Hera
Ήρα
Marriage and royal power
Hera is queen of the Olympians and a powerful goddess of marriage. Epic often frames her through disputes with Zeus, but temples and festivals show a deity with an important public life of her own. Her worship was especially prominent at Argos and on Samos.
A queen with agency
In the Iliad, Hera supports the Achaeans and repeatedly challenges Zeus over the war. These scenes give her a sharp voice and political will; they are not a complete description of her religious role. Stories of Heracles, Io and other figures also show how conflict within the divine household drives myth. Their different versions should be read in context, not reduced to one personality trait.
Marriage and civic life
As Hera Teleia, she was linked to the fulfilment of marriage. Worship of Hera could involve women, families and the wider city, including processions and offerings. At Argos and Samos, large sanctuaries made her importance visible in architecture. Ancient religion was local: the rites and stories attached to Hera at one site did not have to match those elsewhere.
Recognising Hera in art
Artists often gave her a diadem or crown, veil and sceptre to signal royal standing. A pomegranate can suggest marriage and fertility; the peacock is especially familiar from later Roman and European imagery. A seated or standing female figure alone is difficult to identify securely, so museum labels also use inscriptions, provenance and associated figures.
Reading Hera now
The name Ήρα still appears in Modern Greek retellings and in the name of the asteroid Hera. Her myths invite comparison between epic characterisation and the historical evidence of temples, dedications and festivals. That distinction matters: Greek worshippers did not merely read a story about a jealous queen.
Famous places and depictions
Sanctuaries and works of art where this god was honoured or depicted. Lost statues and uncertain identifications are identified as such.
- Heraion of SamosSamos, Greece
The vast sanctuary preserves bases and votive evidence of Hera’s cult.
- Heraion of ArgosArgolis, Greece
A major sanctuary associated with her cult statue and regional festivals.
Ancient sources and further reading
Homer, Iliad 1, 4 and 14; Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.17; Herodotus, Histories 3.60.
For the wider context of Greek worship and art, see the Metropolitan Museum of Art.