Reference
- Hera: Credo ReferenceIn Greek mythology, the goddess of women and marriage (Roman Juno); sister and consort of Zeus; and mother of Hephaestus, god of fire and metalcraft, the war god Ares, and Hebe, the original cupbearer to the gods. The peacock was sacred to her; the eyes in its tail were transplanted from her servant, the 100-eyed Argus, who had watched over Zeus' lover Io.
- Juno: Credo ReferenceIn Roman religion, the chief goddess and female counterpart of Jupiter. She was identified with the Greek goddess Hera. With Jupiter and Minerva she was a member of the Capitoline triad of deities traditionally introduced into Rome by the Etruscans. She was connected with all aspects of the lives of women, particularly marriage. Individualized, she became a female guardian spirit; as every man had his genius, so every woman had her juno. Her temple in Rome eventually housed the Roman mint, and she was invoked as the savior of the state. Her sacred bird was the peacock.
Online Resources
- Allegorical interpretations of Hera-Juno at the end of antiquity: The example of FulgentiusThe allegorical interpretations of pagan gods flourished in late Antiquity. They were the work of the pagans, who thus sought to spiritualize their religion, but also of some Christians, who thought that the pagan fables were hiding truths they needed to discover. The goddess Hera-Juno has not escaped the phenomenon. Here we consider, taking as one basis the works of Fabius Planciades Fulgentius, African writer of the fifth-sixth century, what these interpretations are and what they tell us both about this goddess and the mentality of late Antiquity.
- Hera and Juno: The Functions of the Goddesses in Prehistoric and Historic Greece and Rome: Introduction..the Symposium Classicum Peregrinum met in Budapest, Hungary to discuss the topic, “Hera and Juno: The Functions of the Goddesses in Prehistoric and Historic Greece and Rome.” This Symposium was organized by Attilio Mastrocinque (Università di Verona), Patricia A. Johnston (Brandeis University) and László
Takács (Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest). It was hosted by the Pázmány
Péter Catholic University in Budapest... - Hera and Juno in the ArgonauticaThe article deals with the role of the Greek goddess Hera and her Roman counterpart, Iuno, in the poetic treatments of the myth of Argonauts. The focus is put especially on Iuno's character development in Valerius Flaccus' adaptation of the myth. Iuno's character in this work has already been discussed by Werner Schubert in his fundamental study (1991), in which he pointed out the remarkable approximation of Iuno fabulosa and Iuno civilis. Referring to this study, the article emphasizes rather the literary development of Iuno's character. It is shown that Valerius Flaccus portrays the highest goddess not only as a peculiar helper (socia), as suggested by Schubert, but also as a permanent participant in an intertextual dialogue with the epic poems of Homer and Apollonius Rhodius. Valerius Flaccus' aim here is to invert his literary predecessors' accounts in a subtle and witted way (as Debra Hershkowitz has already presented)
Perspectives
Women and Weasels
If you told a woman her sex had a shared, long-lived history with weasels, she might deck you. But those familiar with mythology know better: that the connection between women and weasels is an ancient and favorable one, based in the Greek myth of a midwife who tricked the gods to ease HeraclesOCOs birthOCoand was turned into a weasel by Hera as punishment. Following this story as it is retold over centuries in literature and art, a"Women and Weasels"atakes us on a journey through mythology and ancient belief, revising our understanding of myth, heroism, and the status of women and animals in Western culture.aMaurizio Bettini recounts and analyzes a variety of key literary and visual moments that highlight the weaselOCOs many attributes. We learn of its legendary sexual and childbearing habits and symbolic association with witchcraft and midwifery, its role as a domestic pet favored by women, and its ability to slip in and out of tight spaces. The weasel, Bettini reveals, is present at many unexpected moments in human history, assisting women in labor and thwarting enemies who might plot their ruin. With a parade of symbolic associations between weasels and womenOCowitches, prostitutes, midwives, sisters-in-law, brides, mothers, and heroesOCoBettini brings to life one of the most venerable and enduring myths of Western culture.
