H E R A — Goddess of women, marriage, family and childbirth, wife of Zeus, queen of the gods. Hera served as both the patroness and protectress of married women, presiding over weddings and blessing marital unions. One of Hera’s defining characteristics is her jealous and vengeful nature against Zeus’ numerous lovers and illegitimate offspring, as well as the mortals who cross her.
Based on the number of cults, Hera was a very ancient goddess, possibly predating even Zeus. In fact, it’s assumed that we don’t even know her original name. “Hera” is actually a title, which is usually translated as “Lady” or “Mistress.” Hera’s Roman counterpart was Juno, the goddess who gave her name to the month of June, even today, the most popular time for weddings.
As the guardian of marriage and the spouse of the King of Gods and Men, Hera didn’t have much choice but to be a faithful wife. Even though she was beautiful, not many men – and not one god – dared to lay hands on her. Endymion tried once, but Zeus condemned him to eternal sleep. Ixion fared even worse: Zeus fooled him into making love with a cloud fashioned in Hera’s image, and then ordered Hermes to bind him to a perpetually turning wheel of fire.