Fact 2: The names of her parents were Cronus and Rhea
Fact 3: She was one of the 12 Olympian gods who resided on the summit of Mount Olympus
Fact 4: She featured in the legend of the Golden Apple of Discord. Eris, the goddess of discord had not been invited to a feast. She threw a golden apple into the banquet of the gods. The golden apple apple had "for the fairest" written on it and the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all claimed it. Paris, the Prince of Troy, awarded it to Aphrodite beginning a chain of events that led to the Trojan War.
Fact 5: Her favourite flowers were the dittany, poppy, and lily.
Fact 6: She is often represented in art seated on a throne, holding a pomegranate in one hand and a sceptre surmounted by a cuckoo in the other.
Fact 7: Her husband had many affairs which caused her to be extremely jealous. She was consequently highly vindictive towards his lovers and illegitimate children
Fact 8: She was extremely jealous of Heracles (Hercules) the son of Zeus and a Demigod. She attempted to drown Heracles in a storm and Zeus punished Hera by having her hung in the clouds by a golden chain, and attached heavy anvils to her feet
Fact 9: Her son Hephaestus tried to release his mother from her humiliating position and Zeus threw him out of heaven, and his leg was broken by the fall
Fact 10: Despite the behaviour of her husband she was faultless in her fidelity as a wife.
Fact 11: She was reared by the sea gods Oceanus and Tethys, who were models of matrimonial fidelity
Fact 12: She was on the side of the Greeks in the Trojan War but her husband sided with the Trojans. In the 'Deception of Zeus' she deceived and distracted her husband, enabling the Greeks to obtain the upper hand during the Trojan War.
Fact 13: Children: She was the mother of Ares, Hephaestus and Hebe. Ares was the god of War, Hephaestus the god of Fire and Hebe was the goddess of Youth
Fact 14: In Greek Art the Olympian goddess Hera was often illustrated with images and pictures representing the attributes and symbols associated with Hera. Look at the pictures of Hera and see if you can identify any symbols associated with her famous Olympian goddess which are the peacock, cuckoo, lion, crown, cow and pomegranate.
