Samos. From a remote period
she was greatly venerated at Olympia, and her temple there, which stood
in the Altis or sacred grove, was five hundred years older than that of
Zeus on the same spot. Some interesting excavations which are now going
on there have brought to light the remains of the ancient edifice, which
contains among other treasures of antiquity several beautiful statues,
the work of the famous sculptors of ancient Greece. At first this temple
was built of wood, then of stone, and the one lately discovered was
formed of conglomerate of shells.

In the Altis races were run by young maidens in honour of Hera, and
the fleetest of foot received in token of her victory an olive-wreath and
a piece of the flesh of the sacrifices. These races, like the Olympic
Games, were celebrated at intervals of four years, and were called Heræ.
A beautiful robe, woven by sixteen women chosen from the sixteen cities
of Elis, was always offered to Hera on these [42]occasions, and choral
songs and sacred dances formed part of the ceremonies.

Hera is usually represented seated on a throne, holding a pomegranate
in one hand and a sceptre surmounted by a cuckoo in the other. She
appears as a calm, dignified matron of majestic beauty, robed in a tunic
and mantle, her forehead is broad and intellectual, her eyes large and
fully opened, and her arms dazzlingly white and finely moulded.

The finest statue of this divinity was that by Polycletus at
Argos.

Her attributes are the diadem, veil, sceptre, and peacock.

The first day of every month a ewe-lamb and sow were sacrificed to
Hera. The hawk, goose, and more particularly the peacock^[17] were sacred to her. Flocks of these
beautiful birds generally surround her throne and draw her chariot, Iris,
the Rainbow, being seated behind her.

Her favourite flowers were the dittany, poppy, and lily.

JUNO.

Juno, the Roman divinity supposed to be identical with the Greek Hera,
differed from her in the most salient points, for whereas Hera invariably
appears as the haughty, unbending queen of heaven, Juno, on the other
hand, is revered and beloved as the type of a matron and housewife. She
was worshipped in Rome under various titles, most of which point to her
vocation as the protectress of married women. Juno was believed to watch
over and guard the life of every woman from her birth to her death. The
principal temples dedicated to her were in Rome, one being erected on the
Aventine, and the other on the Capitoline Hill. She had also a temple on
the Arx, in which she was worshipped as Juno Moneta, or the [43]warning goddess.
Adjacent to this shrine was the public mint.^[18] On the 1st of March a grand annual
festival, called the Matronalia, was celebrated in her honour by all the
married women of Rome, and this religious institution was accompanied
with much solemnity.^[19]