Most entries in this article are about mortal or immortal beings who did something to invite the wrath of the gods, or at least found themselves in a situation in which the wrath of a good was understandable, even if unjustified. 19 (trans. Making it worse for those who gave in to Zeus, or were raped by him, was having to deal with his insanely jealous wife, Hera, and her crazy punishments not of her philandering husband, but of his victims. According to most sources, Zeus did not originally intend to marry his sister, Hera. The king and queen of the gods were supposed to be the model of a perfect marriage, but the stories of Zeus and Hera show that their relationship was anything but divine! Ranker All The Ways Hera Got Revenge On Zeus For Cheating On Her, Meaww Blood Of Zeus: Zeus As Cheating Husband, Scorned Wife Hera Bring War To Olympus As Heron Flies To The Rescue, ThoughtCo Thetis: Not Just a Greek Nymph, Ancient History Encyclopedia Prometheus, Bulfinch, Thomas Bulfinchs Mythology (2010), Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology Actaeon, Keefer, Professor Julia, New York University The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus, Nilsson, Martin P. Greek Folk Religion (1972), Nilsson, Martin P. Mycenean Origin of Greek Mythology (2017), Peabody, Josephine Preston, Tales Beyond Belief The Myth of Niobe, Theoi Greek Mythology The Titaness Leto, History Collection Truly Intense Vengeance Stories From Greek Mythology, omniscient, omnipotent, and infallible God, having him taken to the Caucasus Mountains, punishment was not already horrible enough, Keefer, Professor Julia, New York University , Peabody, Josephine Preston, Tales Beyond Belief . Zeus was the principal deity of the Greek pantheon, the god of the weather and . Hera tried to kill him as an infant, but when Heracles survived and grew into a strong young man she redoubled her efforts. In his mortal life, Heras attacks on Heracles had been relentless. He was invited by the gods to feast with them. Without deep love or an expectation of fidelity on the husbands part, the rulers who looked up to them hoped to emulate their relatively peaceful cohabitation. Io was one of those unfortunate victims of Heras fits of jealousy. Hera resisted the marriage at first, but eventually gave into her brothers proposal. After crisscrossing the world for years while in labor, unable to find a resting place, Leto came across a barren island not connected to the ocean floor, so it did not count as a real island by Heras definition. Zeus, the king of the gods in Greek mythology, is famously wicked. In addition to her noble birth and descent from a king, Niobe was a stunning beauty. Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. The breach of Xenia left Ixion defiled, shunned by fellow Greeks and unfit to live amidst men. To save himself from the livid Lycurgus, Dionysius was forced to flee, and escaped the wrath of the angry king by leaping into the sea. The Greek deities were often depicted as sadist bullies, itching for an excuse to inflict suffering upon the less powerful, and getting a kick out of doing so. For example when Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons, was ready to help the hero Hera spread a rumor that caused the warrior women to attack him instead. Hera tormented many of Zeus's mistresses. According to Greek mythology, Io was a priestess whose beauty caught Zeus eye and caused him to fall head over heels in love with her. Even though Hercules has finished his labors, and is said to have "finally appeased the hatred of his fierce stepmother", his absence from his wife may be understood as a slight against the wife of Zeus, Goddess . Apollo was punished by Zeus for killing the serpentine, Python, who was the child of the Primordial God, Gaia. Leda and the Swan When of age, Leda was married to King Tyndareus of Sparta; Tyndareus having been placed on the throne by Heracles. Lycurgus of Thrace was a mythical king of the Edoni people in southern Thrace, and he had a beef with Dionysius, the Greek god of grape and wine. That impiety shocked the Thebans, and they returned to their daily pursuits in awestruck silence and trepidation. This attitude was not reserved just for mortal women. In the legends of Heracles, his stepmother is featured as his constant antagonist. Ixion pretended to shrug it off, invited his father-in-law to a feast, and there, murdered him by shoving him into a bed of burning coals. Copy. Niobe, in Greek myth, was a daughter of Tantalus, who got his own dose of terrible divine