A Summary of the Powers of the Greek Goddess Hera

Hera was the Queen of the Gods in ancient Greek mythology and the supreme goddess of the skies. Specifically, she was the goddess of women, marriage, family and childbirth. Due to this she was highly revered by women who saw her as their patron and protector. Hera possessed the powers of the Olympian Gods which include super-human strength; immortality; eternal youth; and the ability to bless and curse. Moreover, as the Goddess of Women, she had the unique power of blessing or cursing marriages; and of protecting women from rape as well as from death and discomfort during childbirth. Here is an overview of the major powers of the Greek Goddess Hera.

Goddess of the Sky

Hera represents the ultimate divine woman in the Olympian pantheon and she has the most number of statues dedicated to her after her brother-husband Zeus. As wife of Zeus, the king of the skies, Hera has power over the skies and is the supreme goddess of the skies. Not only could she fly through air, but she also possessed the power to provide clear skies for people or punish them with stormy weather.

Statue of Hera at Louvre
Statue of Hera at the Louvre, Paris

Immortality and Eternal Youth

In Greek mythology, all the Olympian gods are immortal, including Hera. Hera is the goddess of women, marriage, family and childbirth. This made her especially important to the ancient Greek women as they saw her as their patron and protector. Hera, like most Greek goddesses, had the gift of eternal youth, which meant that, unlike mortals, she would always look young and beautiful. In fact, Hera’s daughter Hebe is the Goddess of Youth, and has the power to restore youth to mortals.


Superhuman Strength

As the Queen of the Gods and the most powerful daughter of Cronus, Hera is the strongest female divinity of the ancient Greek pantheon. During the War of Dionysos, she destroys the bow of Artemis and sends the Goddess of the Hunt to the ground in two blows.

Artemis with her bow
Greek Goddess Artemis with her bow

Power to protect women from adverse circumstances

Being the protector and patron of women, Hera was able to protect them in various circumstances. She was able to protect women from rape as well as from death and discomfort during childbirth. Moreover, she was considered to have the power of protecting the overall health of women.

Marble Statue of Hera
Marble Statue of Hera

Ability to Bless and Curse Marriages

Being the goddess of marriage and family, Hera has the unique power of blessing or cursing marriages. Women across ancient Greece prayed to Hera for their happy marriages. According to myth, Hippodameia was able to marry Pelops, the king of Pisa, due to Hera’s intervention. Due to this, she started the Heraia festival in honor of Hera.


Ability to Bless and Curse

Apart from marriages, Hera also has the ability to bless and curse in general. It was common for Hera to curse women who had sexual relationships with her husband Zeus. She also had the power to bless anyone. Like she blesses the daughters of Pandareus giving them beauty and wisdom beyond all other women.


Shape-shifting

Hera has the ability to fly through the air and change shapes whenever she wants. These powers came in especially handy during her frequent attempts to catch Zeus red-handed with other women.


Mind-control

One of Hera’s most feared powers was her ability to control minds. In fact, the reason Hercules was driven to madness and to killing his family was because of the power of mind control that Hera exercised over him. This power of Hera is usually regarded as a combination of mind control, illusion and hypnotism.

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