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[[File: Hera 3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Bust of Zeus]]
====Why do Hera and Zeus have a love/hate relationship?====
[[File: Temple of Hera - Agrigento - Italy 2015.JPG|200px|thumb|left|A Temple of Hera in Sicily]]
Hera and Zeus frequently clashed. The relationship between Zeus and Hera was a complex one, and the King of the Gods, did love his wife, and she loved him. However, he had a wandering eye, and Hera knew this. The Goddess did all she could to retain his affections. On one occasion she borrowed the girdle of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, and she was able to briefly charm and fascinate Zeus. But his affection was temporary and he continued to have countless affairs. Her portrayal of Greek myths is often extremely negative. The myths often sought to portray her as ridiculous because she tried to stop Zeus' affairs.
In one story, Echo was a nymph in Greek legend who was a spirit of a forest or a body of water. Zeus gave her the job of distracting Hera from Zeus'sexual adventures. Echo was a charmer and a flatterer and she was very successful in distracting Hera for a long time. However, when Hera discovered that she was tricking her, she cursed Echo so that she would only repeat the words of others forever. This is the origin of the word echo.
Hera was portrayed as a powerful Goddess. She rode in a chariot drawn by two horses and she had her own retinue of Gods. Despite the adverse treatment of Hera, she was also feared and was fervently worshipped, especially by women. Hera was the Goddess of marriage and anyone who broke their marriage vows was believed to have personally insulted her and committed an act of hubris against the Goddess.<ref> Powell, p. 118</ref> She punished unfaithful husbands and was believed to harm anyone who injured animals that were sacred to her. People also thought that Hera could help women in childbirth. Hera played a crucial role in the Trojan War.
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 parthenogenesis. This is where the deities were thought to be capable of asexual reproduction. Male and female gods could produce offspring without a sexual partner. Zeus in some accounts gave birth to the Goddess Athena 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.
After Zeus destroyed the giants, Hera prayed to Gaia, the Earth Mother, for a son who would be the equal of Zeus. Gaia heard her prayers and enabled her to have a child on her own. Gaia told Hera to Cronus asked her to give him two eggs that had been smeared with his semen. Hera buried them and Typhoon a giant sea monster emerged from them. However, soon after is birth, Hera reconciled with Zeus the King of the Gods and told him about the monster. Later, Zeus battled Typhoon for control of the cosmos and he emerged victorious.<ref> Renehan, p. 113</ref> Zeus did not blame Hera and they continued to be married, even if it was not domestic bliss.
====Hera and Hercules====
Hercules is one of the greatest heroes of Greek mythology. The tales of his Seven Labors were very popular in the Ancient World. Hercules was a demi-god and the son of Zeus and Alcmene. Alcmene was married when Zeus impregnated her. Hera in nearly every account hated Hercules. Not only was she angered by Zeus’ betrayals’ but she feared that the child would eventually be the heir of the King of the Gods.
In many stories, Hera hates him so much that she attempted to kill Hercules when he was an infant. She sent two snakes to kill the infant in his cradle, but remarkably Hercules managed to kill the snakes. Alcemne was so worried about the wrath of Hera that she abandoned her infant son on a slope, which was a common form of infanticide in the Greek World. However, Athena, his half-sister Athena managed to save him. She deceived Hera into thinking that he was dead. Later when Hercules reached manhood and began his labors, the Queen of the Gods did all in her considerable power to harm the son of Zeus. Later they were reconciled with the King of the Gods and Hercules married her daughter Hebe.<ref>Powell, p. 89</ref>
====Semele and Dionysus====
Zeus had an affair with Semele the beautiful daughter of Cadmus, the Theban King. Zeus disguised himself so that he could have an affair with Semele. Hera found out about the affair and she decided to have her revenge. She disguised herself as a nurse and tricked Zeus to show himself in his true form to Semele. When he turned into his true form his thunder and lightning killed Semele.
