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Greek myth - Hera and Zeus
Jul. 22nd, 2020 04:56 pmAntoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 11 (trans. Celoria) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"One day they [Polytekhnos and Aedon of Kolophon in Lydia] blurted out the needless remark that they loved each other more than did Hera and Zeus. Hera found what was said to be insupportable and sent Eris (Discord) between them to create strife in their activities. Polytekhnos was on the point of finishing off a standing board for a chariot and Aedon of completing the web she was weaving. They agreed that whoever o the two would finish the task more quickly would hand over a female servant to the other.
Aedon was the quicker in finishing off her web--Hera had helped her in the task. Polytekhnos was infuriated by the victory of Aedon."
and
Alcyone and Ceyx married and were very happy together in Trachis. According to Pseudo-Apollodorus's account, they often sacrilegiously called each other "Zeus" and "Hera".[4][5] This angered Zeus, so while Ceyx was at sea (going to consult an oracle, according to Ovid), the god threw a thunderbolt at his ship. Soon after, Morpheus, the god of dreams, disguised as Ceyx, appeared to Alcyone as an apparition to tell her of his fate, and she threw herself into the sea in her grief. Out of compassion, the gods changed them both into common kingfishers, or "halcyon birds", named after her.
That second excerpt is from wikipedia, summarizing the Bibliotheke. There's three other versions which omit the hubris and the reason for the punishment. The point of including it is more because it's in line with the first excerpt, that is, a couple claiming they either love each other more than Zeus and Hera, or call themselves such, both clearly meant because it's something to aspire to, in terms of their love (if not the relationship).
The first excerpted myth is of course also hubris in the simple way of claiming to be better than the gods, regardless of the actual quality of Zeus and Hera's relationship and what they feel about each other.
There's of course no doubt Zeus and Hera's relationship is difficult and antagonistic a lot of the time, but it isn't loveless. And even if it were, Hera can and has literally left, at least once;
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8. 22. 2 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"[Temenos] gave her [Hera] three surnames when she was still a maiden, Pais (Girl); when married to Zeus he called her Teleia (Grown-up); when for some cause or other she quarrelled with Zeus and came back to Stymphalos, Temenos named her Khera (Widow). This is the account which, to my own knowledge, the Stymphalians [of Arkadia] give of the goddess."
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9. 3. 1 :
"Hera, they say, was for some reason or other angry with Zeus, and had retreated to Euboia. Zeus, failing to make her change her mind, visited Kithaeron, at that time despot in Plataia [or the mountain-god], who surpassed all men for his cleverness. So he ordered Zeus to make an image of wood, and to carry it, wrapped up, in a bullock wagon, and to say that he was celebrating his marriage with Plataia, the daughter of Asopos. So Zeus followed the advice of Kithairon. Hera heard the news at once, and at once appeared on the scene. But when she came near the wagon and tore away the dress from the image, she was pleased at the deceit, on finding it a wooden image and not a bride, and was reconciled to Zeus. To commemorate this reconciliation they celebrate a festival called Daidala."
This is super clear. She can leave. She has left. Zeus had to win her back. Hera isn't some wilting abused wife with no recourse and nowhere to go (I am pretty sure her foster parents would at the very least welcome her back, and she has temples that would offer space other than Olympus, since, for example, Aphrodite is specifically noted to have living space in one of her temples on Cyprus for example, where she goes to make herself pretty for Anchises) and no ability to decide to leave. Because she literally does leave, at least once.
Zeus has to win her back, by pretending to marry someone else - and Hera clearly can't abide that! And, uh, is apparently pleased Zeus used deceit or might be more pleased he didn't actually intend to marry someone else and only resorted to this because that was a last resort or something, but either way.
I know it would be very easy and definitely simple to go "she hates him and doesn't actually want to be married!"
Well then. Why wouldn't she have divorced him, then? She can do that. She has left and let herself be won back, and if she's done it once she can do it again. Why can't they be complicated and, yes, a lot of the time kind of awful to each other, without this meaning Hera's in a loveless marriage? As well as Zeus being a terminal cheater, of course, also without this somehow meaning Hera is helplessly abiding in her role because she "has to" or somehow in love with her power and authority as the Queen of Olympus so much she's willing to put up with Zeus' infidelities (and yet punish a lot, if not all, of the women he sleeps with).
