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The Olympian gods were very human in their emotions and behaviors. They too experienced jealousy, envy and were vengeful and were often more irrational and unpredictable than people. A particularly good example of this is the Queen of the Gods Hera, who was vindictive, vengeful and cunning. Her relationship with her husband the King of the Gods, Zeus was turbulent, to say the least.
The King of the Olympian deities was notorious for his many sexual relationships with humans and demi-gods and he . He had many numerous children with his lovers. Hera was constantly betrayed by her husband and he made to look foolish. Hera's hatred of Zeus was justified and she sought revenge against many of his lovers.
====Who is Hera?====
Because of the judgment of Paris, she hated the Trojans, and she did all she could to help the Greeks in their siege of Troy. Despite Zeus' many affairs, no story survives where Hera was unfaithful to her husband, and she was an ever-loyal if long-suffering wife.<ref> Renehan, p. 113</ref> Not that she did not have her own admirers. When King Ixion, had the temerity to try and seduce Hera, Zeus did not take it well. The King of the Gods bound Ixion to a burning solar wheel, spinning across the heavens for all eternity.
====Typhoon – the giant serpent====One of the features of the Greek gods was the phenomenon of parthenogenousparthenogenesis. This is where the deities were thought to be capable of asexual reproduction, that is males . Male and females female gods could produce offspring without a sexual partner. Zeus in some accounts gave birth to the Goddess Athena and when she emerged from his head, fully formed. This greatly angered Hera who saw it as a betrayal and a slight to her own children with Zeus. In the myths, she is shown as feeling threatened by the arrival of Athena. The Goddess of women and marriage then goes on to pray to Gaia, (the Earth Mother), for a son who would be the equal of Zeus. Gaia heard her prayers and decides to enable her to have a child. This was done because she was angry with Zeus for the destruction of the Giants. Gaia tells the wife of Zeus to go to Cronus and he gives her two eggs that have been smeared with his semen. Hera buried them and from them emerged the huge serpent-monster Typhoon. However, soon after is birth, Hera is reconciled with the King of the Gods and tells him about the monster. Later Zeus battles with Typhoon for control of the cosmos and the Father of the Gods emerges victorious<ref> Renehan, p. 113</ref>. It appears that Zeus did not blame Hera and they continued to be married, even if it was not domestic bliss.
==Semele ==Hera and DionysusHercules====Zeus had an affair with Semele Hercules is one of the beautiful daughter greatest heroes of Cadmus, the Theban KingGreek mythology. Zeus disguised himself so that he could have an affair with Semele. Hera found out about The tales of his Seven Labors were very popular in the affair and she decided to have her revengeAncient World. She disguised herself as Hercules was a nurse demi-god and tricked the son of Zeus to show himself in his true form to Semele and Alcmene. Alcmene was married when he did his thunder and lightning destroyed his belovedZeus impregnated her. Hera in nearly every account hated Hercules. Zeus took Semele's unborn child and completed its gestation Not only was she angered by sewing it into his own thigh. He later became Zeus’ betrayals’ but she feared that the god of Dionysus, child would eventually be the deity of wine and all forms heir of intoxication. It is also claimed in some accounts of this God, that he later retrieved his mother from the realm King of the dead. This was probably at a time when Zeus and Hera were on good terms<ref>Powell, p. 89</ref>Gods.
==Conclusion==Semele and Dionysus====The stories above are just some Zeus had an affair with Semele the beautiful daughter of Cadmus, the incidents recounted from Greek mythology regarding Theban King. Zeus infidelities and Hera’s vengeance. The Goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth had a complex relationship disguised himself so that he could have an affair with ZeusSemele. He was frequently unfaithful Hera found out about the affair and humiliated she decided to have her with his affairs with mortalsrevenge. To be She disguised herself as a Goddess nurse and to have your husband betray you with mere mortals was insulting. Then the fact that tricked Zeus was having illegitimate children was a grievous insult to the Goddess of Marriage. Then it appears that she had genuine feelings for her husband Hera was worshipped show himself in a society that believed in vengeance and its morality was very different from those from the Judaeo-Christian tradition. Heras cruelty was legendary. However, this was not something that would have shocked the Greeks. The Gods were great powers and they were not concerned with humans, from who they only sought respect. Nor would her hatred of the lovers of Zeus being seen as something immoral but would have been deemed his true form to be understandableSemele. However, it must be remembered that while Hera often hated Zeus, because of When he turned into his true form his infidelities, they were always reconciled thunder and continued to live together in Olympuslightning killed Semele.
Zeus, as cunning as ever, sent Hermes and he lulled the 100 eyed monster to sleep and killed it. Io in the form of the white heifer escaped. The Queen of the Gods saw this and she sent a gadfly to torment the heifer. Io in the form of the cow was driven half-mad by the gadfly.<ref>Powell, p. 99</ref> It was typical of the cruelty of Hera, who was shown in the myths to be given to fits of rage. Later when Hera had become reconciled to Zeus it seems that Io was turned back into her old form by Zeus. She later married a future King of Egypt. ====Conclusion====The stories above are just some of the incidents recounted from Greek mythology regarding Zeus infidelities and Hera’s vengeance. The Goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth had a complex relationship with Zeus. He was frequently unfaithful and humiliated her with his affairs with mortals. To be a Goddess and to have your husband betray you with mere mortals was insulting. The fact that Zeus was having illegitimate children was also a grievous insult to the Goddess of Marriage. Still, she had genuine feelings for her husband. Hera was worshipped in a society that believed in vengeance and its morality was very different from those from the Judaeo-Christian tradition. Hera's cruelty was legendary. However, this would not have shocked the Greeks. Nor would her hatred of Zeus' the lovers be seen as immoral but would have been deemed to be understandable. However, it must be remembered that while Hera often hated Zeus, because of his infidelities, they continued to live together in Olympus. ====Further Reading====Hansen, Randall, and William F. Hansen. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1576072266/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1576072266&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=b36bb079c0b18dd10b2365b100d13a26 Handbook of classical mythology]. Abc-clio, 2004. Morford, Mark PO, and Robert J. Lenardon. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0190851643/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0190851643&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=b928c6051a566b381addfc3ad50fbaf2 Classical mythology]. Oxford University Press, USA, 1999. O'Brien, Joan V. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0847678083/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0847678083&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=881bc6b6ae4ff328c230c031651079e5 The transformation Transformation of Hera: A study of ritual, hero, and the goddess in the Iliad]. Rowman & Littlefield, 1993. ====References====<references/> [[Category:Wikis]] [[Category:Myths and Gods]] [[Category: Ancient Greek Myths]]