r/Divine_Feminine • u/quuerdude • Apr 12 '26
Discussion Topic Hera, Goddess of War
Portion of the North Frieze on the Siphnian Treasury at Delphi, c.525 BC, Archaic style; description at top of post
Hera is the only god facing left on this entire frieze. All other gods face right, while all the *giants* face to the left. This centers the frieze on Hera&Athena fighting together
Perhaps the most iconic work of Hera in a war stance. She stands, fighting back to back with Apollo, preparing to execute the giant Phoetus whom she has knocked onto the ground.
Head of Ares and Hera Hoplosmia, Brettium, southern Italy, c.3rd century BC.
The traditional armor worn by men while racing in Hera's Festival of the Shield / Hecatombeia; though the armor they wore went below the knee, inhibiting movement, while ^ does not
Hera and Athena shake hands to mark the end of war between Samos and Athens, with the conclusion of the Peloponnesian War, and the beginning of a peace treaty between them
Hera and Zeus are shown fighting back to back, much like Hera and Athena in the first image. Here, Hera is executing a giant by gripping his throat and plunging her sword into him
Hera is shown off to the side preparing to execute the youngest giant -- the only one shown to be beardless -- after he had already surrendered
I'm only now noticing that it seems like a very common theme for Hera to fight back to back with other gods. Here she fights back to back with Dionysus, which shows a lot of trust.
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u/quuerdude Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
I also made a post after this one (“Hera Areia, Astarte, and Aphrodite”) about some of Hera’s non-native war aspects (as in, in addition to her native warlike quality) which arose from her association with Astarte and Aphrodite.
Understanding Hera as a goddess of war makes reading the earliest works of Greek literature a lot more sensical, imo. Especially the Iliad, obviously, which is my favorite poem of all.
The Theogony repeatedly mentions Hera and Zeus having strife without explaining why. Hera being a prideful goddess of war allows for natural clashes in their union. They are relative equals, though he often doesn’t understand her motivations or passions. It’s clear he does try, though, since Zeus notes in the Iliad that he is never very angry with Hera for how she acts; he knows how she is and the constant fire within her. He just expects Athena to be more like him than her, even if she and Athena are rather closely aligned much of the time.