punishment from the gods see previous entry. Zeus was notoriously unfaithful to his wife, while Hera was known for her extreme jealousy. The Argives were impressed by the arrival of fifty beauties rowing a boat, and even more so by their father, whom they made their king. Zeus created the laws that ruled the world according to his will, the god despite loving his wife was not faithful to her and he had plenty of extra marital affairs and because of this the goddess Hera and Zeus lived in a permanent state of quarrel. Then, when it was time to give birth, the Queen of Heaven saw to it that the childbirth was as miserable as could be, by prolonging Letos labor. While some claimed that the couple were initially happy, other sources implied that Hera was prone to jealousy early in their relationship. He had promised his father-in-law a valuable present as a bride price wealth paid by the groom to the parents of his bride but reneged and failed to pay up after the marriage. Demeter, a Story of a Mother's Triumph. See answer (1) Best Answer. Though Prometheus was considered to be a cultural hero who was credited for creating humanity, he was nothing but a . And to make matters worse, Hera's marriage to Zeus was not entirely by choice. to prefer beings whom you never saw to those who stand before your eyes! Lo was a beautiful mortal who was the daughter of Inachus of Argo. abuse of Hera by Zeus is an important element which has been accepted, it seems, as something taken for granted which does not seem worthy of . Prometheus had been one of the leaders of the Titans went they waged war for mastery of the heavens against the Olympian gods, when the latter rose up to replace the Titans. Eventually, a more perfect Olympian marriage would be exemplified by Heracles and Heras own daughter, Hebe. c) ancient humans could not do the miraculous things that gods did and were at the mercy of . On three occasions Zeus threatens physical punishment of Hera in the Iliad: In A 566ff., when Hera intrudes on Zeus to discover what went on between him and Thetis concerning the (xfjvi of Achilles . Another of Tantalus children was Niobe, who got her own dose of divine punishment and earned an entry on this list see below. Although the extent of Actaeons sin, if it could even be called that, was to simply have had the misfortune of bumping into a naked goddess, Artemis was livid that a mortal saw her naked. The geographer Strabo, citing earlier sources, described the wealth of Tantalus as driving from mines in Mount Sypilus. Hera eventually came to terms with the situation, accepted things as they were, and let Leto and her children be. Zeus Myth #2: Hera's Rebellion. Ixion was the king of the Lapiths in Greek mythology, the son of Ares and Perimele. However, when Ixion was introduced to Zeus wife, Hera, he fell passionately in love and lusted after her. The people had an admiration for the gods. To make his pettiness stick, the chief god prohibited anybody from letting humanity in on the secret of fire. Stories of Transformation. This was not to last, however, as the pairing of a womanizing god and a jealous goddess inevitably led to conflict and unhappiness. Her children lay unburied for nine days, because the gods turned the Thebans into stone, until the tenth day, when they allowed the burials to proceed. To make his pettiness stick, the chief god prohibited anybody from letting humanity in on the secret of fire. Apollo commanded the hero to do certain tasks as a punishment for his wrongs, so that the evil might be cleansed from his spirit. The islands barrenness also meant it had nothing to lose, and thus nothing to fear from Heras wrath by defying her will. Zeus' wife did not recognize her mini-mortal enemy and inadvertently nursed him out of pity. Will you prefer to me this Latona, the Titans daughter, with her two children? Being Zeus mistress was tough. From its towers, they watched the Theban youths engaged in sports below, while the Latona festival in honor of their mother was ignored. When Leto went into labor with Apollo and Artemis, Hera prevented the goddess of childbirth from attending to her. Hera, titled the Queen of Heaven, reigned from the gods home atop Mount Olympus as the wife and sister and wife of Zeus, chief god of the Greek pantheon. She took great pride in both her birth and her looks, but what she took the greatest pride in was her large brood of fourteen children seven sons, and seven daughters. She is the only mortal to be the parent of a god. Examining a cultures religion, mythology, and folklore, is a great tool for shedding light on its collective worldview, and how its members see their place in creation. When Zeus heard, he couldnt believe that Ixion, whom he had rescued and cleansed of his guilt, then honored by hosting him in heaven, could be so ungrateful and brazen. