Home › Glossary › Letter H

Hera

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Queen of the Olympian gods, wife and sister of Zeus, goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, and family. Known for her jealousy and vengeance against Zeus's lovers and illegitimate children.

Detailed Definition
Hera is the wife and sister of Zeus, serving as the queen of the Olympian gods and the protector of marriage, women, and childbirth. Often portrayed as jealous and vengeful due to Zeus’s infidelities, she appears in poetry as a symbol of marital fidelity, feminine power, and divine wrath. Her presence underscores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the sanctity of oaths.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Homer’s "Iliad," Hera manipulates gods and mortals to punish Troy for Paris’s insult; In Aeschylus’s "Prometheus Bound," Hera’s jealousy drives divine cruelty; In Ovid’s "Metamorphoses," Hera persecutes Zeus’s lovers and offspring; In Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Prometheus Unbound,” Hera symbolizes vengeful orthodoxy; In W.B. Yeats’s “Leda and the Swan,” Hera’s curse on Leda’s line echoes; In modern feminist poetry, Hera is reclaimed as protector of marriage and female sovereignty.
Additional Notes
Hera, queen of the Olympians and goddess of marriage, represents fidelity, sovereignty, and vengeful jealousy (especially toward Zeus’s lovers); poets use her to explore the complexities of power within partnership, the sanctity of vows, or the wrath of the wronged—her peacock and cow symbolism connect her to regality and nurturing, yet her vindictiveness complicates her as a moral figure.
Also Known As
Juno of the Greeks Queen of Heaven Goddess of Marriage Juno
Skip to main content