Hera

Hera: In Ancient Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus, and therefore Queen of the Olympians. She was also one of his three sisters - the Olympians had rather a unique way of doing things.

As well as ruling over Olympus, Hera was the goddess of women and marriage. Symbols sacred to her were the peacock, the lion, and the cow; she was also associated, to a lesser degree, with the pomegranate, diadem, lily, lotus flower, scepter and throne.

Hera is perhaps known best for her fearsome pride and jealousy. Most myths portray her in a jealous rage over the acts of her husband, who had more extramarital affairs than any other God on Olympus, fathering the majority of his children with other goddesses, nymphs, and mortal women.

Such was Hera's temper that many of Zeus's lovers met terrible fates at her hands - and even those who protected them or hid Zeus's exploits risked their lives in doing so. The illegitimate children of Zeus were frequently hidden until adulthood, for fear that Hera would kill them if she learned of their existence.

By Zeus, Hera bore Ares, Enyo, Hebe, Eileithyia, and Eris. When Zeus birthed Athena entirely independent of a lover, she became jealous and bore Hephaestus independently- but when he was born with a withered leg, she was enraged by his ugliness and threw him off Mt. Olympus into the sea.

Mother of the year, Hera.