The Greek goddess Hera

Hera (Roman equivalent: Juno) was the queen of the gods and wife of Zeus. She presided particularly over marriage and childbirth. She was sister to Zeus, and was saved by him from their father Cronos, who was made to vomit back Hera and other siblings he had swallowed. Zeus and Hera married, and their children were Ares, Hebe and Eileithuia. The marriage was stormy, however, and when Zeus bore Athena from his own body, Hera, in retaliation, created from herself the smith-god Hephaistos.

Hera was of a jealous and competitive temperament, and spent much of her time showing implacable hatred to Zeus' many mistresses and their offspring. She tried to prevent Leto from finding a place to give birth to Apollo and Artemis; she tricked Semele into destruction, though Zeus managed to save Semele's son Dionysos, and she pursued Herakles with vindictive hatred throughout his life. She also disliked the Trojans, since Paris of Troy had not given the prize for beauty to her.

Hera was particularly worshipped at Argos, though she had important shrines also on Samos and Euboea. In iconography Hera is a mature and queenly figure, sometimes portrayed with a sceptre or staff.