Hera is the Greek goddess of marriage, childbirth, women and family. She is also the queen of the gods, the wife of Zeus. Apparently Zeus fell in love with her at first sight but she refused his first marriage proposal, but he refused to give up so easily. He turned himself into a cuckoo bird and pretended to be in trouble outside her window. Feeling pity for the small bird, Hera brought it inside and held it to her breast, and Zeus transformed back into himself, and she agreed to be his wife out of shame. Their marriage, though, was anything but a happy one according to all the myths. Zeus was a womanizer and fathered many children with many women to Hera’s intense jealousy, and she would often go after the poor women and their offspring with vengeance. Although the etymology behind the name is unclear, it has been associated with Greek heros “hero, warrior”; hora “time, season”; or haireo “to be chosen”.
Some symbols of Hera are the cuckoo bird, peacocks, pomegranates, the scepter and the diadem, as well as the cow, the apple tree, the willow, the fig, the myrrh, lily, and the orange tree.
Origin: Greek
