2. Hera

Hera is the Queen of the gods and wife of Zeus. She is the goddess of marriage, birth and women. Her symbols are the Pomegranate, Diadem, Peacocks and feather. Her children are Ares, Enyo, Hephaestus, Eris, Eileithyia and Hebe.

The Story of Hera and Hephaestus

When Zeus fathered Athena without Hera, she decided to raise a child herself. That child was Hephaestus. When he was born he was so ugly that Hera threw him off the side of Mount Olympus. It took him an entire day to fall off Mount Olympus. However, Hephaestus was god of craftsmen and blacksmiths who made weapons and tools for the other gods. He took his revenge on Hera by making her a throne which stopped the user from moving from the throne. The Gods all asked him to come up and free Hera. Hephaestus refused to free Hera until Dionysus made him drunk and got him to come up to Mt. Olympus. He was then promised Aphrodite and he freed Hera.

The Story of Hera and Echo

Echo was a nymph and she loved to talk. When Zeus was with a nymph her job was to distract Hera by flattering her. Then Hera heard of what she was doing, so she cursed her to only be able to repeat words other people said. In the modern world, this is where the word Echo comes from.