Gods and Goddesses Greek Mythology
Gods and Goddesses - Greek Mythology
One of the six Olympians, the daughter of Kronos and Rheia, Hera is the beautiful and powerful wife of Zeus.
She is the most beautiful of the immortals, even more beautiful than Aphrodite. Her beauty is renewed each spring as she magically washes away the ware and worry of her immortal lifestyle. Her name appears in many stories and she is often regarded as petty and unforgiving.
The story of Zeus and Io is the sad story of infidelity and revenge. Zeus changed his beautiful lover, Io, into a black and white heifer to hide her from Hera. Hera saw through the ruse and sent Argos Panoptes (all seeing) to keep watch on Io and keep Zeus away. Hermes, doing the will of Zeus, killed Argos and thus received the name Argeiphontes (the murderer of Argos). Hera would not be deterred from her vengeance. She sent a gad fly to torment and constantly prod the poor cow-woman so that she might never rest or find comfort. Finally, Io was driven to the ends of the earth (i.e. Egypt) where she found peace. The eyes of Argos can still be seen in the tail of the peacock.
Hera is often confused with the Roman goddess, Juno.
The Greek god Hephaestus, also known as Vulcan by the Romans, was the god of fire and craftsmen. He was known as the god of fire and given his name Vulcan because it stands for volcanic fire. The name Hephaestus traveled from Asia Minor, where the Greeks lived, and the name became the god’s name. Hephaestus’s parents were Zeus and Hera. According to Homer’s Iliad, it is said that when they were quarreling once, and Hephaestus sided with his mother, Zeus flung Hephaestus from Mount Olympus onto the island Lemnos. That made him lame so he is also known as the lame god. Homer gave another account of his lameness. Hera flung Hephaestus from Mt. Olympus because he was born lame and ugly. To take his revenge on Hera, he made a golden throne and when Hera sat in it she was bound to it. The golden throne was not the only thing he made. Vulcan was known as the craftsman god. By mixing fire and metal working, he was involved in metallurgy. He made a shield and armor for Achilles, a shield for Hercules and an invisible net that captured his wife Aphrodite...