In the Greek Mythology, Héra or Young stag (in Greek old (Attic) Ἧρα / Hêra or in Ionian Ἧρη / Hêrê ), girl of the Titan S Cronos and Rhéa, is the woman and the sister of Zeus. She is the protective one par excellence of the woman and the goddess of the Mariage legitimates, guardian of the fruitfulness of the couple and the women in labor also recognized for her jealousy.

She corresponds to Junon in the Roman Mythologie.

Origin. Héra the year

Franz Rolf Schröder ( Hera , Gymnasium, 63,1956) had advanced that it was necessary to bring closer the name to Héra of the Indo-European name of the year *yērā- , English present year , German Jahr … Jean Haudry in his test the cosmic religion of the Indo-Europeans (Arch, 1987) specifies the direction of *yērā- like the beautiful season of the year , comparable with the Greek and old Russian jarǔ , spring, beautiful season. This etymology reveals the original nature of the goddess, the significance of her union with Sky-diurnal Zeus interpreted like : it is the return of the clear part of the year. Héra carrying life of Empédocle is „that which brings a heavy crop “. Héra is the female personification of the beautiful season. It is only thereafter that its union with Zeus is interpreted like the prototype of the legitimate union. Its color symbolic system is the white color theá leukốlenos , goddess with the white arms , divinity of election of Argos „the white city “. If Héra is related to the symbolism of the white cow , it is insofar as this animal is symbol of prosperity and abundance. Héra is finally related to the Heures, these divinities of the return of spring and finally to the Héros whose prototype is Héraclès that which with the glory of Héra . The hero thus, according to Haudry, is that which born mortal, conquering the beautiful season of the year escapes death.

Myth

It is in Crete, with the Thornax mount (called since the “mount of the Cuckoos”), when his/her brother, Zeus, allure it while metamorphosing themselves in cuckoo wet. Touched, Héra collects the bird on its center to heat it; but this one the viol and the goddess, to hide her shame, prefers to marry his/her brother. For their weddings, Gaïa offers gold a covered apple tree. Their wedding night lasts three centuries and Héra regularly renews its virginity while bathing in the Canathos source.

It is the mother, by Zeus, of Arès, Hébé and Ilithyie, but also of Héphaïstos, which it only conceives to defy her husband and to show him that it did not need him to give birth to.

Very beautiful and very gracious, it is not less irritable and capricious. Jealous, she often persecutes the mistresses of Zeus and their offspring. Among its victims, Héraclès, to which it dispatches two snakes, and the nymph Io, transformed into cow by Zeus to protect it but in spite of very made insane by the punctures from a horsefly sent by Héra. She is also avenged by thwarting the intentions for her husband, causing ceaseless quarrels. She however causes sometimes the jealousy of Zeus, in particular with Ixion, which is linked with a cloud believing that it was about Héra, or the giant Porphyrion (who is struck down in reprisals by Zeus) and Hermes. According to a minority tradition, it is attacked by the giant Eurymédon and Prométhée conceives some, from where undoubtedly the medallion of cut of Douris Héra representative sitting vis-a-vis this last (see opposite).

One day, exasperated incartades of Zeus, Héra decides to ask for the assistance of its sons to punish the unsteady god. They project to bind Zeus during its sleep with leather thin straps to prevent it from alluring the mortals of the Earth. But the néréide Thétis sends the Hécatonchire Briarée for dissuading some. Zeus punishes Héra by suspending it in the sky by a gold chain, an anvil with each ankle. It releases it only against the promise of its tender.

Offended by the judgment of Pâris, which prefers Aphrodite to him, it is shown most savage enemy of Troyens during the Trojan War and contributes to the bag of the city. Dissatisfied with the judgment of Tirésias, it strikes it blindness.

Worship

She is especially venerated with Argos, quoted by Homère like a expensive city with the goddess, following the example Mycènes and Sparte. She also has a temple with Olympie, Corinthe, Samos or with the course Lakinion, not far from Crotona.

Héra is the goddess of the Mariage and the wives, protective of the couple, fruitfulness and the women in labor - field which it shares with her daughter Ilithye. Queen of the Sky as a wife of Zeus, it is also associated with the celestial phenomena and the light. Under its épiclèse of ὁπλοσμία / hoplosmía , with the course Lakinion and Elect, it takes up a warlike duty. The city of Stymphale devotes three temples with Héra under different épiclèses: Παρθενία / Parthenía (“virgin”), Τελεία / Teleía (“wife of Zeus”) and Χήρα / Khếra (“separated from Zeus”).

Épiclèses, attributes and sanctuaries

• Its attributes : the royal diadem and the grenade;

• Its favorite animals : the Peacock;
• Epithet Homeric :
• θεὰ λευκώλενος / theá leukốlenos , “goddess with the white arms”,
• βοῶπις / boỗpis , “with the eyes of cow, the large eyes”,
• χρυσόθρονος / khrusóthronos , “with the gold throne”;
• Sanctuaries : especially in the austere cities, Argos, Mycènes, Sparte;
• Plays organized in its honor : Héraia.

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