hera and juno's unexpected epithets
most of hera's epithets relate to her being the ultimate queen of the heavens - hera potnia (queen), hera skeptoukhos (scepter bearer), hera pangratis (all-powerful), and hera zygia (married) . several are specific by region but worshipped alongside zeus with a similar epithet (like zeus and hera olympia or hera hēniochē alongside zeus - basileus). there were still many that i was surprised by!
disclaimer: i am using these posts to save my preliminary research. i’m a beginner to hellenic polytheism. this is not intended to teach but to share what i’ve learned. happy to take corrections!
─ hera aigophagos - the goat eater
Αιγοφαγος ; good post about the source of this epithet
─ hera alexandros - defender / protector of men
Ἀλέξανδρος ; "... under which she was worshipped at sicyon. a temple had been built there to hera alexandros by adrastus after his flight from argos." (smith)
Bοῶπις ; "ox-eyed; having large, full eyes" (wiktionary)
"an epithet commonly given to hera in the homeric poems. it has been said that the goddess was thus designated in allusion to her having metamorphosed io into a cow; but this opinion is contradicted by the fact, that other divinities too, such as euryphaessa and pluto, are mentioned with the same epithet; from this circumstance it must be inferred, that the poets meant to express by it nothing but the sublime and majestic character of those divinities." (encyclopedia mythica)
good post about hera boôpis
─ hera the chera - the widow
χῆρα ; "... was believed to have been given her by temenus, the son of pelasgus. he had brought up hera, and erected to her at old stymphalus three sanctuaries under three different names. to hera, as a maiden previous to her marriage, he dedicated one in which she was called pais (παῖς); to her as the wife of zeus, a second in which she bore the name of teleia (τέλεια); and a third in which she was worshiped as the chera (χῆρα), the widow, alluding to her separation from zeus." (smith)
─ hera exacesterius - one who averts or cures evil
can't really find sources for this one, other than that it was also used as an epithet for apollo. i saw this epithet here
─ hera hēniochē - the charioteer
"this name is only found in lebadaea in boetia and is linked to the oracle trophonius. in the context of this sanctuary, hera henioche received offerings alongside zeus basileus (“king”), implying that she was indeed worshipped in close relationship with zeus... there are a few theories as to how hera ended up with the henioche epithet. first, we know that in this city held a festival called basileia, which included horse races. another theory considers the epithet as a metaphorical link to hera as a goddess of marriage. the idea being that hera 'leads' young people to marriage, the same way horses are led by the charioteer." (dithyram blog)
─ juno kalendaris - of the calendar
second definition "of or belonging to the first day of the month"; juno kalendaris was worshipped on the first day of each month. (latin lexicon)
─ hera moneta - the advisor
"the romans, in need of money during the war against pyrrhus and the men of taras, prayed to hera; and [the story goes that] she replied to them that if they hold out against the arms [of the enemy] with justice they would not go short of money. successful, then, in their request, the romans honoured hera moneta, that is advisor, having determined to stamp the coinage in her temple." (source)
─ hera oplosmia - bearing arms / shield
Οπλοσμία "we have faint glimpses of a war-like hera... the hera Οπλοσμία of elis is only known to us through lycophron and his scholiasist." (cults of the greek states, vol. 1)
─ juno quiritis - spearholder / protector of spearmen
"as juno curritis/curitis/quiritis (“protector of spearmen”), she was worshipped by the 30 curiae (archaic military and political administrative groups), with a temple or shrine in the campus martius [an area where soldiers traditionally trained." (source)
"traditionally, roman marriages included a ritual where the bride's hair was cut or parted with a spear - some see this as the result of Juno's association with marriage, although other explanations for the ritual are given as well." (source)
─ hera tropaia - bringer of victory
─ juno zöógonos thæá - the vivific goddess
vivific definition: imparting spirit or vivacity (from merriam webster)
"juno (íra) is called by the orphic theologers, according to proclus ζωόγονος θεά, or the vivific goddess: an epithet perfectly agreeing with the attributes ascribed to her in this Hymn (ed. orphic hymn 16, or 15 in the taylor trans.). and in theol. plat. p. 483, he says that juno is the source of the soul's procreation." (thomas taylor 1792). (source)
excited to keep getting to know the different sides of the beautiful queen of the sky!
sources: theoi, this google doc, wikipedia page for hera
