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Hera
Blessing:
In myth Hera often gets the short end of the stick, coming off as a jealous shrew and a cruel persecutor of the unfortunates who attracted the wandering eye of her husband. But Hera also has a protective and nurturing side. She is faithful and dutiful, and looks after marriages and mothers. She has, to a lesser degree, connections with nature, particularly agriculture and livestock.
Epithets:
Agreie (of Argos), Akraia (of the Heights), Boophis (Cow-Eyed), Gamelia (of Marriage), Khera (the Widow), Lakinia, Leukolenos (White-Armed), Limenia, Nympheuomene (Led as a Bride), Pais (Maiden), Parthenos (Virgin), Teleia (Accomplisher), Zygia (Uniter)
Symbols:
peacock feather, scepter, crown
Animal(s):
cow, cuckoo, peacock
Sacrifices:
aromatic herbs; willow, peacock feathers, poppies, star sapphire, myrrh, civet
Primary Cult Center(s):
Argos, Boeotia, Samos
Festivals:
Daedala: occurred every seven years (Little) and every sixty years (Great)
Gamelia: 27 Gamelion (January-February)
Heraea: occurred every five years
Ways to honor:
Respect marital vows, your own and those of others. Work hard at your relationships. Keep the romance alive. Don't fall into a routine, or take your partner for granted. Be aware of your jealousy, and the effects it has on how you deal with your partner. Try not to do things that will make your partner jealous. Surprise your partner with little things that you know will make them happy. Keep the lines of communication open. A good marriage isn't an easy thing to create, but all the effort that goes into it is a way to worship Hera. Don't forget to pray to her when you're feeling stressed, frustrated, or taken advantage of. She often has really good advice!
For more information:
Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound 590-601
Aeschylus' Suppliants 291-309
Apollodorus' Library 1.1.5, 1.3.2, 1.3.6, 1.4.3, 1.6.2, 1.7.4, 1.8.2, 1.9.8, 1.9.16, 1.9.23-26, 2.1.3, 2.2.2, 2.4.9, 2.4.12, 2.5.9-10, 2.7.2-8, 3.4.3, 3.5.1, 3.5.8
Aristophanes' Women Celebrating the Thesmophoria 973
Hesiod's Theogony 310, 326-332, 453-506, 901, 921-934
Homer's Iliad 1.531, 1.568, 5.720, 5.764, 8.198, 8.381, 8.425, 11.270-271, 14.155, 14.193, 14.242, 14.270, 14.312, 14.352, 15.5, 15.34, 15.78, 16.430, 16.439, 19.95, 19.114,
Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite 5.33
Homeric Hymn to Apollo 3b.3.95-101, 305-359
Homeric Hymn to Hera 12
Hyginus' Fabulae 5, 13, 22, 52, 102, 150
Hyginus' Poetica Astronomica 2.3, 2.16, 2.23, 2.42-43
Ovid's Metamorphoses 1.601-746, 2.466-533, 3.255-338, 3.362-369, 4.416-562, 6.90-97, 7.516-613, 9.280-323, 14.829-851
Pausanias' Description of Greece 2.13.3, 2.17.4, 3.13.8-10, 3.15.9, 2.4.7, 5.17.1, 8.22.2, 8.3.6, 9.11.3, 9.25.2,
Pindar's Nemean Odes 1.33, 1.37, 1.44
Pindar's Pythian Odes 2.17, 2.21-41
Plato's Laws 672b
Plato's Republic 390c
Sappho's To Lady Hera
