Hera

Also known as: queenly Hera / white-armed Hera · Family: Olympians · Role: goddess · First appears: The Great Eoiae

Hera, goddess among the Olympians, was born to Cronos and Rhea. In the Great Eoiae, Endymion fell in love with her; Zeus deceived him with a cloud-shape, cast him out, and he went down into Hades.

In the Melampodia, Hera blinded Teiresias after his answer about sexual pleasure, while Zeus gave him the power of a seer. In Aegimius, she set Argus to watch Io. At Olympus, she kept Eilithyia close to delay Leto’s labor. In the Pythian hymn, Hera became angry when Zeus gave birth to Athena without her, and cast Hephaestus into the sea. She declared that she would bear a son without violating her marriage bond with Zeus, then stayed away from his bed and temples for a full year.

Hera bore Typhaon, described as a plague to men, and gave him to the dragoness, who received him and brought him up. The hymn also says that Hera had received Typhaon from the dragoness, who raised him to plague mankind.