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. Then, when it was time to give birth, the Queen of Heaven saw to it that the childbirth was as miserable as could be, by prolonging Letos labor. That murder was particularly odious in Greek eyes because it violated Xenia the laws of hospitality governing the relationship between guests and hosts. 1. However, Zeus also respects the autonomy and diversity of the gods, and often allows them to act according to their own preferences and interests. Please like and share this article if you found it useful. Zeus substituted for her a cloud, by which Ixion became the father of Centaurus, who fathered the Centaurs . For that, the gods subjected her to a terrible punishment. The astonished and livid Zeus expelled the ingrate from Olympus, and blasted his former guest with a thunderbolt. Like the hero Achilles, of Iliad fame, Actaeon had been taught hunting by the centaur Chiron. What folly, said she, is this! However, she committed the sin of hubris a mixture of extreme pride, dangerous overconfidence, and overweening arrogance. He also liked to blab, and revealed to mortals secrets he had learned at the table of the gods in heaven. As a son of Zeus, Tantalus was on intimate terms with the gods, and was often invited to dine with them at their table in the heavens. In a flash, Apollo and Artemis, whose nicknames included The Immortal Archers, showed up at the citadel of Thebes. However, he ended up abusing that divine favor, committed a variety of offenses that angered the Olympians, and brought divine punishment upon himself. Hephaestus made a woman out of clay, a beautiful woman. Nessus then gave it to her and told her that if Hercul. Python was sent by Hera to find and kill Apollo's mother, Leto, for Zeus' act of adultery against her. The gods however punished them by sending them to Tartarus, the Ancient Greek version of hell an abyss where the wicked are subjected to suffering and torment. Because of his misdeeds on earth and up in the heavens as well the gods condemned him to eternal torment. Pixabay. Theirs was, like most rulers, a marriage of political necessity. Answer (1 of 4): No he didn't punish Hera. That ensured the gods victory, and doomed the Titans to defeat. Fortunately, Thetis helped Zeus by summoning Briareus to help free the God from his shackles. When Zeus looked down from the heavens and saw the dark of night dispelled by the flicker of fires, he grew livid. According to Greek mythology, Lycurgus got drunk on wine and tried to rape his own mother. As a punishment for man. However, she did not address that by taking it up with Zeus and directing her wrath at him for breaking whatever passed for marital vows and obligations of monogamy atop Mount Olympus. She is best known as the mother of Dionysus. From its towers, they watched the Theban youths engaged in sports below, while the Latona festival in honor of their mother was ignored. So Leto turned them into frogs before the infant Apollo eventually slew the dragon. Yet Tantalus, his punishment, and his damned family also inspired many great works of Classical literature: His punishment has, ironically, ensured an enduring legacy. Dionysius was not done with him yet, however. The livid Hera responded by sending a gadfly to torment the white heifer, stinging her nonstop, driving her mad with pain, and forcing Io to wander the earth in an attempt to escape the irritant. As the goat-legged Satyr, he seduced Antiope. Hera's weapon was not so straightforward. Why should Latona be honored with worship rather than I? Hera occasionally worked against her husband, as well. So he made a cloud in the shape of Hera, and sent her Ixions way to see what his guest would do. Sisyphus violated Xenia, the Ancient Greeks sacred laws of hospitality which protected travelers and guests, by murdering some of his guests to demonstrate his ruthlessness. to prefer beings whom you never saw to those who stand before your eyes! To spare the local Argives from the ravages of war, Danaus reluctantly consented to wed his daughters to his twin sons. After Hercules completed his 12 (or if you prefer 10 labors), the centaur Nessus, whom Hercules killed to defend Dienara from tricked her into killing Hercules by wiping some of his blood on a cloth.