Hera
The name Hera appears on clay tablets from Pylos and Thebes written in the Linear B script, dating to the Mycenaean period. Scholars have debated the linguistic root of this name for over a century without reaching a single conclusion. One theory connects the word to hōra, meaning season or time, suggesting a link to agricultural cycles. Plato proposed that the name derived from eratē, which translates to beloved, implying a relationship based on affection rather than power. Another scholar, A. J. van Windekens, argued that the name meant young cow or heifer, aligning with her common epithet boōpis, translated as cow-eyed. Robert S. P. Beekes suggested a Pre-Greek origin for the name, indicating it predates the arrival of Greek speakers in the region. The Proto-Indo-European root might have meant the female who is attached or coupled, reflecting social or emotional bonds. Many names like Heracles and Herodotus derive from this same root, showing its deep cultural penetration.
An inscription found at Pylos mentions offerings made to Zeus-Hera-Drimios, where Drimios was identified as the son of Zeus. This tablet provides concrete evidence that Hera held a significant position during the Mycenaean era alongside the sky god. Martin P. Nilsson noted that Hera was likely the Argeiē, an Argive goddess described by Homer not as Greek but as native to the region. The epithet Qo-wi-ja appears in Linear B inscriptions, which scholars translate as cow-eyed. Walter Burkert observed that confirming whether bowpis corresponds to a specific Greek belief remains difficult due to the fragmentary nature of the records. Despite these challenges, the presence of her name on administrative tablets proves she was worshipped before the classical period. The cult activity near the altar at Samos began in the late Mycenaean period, with a large altar constructed in the 9th century BC. These findings suggest Hera emerged from a form of the Mycenean goddess of the palace rather than appearing suddenly in later myths.
At Plataea in Boeotia, citizens maintained a processional wedding ceremony known as the Daedala fire festival for prehistoric times. A puppet named Hera was married to Zeus and then washed in the river Asopos before being carried on a chariot drawn by cows to the top of Kithairon. Participants burned the puppet together with other idols to commemorate the reconciliation between the divine couple after a quarrel. In Argos, the famous fest Hecatombaia involved one hundred oxen and included an armed procession of male citizens. The priestess of Hera was carried on a chart drawn by white-heifers to the sanctuary during this event. At Olympia, young girls competed in a footrace held every four years where only virgin women were allowed to attend. The prize for winning this race was an olive wreath, establishing a tradition set by Hipodameia. In Hermione near Argos, Hera renewed her virginity annually at the spring of Kanathos through rites that remained secret. This annual purification ritual ensured the goddess remained pure for the community's protection.
The oldest temple dedicated to Hera Akraia at Perachora was built in the 9th century BC with dimensions measuring 5.50 meters by 8.00 meters. Its walls were constructed from small stones and dried bricks while the high-peaked roof was covered with straw. A teracotta house-temple model indicates it was an upsidal building containing just one room. The Heraion at Samos became one of the largest Greek temples ever constructed, featuring a forest of 155 columns in its later iterations. Herodotus called Rhoecus of Samos the first architect of the massive Ionic temple built around 560 BC. The new Polycrates temple erected in 525 BC measured 54.58 meters by 111.50 meters and included eight rows of columns along the flanks. At Paestum, two Doric temples dedicated to Hera were constructed in the early 6th century and again in the first half of the 5th century BC. One of these structures, long mistaken for the Temple of Poseidon, measures 24.3 meters by 60.00 meters and stands as a hexastyle structure. These monumental buildings testify to the immense wealth and influence of her cult centers across ancient Greece.
Hera's familiar Homeric epithet Boôpis is always translated as cow-eyed, linking her directly to cattle worship in archaic times. In Hellenistic imagery, her chariot was pulled by peacocks, birds that Greeks did not know before Alexander the Great conquered Persia. Aristotle referred to the peacock as the Persian bird, noting its exotic origin compared to native species. A cuckoo appears in mythic fragments concerning the first wooing of a virginal Hera by Zeus, who transformed himself into this bird to seduce her. The cuckoo sits on her sceptre as a reminder of their courtship story found in Pausanias' Description of Greece. Her archaic association was primarily with cattle, especially venerated in cattle-rich Euboea where bull skulls were adapted for use as masks. On Cyprus, very early archaeological sites contain bull skulls that have been modified for ritual purposes. Scholars note memories of an earlier aniconic representation existing as a pillar in Argos or a plank in Samos tied to willow trees for fertility.
Johann Jakob Bachofen published Mother Right in 1861, initiating centuries of scholarship regarding whether Hera represented a matriarchal people inhabiting Greece before the Hellenes. This view suggests her activity as goddess of marriage established the patriarchal bond of her own subordination through resistance to Zeus's conquests. Modern scholars generally reject the claim that an ancient matriarchy existed among the ancient Greeks due to insufficient evidence. Walter Burkert noticed that the ancient Kourotrophos figure is almost absent in Crete and that the nomination Mother Goddess was not the underlying principle in Minoan religion. Jane Ellen Harrison and other students of Greek myth built upon Bachofen's seminal writings to explore these possibilities further. Cynthia Eller wrote The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory arguing that such invented pasts do not give women a future. Encyclopædia Britannica describes this view as consensus while listing matriarchy as a hypothetical social system rather than historical fact. Despite these debates, Hera remains a central figure in understanding the transition from earlier religious practices to classical Olympian structures.
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Common questions
What is the origin of the name Hera according to Linear B tablets?
The name Hera appears on clay tablets from Pylos and Thebes written in the Linear B script, dating to the Mycenaean period. Scholars have debated the linguistic root of this name for over a century without reaching a single conclusion.
When did cult activity near the altar at Samos begin for Hera?
The cult activity near the altar at Samos began in the late Mycenaean period with a large altar constructed in the 9th century BC. These findings suggest Hera emerged from a form of the Mycenean goddess of the palace rather than appearing suddenly in later myths.
How often was the footrace held at Olympia dedicated to Hera?
At Olympia, young girls competed in a footrace held every four years where only virgin women were allowed to attend. The prize for winning this race was an olive wreath establishing a tradition set by Hipodameia.
Who designed the massive Ionic temple at the Heraion on Samos around 560 BC?
Herodotus called Rhoecus of Samos the first architect of the massive Ionic temple built around 560 BC. The new Polycrates temple erected in 525 BC measured 54.58 meters by 111.50 meters and included eight rows of columns along the flanks.
What animal pulled Hera's chariot in Hellenistic imagery after Alexander the Great conquered Persia?
In Hellenistic imagery her chariot was pulled by peacocks birds that Greeks did not know before Alexander the Great conquered Persia. Aristotle referred to the peacock as the Persian bird noting its exotic origin compared to native species.