I think Hera gets flattened into “the jealous wife” far too often. Who she is and what she stands for is lost to the more flamboyant myths and antics of her cheating husband. Hera is one of the original six Olympians. A daughter of Rhea and Kronos, she was the eldest of the three female children. Like her brothers before her she was swallowed by Kronos to prevent a prophesy of overthrow and grew to maturity squished in with four other siblings. When Zeus frees them from captivity by forcing the most epic episodes of blowing chunks imaginable, Hera joins forces to defeat their father and bind him in the fires of Tartarus.

After the war it was time to divide the spoils. We all know how the men divied things up. While they claimed the different layers of earthly realms, the women chose more of the concepts:  Hestia the first and last offerings and protections of the hearths, Demeter for the abundance of the earth in crops and the mysteries of Elusia. Hera received sovereignty of the world as a whole and oversight/blessing for the bonds of marriage.

Yes, Hera is a goddess tied to the blessing and sanctity of marriage. Now remember who her husband is. See why she would get so angry? Once everyone had their spoils, Zeus turned his eye to Hera. He was technically the leader but what better way to solidify that than to marry the goddess who held sovereignty? She was as powerful as he was, intelligent, and H-A-W-T, hot! To say that she checked all the boxes for him was an understatement. He began to court her. At first she was dismissive and not that interested. He was younger than her, brash, and obviously a player. But he eventually won her over with promises of love, fidelity, and respect. If only he had held those promises more dear.

At first, all was well within their marriage. They were passionate, semi-fair rulers, and with all that “getting to know each other” that newlyweds do, Hera gave birth to Ares, Hebe, and Eileithyia. Hera loved her children, and Zeus was proud of his son and daughters. But, as we are all aware, his eyes – and then his penis – began to wander. No mortal, Naiad, Nymph, or Goddess was safe if Zeus took an interest. And he really never seemed to stop taking an interest in all things female. Hera was left on Olympus, her marriage bed growing colder, the vows and promises made broken over and over.

This amazing woman was pushed to the side, even her throne no longer sat at the same level as her husbands, though her powers and rank had not diminished. But as Zeus stacked Olympian courts with his offspring by others, she became outnumbered. After Zeus birthed Athena himself, some say that Hera gave birth to Hephaestus alone as well. Others say that he was conceived through a particularly turbulent coupling. The child was born a little less perfect than their other three. Depending on the sources, some say it was Hera who threw him in disgust from the top of Mount Olympus, disfiguring and crippling him for life. Others state that it was Zeus, in anger for Hera creating and birthing a child without him, that committed the offense. Regardless of who did the original toss, the child suffered. Perhaps that was the price for the failure of their marriage. They never divorced. There were plays for power, seductions designed to sway or distract. And as Hera’s place was slowly demoted, she could not take direct vengeance on Zeus for his lying and cheating. To do so would be a challenge to his power and position, leading to another all out Olympian war. 

Unfortunately for his lovers, Hera’s only recourse was to punish them and any offspring that were created. And there were always offspring. So many of them running around with special gifts and powers from their father rubbing it in her face by their mere existence. It wasn’t fair by any means but neither was what Zeus did to Hera. The myths recount her as a jealous, fish-wife who terrorized the children of Zeus. But when we peel back that layer of propaganda what is left underneath is a strong, independent woman who was treated abominably. Stripped of her agency, her independence, even to some degree her power. He may not have attacked her directly, but Zeus tore the vestiges of her identity apart. 

Hera is the blesser of lawful marriage. She is the goddess of sovereignty, a helper in childbirth, a granter of cunning and wit. She is more than just a woman scorned, and should be remembered for all that she is, not what the haters want you to believe.