Hera was the Greek goddess of marriage. Her responsibility of marriage made Zeus's infidelity so hurtful. Zeus was unfaithful to Hera many times. During one of Zeus's affairs, he impregnated a mortal woman named Alcmene.
Zeus finally became enamored of the goddess who was to become his permanent wife — Hera. After courting her unsuccessfully he changed himself into a disheveled cuckoo. When Hera took pity on the bird and held it to her breast, Zeus resumed his true form and ravished her.
Despite Zeus' wandering eye, Hera remained fiercely loyal to him. While she may have had numerous opportunities to cheat on Zeus, she spent most of her time punishing the objects of his desires.
The deceitful way Zeus tricked Hera into marrying him was an omen of the discord that continued throughout their marriage. After courting Hera to no avail, Zeus resorted to trickery by changing into a disheveled cuckoo. Hera took pity on the bird, holding it to her breast to keep it warm.
Hera; raped by her brother (and later husband) Zeus. Io; pursued and eventually raped by Zeus, transformed into a heifer. Leda, raped by Zeus in the form of a swan. This resulted in the birth of Helen of Troy.
Sometime during her marriage, presumably in retaliation, Hera started an on and off affair with Hades that ended around the "80s." It is unknown if Zeus was ever aware of the affair.
Revenge on Zeus
Hera was a very jealous and vengeful wife. She wanted Zeus all to herself, but Zeus cheated on her constantly with other goddesses and with mortal women. Hera often took out her revenge on the women who Zeus loved and the children they had with Zeus.
The Relationship Between Zeus and Hera
The goddess Hera was initially uninterested in Zeus, so he turned himself into a cuckoo bird and seduced her. After falling in love, the godly couple had two key children. These were: Ares, the god of war.
Hera is on the side of the Achaeans, so she plans a Deception of Zeus where she seduces him, with help from Aphrodite, and tricks him into a deep sleep, with the help of Hypnos, so that the Gods could interfere without the fear of Zeus.
The Greek poet Hesiod related two principal legends concerning Prometheus. The first is that Zeus, the chief god, who had been tricked by Prometheus into accepting the bones and fat of sacrifice instead of the meat, hid fire from mortals. Prometheus, however, stole it and returned it to Earth once again.
Hera hates Heracles because he is a living reminder of her husband's infidelity. Because of this she is cruel to him. She could bring about Herakles' death but instead she wants him to suffer. She sends Madness to drive Heracles to murder his wife and progeny.
Hera. Hera, as the goddess of marriage, was the only Greek god/goddess to remain faithful to her spouse, Zeus. It was because of this fact that she was would get so angry when he cheated on her. Hera wanted the same treatment that she gave Zeus, the same fidelity and faithfulness.
Eileithyia is said to be Hera's favorite child. Though she's not as popular as her brothers Ares and Hephaestus, there were temples built in her honor.
Role of Hypnos in Greek Myths
The first time, Zeus' wife Hera came to Hypnos and asked for his help in getting revenge on Zeus' son, Heracles, who had ransacked Troy. Hypnos put Zeus to sleep so that Hera could create a mighty wind that tormented Heracles as he sailed home.
In Book XIV of Homer's Iliad, Hypnos is enlisted by Hera to lull Zeus to sleep so that she can aid the Greeks in their war against Troy.
Later, when Zeus forbids the gods from interfering further with the war, Hera seduces him and drugs him into a deep sleep so that she can go and meddle anyway. Hera fights for the Greeks (or at least against the Trojans) through her dealings with Zeus and also more directly on the battlefield.
What happens to Zeus after Hera seduces him? He agrees to fight for the Achaeans.
In one Orphic myth, Zeus was filled with desire for his mother and pursued her, only for Rhea to refuse him and change into a serpent to flee. Zeus also turned himself into a serpent and raped her. The child born from that union was their daughter Persephone, and afterwards Rhea became Demeter.
Zeus was known in his time as much more than the father of the gods. He was also a womanizer, and as such, he fathered many, many offspring! He would transform into various animals to fulfill his desires; therefore, his 'children' are quite interesting.
Io. Zeus fell in love with Io and seduced her. To try to keep Hera from noticing he covered the world with a thick blanket of clouds. This backfired, arousing Hera's suspicions.
Aphrodite later and of her own volition had an affair with Zeus, but his jealous wife Hera laid her hands upon the belly of the goddess and cursed their offspring with malformity. Their child was the ugly god Priapos.
Her unloyalty lied in the fact that she wanted to rule over Zeus and devised a plan to do so. In order to overthrow Zeus, Hera decided that she would drug Zeus and make him fall asleep. Once asleep, the gods tied Zeus to his throne.
Ganymede (or Ganymedes) was a young man from Troy. His beauty was unparalleled, and for that reason, Zeus abducted and brought him to Olympus to serve as his cupbearer and lover.
Hera is strong-willed and empathetic; however, she does appear to have a bit of a temper. Her empathetic nature is best seen when she is able to sense that someone is suffering, and she begins to tear up in response.
In Ovid's famous text Metamorphosis, Hades has an affair with a young Nymph named Minthe. Persephone, now in her later years, was so incensed with jealousy that she turned Minthe into a mint plant.