Zeus took Semele's unborn child and completed its gestation by sewing it into his own thigh. He later became the god of Dionysus, the deity of wine and all forms of intoxication. It is also claimed in some accounts of this God, that he later retrieved his mother from the realm of the dead. This was probably at a time when Zeus and Hera were on good terms.<ref>Powell, p. 89</ref>
====Io and Hera====
Another one of the more prominent affairs of Zeus was with Io, who was ironically a priestess of Hera. When the Goddess heard about this she was furious, and she turned the unfortunate Io into a white cow. Now Hera knew that Zeus would transform the white heifer back into her old female form and continue the affair. She had a 100 eyed giant Argos, to keep watch on the heifer and to tell her if Zeus tried to change her back to her human form.
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.
==Typhoon – the giant serpent==Conclusion====One of the features The stories above are just some of the incidents recounted from Greek gods was the phenomenon of parthenogenous. This is where the deities were thought to be capable of asexual reproduction, that is males and females could produce offspring without a sexual partner. mythology regarding Zeus in some accounts gave birth to the Goddess Athena. This greatly angered Hera who saw it as a betrayal infidelities and a slight to her own children with Zeus. In the myths, she is shown as feeling threatened by the arrival of AthenaHera’s vengeance. 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 childbirth had a child. This was done because she was angry complex relationship with Zeus for the destruction of the Giants. Gaia tells the wife of Zeus to go to Cronus He was frequently unfaithful and he gives humiliated her two eyes 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 affairs with the King of the Gods and tells him about the monstermortals. 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 To be a Goddess and they continued to be married, even if it have your husband betray you with mere mortals was not domestic blissinsulting. ==Hera and Hercules==Hercules is one of the great heroes of Greek mythology and tales of his Seven Labors were very popular in the Ancient World. This demi-god was the son of The fact that Zeus and Alcmene, who was already married when Zeus impregnated her. Hera in nearly every account hated Hercules. Not only was she angered by Zeus’ betrayals’ but she feared that the child would eventually be the heir of the King of the Gods. In many stories, Hera hates him so much that she attempted to kill the infant, Hercules. She sent two snakes to kill the infant in his cradle, but the remarkable Hercules managed to kill the snakes. Alcemne was so worried about the wrath of Hera that she abandoned her infant son on a slope, which having illegitimate children was also a common form of infanticide in the Greek World. However, Athena, his half-sister Athena managed grievous insult to save him and deceived Hera into thinking that he was dead. Later when Hercules reached manhood and began his labors, the Queen of the Gods did all in her considerable power to harm the son of Zeus. Later they were reconciled with the King Goddess of the Gods and Hercules married her daughter Hebe <ref>Powell, p. 89</ref>Marriage.
==Io and Hera==Further Reading====Another one of the more prominent affairs of Zeus was with IoHansen, who was ironically a priest of Hera. When Hera heard about this she was furiousRandall, and she turned the unfortunate Io into a white cowWilliam F. Now Hera knew that Zeus would transform the white heifer back into her old female form and continue the affairHansen. She had a 100 eyed giant Argos, to keep watch on the heifer and to tell her if Zeus tried to change her back to her human form[https://www. Zeus, as cunning as ever, sent Hermes and he lulled the 100 eyed monster to sleep and killed itamazon. Io in the form of the white heifer escaped. The Queen 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 the Gods saw this and she sent a gadfly to torment the heiferclassical mythology]. Io in the form of the cow was driven halfAbc-mad by the gadfly<ref>Powell, p. 99</ref>. It was typical of the cruelty of Heraclio, 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. It is believed to have married a future King of Egypt2004.
O'Brien, Joan V. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0847678083/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=Further Reading0847678083&linkCode=as2&tag=Hansendailyh0c-20&linkId=881bc6b6ae4ff328c230c031651079e5 The Transformation of Hera: A study of ritual, Randallhero, and William Fthe goddess in the Iliad]. Hansen. Handbook of classical mythology. Abc-clioRowman & Littlefield, 20041993.;l