"One day they [Polytekhnos and Aedon of Kolophon in Lydia] blurted out the needless remark that they loved each other more than did Hera and Zeus. Hera found what was said to be insupportable and sent Eris (Discord) between them to create strife in their activities. Polytekhnos was on the point of finishing off a standing board for a chariot and Aedon of completing the web she was weaving. They agreed that whoever o the two would finish the task more quickly would hand over a female servant to the other.
Aedon was the quicker in finishing off her web--Hera had helped her in the task. Polytekhnos was infuriated by the victory of Aedon."
and
Alcyone and Ceyx married and were very happy together in Trachis. According to Pseudo-Apollodorus's account, they often sacrilegiously called each other "Zeus" and "Hera".[4][5] This angered Zeus, so while Ceyx was at sea (going to consult an oracle, according to Ovid), the god threw a thunderbolt at his ship. Soon after, Morpheus, the god of dreams, disguised as Ceyx, appeared to Alcyone as an apparition to tell her of his fate, and she threw herself into the sea in her grief. Out of compassion, the gods changed them both into common kingfishers, or "halcyon birds", named after her.
That second excerpt is from wikipedia, summarizing the Bibliotheke. There's three other versions which omit the hubris and the reason for the punishment. The point of including it is more because it's in line with the first excerpt, that is, a couple claiming they either love each other more than Zeus and Hera, or call themselves such, both clearly meant because it's something to aspire to, in terms of their love (if not the relationship).
The first excerpted myth is of course also hubris in the simple way of claiming to be better than the gods, regardless of the actual quality of Zeus and Hera's relationship and what they feel about each other.
There's of course no doubt Zeus and Hera's relationship is difficult and antagonistic a lot of the time, but it isn't loveless. And even if it were, Hera can and has literally left, at least once;
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8. 22. 2 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"[Temenos] gave her [Hera] three surnames when she was still a maiden, Pais (Girl); when married to Zeus he called her Teleia (Grown-up); when for some cause or other she quarrelled with Zeus and came back to Stymphalos, Temenos named her Khera (Widow). This is the account which, to my own knowledge, the Stymphalians [of Arkadia] give of the goddess."
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9. 3. 1 :
"Hera, they say, was for some reason or other angry with Zeus, and had retreated to Euboia. Zeus, failing to make her change her mind, visited Kithaeron, at that time despot in Plataia [or the mountain-god], who surpassed all men for his cleverness. So he ordered Zeus to make an image of wood, and to carry it, wrapped up, in a bullock wagon, and to say that he was celebrating his marriage with Plataia, the daughter of Asopos. So Zeus followed the advice of Kithairon. Hera heard the news at once, and at once appeared on the scene. But when she came near the wagon and tore away the dress from the image, she was pleased at the deceit, on finding it a wooden image and not a bride, and was reconciled to Zeus. To commemorate this reconciliation they celebrate a festival called Daidala."
This is super clear. She can leave. She has left. Zeus had to win her back. Hera isn't some wilting abused wife with no recourse and nowhere to go (I am pretty sure her foster parents would at the very least welcome her back, and she has temples that would offer space other than Olympus, since, for example, Aphrodite is specifically noted to have living space in one of her temples on Cyprus for example, where she goes to make herself pretty for Anchises) and no ability to decide to leave. Because she literally does leave, at least once.
Zeus has to win her back, by pretending to marry someone else - and Hera clearly can't abide that! And, uh, is apparently pleased Zeus used deceit or might be more pleased he didn't actually intend to marry someone else and only resorted to this because that was a last resort or something, but either way.
I know it would be very easy and definitely simple to go "she hates him and doesn't actually want to be married!"
Well then. Why wouldn't she have divorced him, then? She can do that. She has left and let herself be won back, and if she's done it once she can do it again. Why can't they be complicated and, yes, a lot of the time kind of awful to each other, without this meaning Hera's in a loveless marriage? As well as Zeus being a terminal cheater, of course, also without this somehow meaning Hera is helplessly abiding in her role because she "has to" or somehow in love with her power and authority as the Queen of Olympus so much she's willing to put up with Zeus' infidelities (and yet punish a lot, if not all, of the women he sleeps with).
