Hera

**Hera** is the Greek Goddess of Women and Marriage.

## **Background**

She is the youngest daughter of Kronos and Rhea. Hera rules over Mount Olympus as queen of the gods. A matronly figure, Hera served as both the patroness and protectress of married women, presiding over weddings and blessing marital unions. One of Hera's defining characteristics is her jealous and vengeful nature against Zeus' numerous lovers and illegitimate offspring, as well as the mortals who cross her.

Hera is known for her jealousy; even Zeus, who is known to fear nothing, feared her rages. Zeus fell in love with Hera, but she refused his first marriage proposal. Zeus then preyed on her empathy for animals and other beings, created a thunderstorm and transformed himself into a little cuckoo. As a cuckoo, Zeus pretended to be in distress outside her window. Hera, feeling pity towards the bird brought it inside and held it to her breast to warm it. Zeus then transformed back into himself and raped her. Hera, ashamed of being exploited, agreed to marriage with Zeus. All of nature burst into bloom for their wedding and many gifts were exchanged.

Zeus loved Hera, but he also loved Greece and often sneaked down to Earth in disguise to bear children with the mortals. He wanted many children to inherit his greatness and become great heroes and rulers of Greece. Hera's jealousy towards all of Zeus' lovers and children caused her to continuously torment them and Zeus was powerless to stop his wife. Hera was always aware of Zeus' trickery and kept very close watch over him and his excursions to Earth.

Hera presided over the right arrangements of the marriage and is the archetype of the union in the marriage bed.

## **Personality**

Hera was known for her tendency to curse others as well as her hatred towards Heracles, who she often fought against or foiled in some manner.

However Hera's treatment of her offspring coupled with her infamous jealousy made her quite feared even for her time, though she was also an object of worship (like all gods) - aside from her torment of Heracles she is the one often quoted as being responsible for the creation of Lamia.

## **Appearance**

Hera appears as beautiful, majestic and solemn, often enthroned, and crowned with the polos, a crown that symbolizes her status as the queen of the gods. She wears a royal dress, often wears a veil on the top of her head. She has curly shortened dark brown hair.

## **Known Powers and Abilities**

Being the queen of the Greek gods, Hera possesses tremendous amounts of power, her rage invokes fear in both humans and gods.

* **Super Strength**- Being the queen of the gods, Hera is much stronger than lesser gods, and some of her siblings. Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon rival her in physical power.
* **Super Stamina**- Like all gods, Hera can go indefinitely without sleep or rest, though she consumes ambrosia and nectar to maintain herself.
* **Super Senses**- Hera's senses are omniscient, most notably her sense of sight, as even Zeus has to be very careful as to go unnoticed by her.
* **Immortality**- Hera being a goddess was of-course immortal, and has been around for thousands of years.
* **Nigh Invulnerability** - As a goddess, Hera was invulnerable to all forms of death and trauma.
* **Nigh Indestructibility** - No earthly weapon can pierce her flesh.
* **Regeneration**- She can regenerate any injury that she receives in a short period of time.
* **Biokinesis**- Hera was said to have power over women's menstruation cycle and could make it easier or harder depending on the woman. Women who suffered more painful periods were said to be being punished by Hera for doing something unladylike. She also had the power to change mortals into a variety of animals or monsters. She can also manipulate fertility, infertility, reproduction and pregnancy in women at will.
* **Shapeshifting**- Like Zeus, Hera assumed many forms to interact with the mortal world in secret though usually it was to spy on Zeus or eavesdrop on followers she suspected of disloyalty.
* **Mental Manipulation**- Hera drove Heracles to madness and made him kill his family and many Athenian plays portrayed Hera's favored power as a combination of illusion, hypnotism and mind control.
* **Reality Warping**- People blessed by Hera were said to just seem to be lucky. However this meant that when angered Hera levied curses of misfortune upon those that offended her.
* **Weather Manipulation**- Hera plagued Heracles with deadly storms in a fit of rage.
* **Clairsentience**- Hera is capable of sensing the auras and power of supernatural entities.
* **Pathokinesis**- As a goddess of marriage, Hera can manipulate feelings of devotion.
* **Terrakinesis**- When angered, Hera has been known to cause massive destructive earthquakes.
* **Telekinesis** - Hera can move any objects with her own mind.
* **Power Negation** - As queen of the gods, Hera can minimize the powers of any god below her in power.
* **Apporting** - Hera can summon her staff to her, and banish individuals to other locations.
* **Teleportation** - She is able to teleport between Earth and Olympus at will.
* **Power Granting** - As Queen of the Gods, Hera has the power to bestow immortality onto others.

## **Weaknesses**

* **Other Deities** - Furious at her involvement, Zeus dangled Hera by her wrists on the sides of Mount Olympus.
* **Divine Weaponry** - Hephaestus created a golden throne and trapped Hera when she sat on it.