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Goddesses of Ancient Greece - H
Hamadryads
Tree nymphs who lived and died with the tree they inhabited.
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Harmonia
In Greek mythology, Harmonia is the goddess of harmony and concord. She
is the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite (other sources say Zeus and Electra).
She was married to the Theban ruler Cadmus, and as such was beloved by
the Thebans. Upon her wedding she received a necklace and a garment, which
proved fatal to who wished to possess them. Harmonia is the mother of
Ino and Semele.
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Harpies
("robbers") In earlier versions of Greek myth, Harpies were
described as beautiful, winged maidens. Later they became winged monsters
with the face of an ugly old woman and equipped with crooked, sharp talons.
They were represented carrying off persons to the underworld and inflicting
punishment or tormenting them. Those persons were never seen again. They
robbed the food from Phineus, but were driven away by Cailas and Zetes,
the Boreads, and since then they lived on the Strophades. The Harpies
were probably the personification of storm winds. They are: Aello, Celaeno,
and Ocypete.
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Hebe
("youthful vigour") Daughter of Zeus and Hera, Cupbearer of
the Gods, and Patroness of domestic virtues and work. Hebe presents the
traditional valuation of femininity within the Mediterranean Classic world,
that of helpmate, household worker, and compliant servant. She was wed
to Herakles upon his Apotheosis. She poured the nectar of the gods on
the Olympus until Ganymede replaced her. Hebe also prepared Ares' bath,
and helped Hera to her chariot. After Heracles became a god, he married
her. The Romans called her Juventas ("youth").
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Hecate
The original Holy Trinity was the maiden-matron-crone holding triple sway
over heaven, earth, and underworld. Her torch of lunar fire, serpent of
immortality and knife of midwifery imbued her with primal power, especially
in Greek, Egyptian and Celtic cultures. Christian tradition diabolized
her as queen of witches to obscure her importance to the agrarian societies
of medieval Europe as a source of healing magic.
A personification of female creativity, Hecate embodies the original Holy
Trinity who held sway over heaven, earth and the underworld.
The crone aspect of the triple Goddess, Hecate was worshipped during the
dark phase of the moon where 3 roads crossed. As the Greek goddess of
death and regeneration, her powerful magic was widely respected. Her worship
could have originated in Egypt as Heqit and possibly further back to Nubia
and northern Sudan. She possessed knowledge of the Heka - the magical
power of words. The frog (as a symbol of transformation) and the dog were
her totems.
The daughter of Perses and Asteria, she was a goddess of travels by night,
especially a patroness of crossroads, and by extension, any choice made
in darkness or incomplete knowledge. She is often portrayed bearing two
torches, and she has close associations with the Moon (ie. Selene and
Artemis). She is a patroness of witchcraft, and her cult was extensive
in ancient Thessaly. She is most often depicted as having three heads;
one of a dog, one of a snake and one of a horse. She is usually seen with
two ghost hounds that were said to serve her.
She is said to appear when the ebony moon shines.
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Heimarmene
Pythagorean Goddess of Fate. Aspect of the triple Goddess with Ananke
and Dike.
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Helene
The daughter of Tityrus, and one of the Amazons. It was expected of her
to fight Achilles in a one-on-one battle. Achilles killed her, although
she did manage to wound him first. A trusted friend of Venus. The goddess
used her help to seduce Adonis.
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Heliades
The Heliades were three sisters in Greek mythology; Aegiale, Aegle, and
Aetheria. Their brother was Phaeton and they were daughters of Helios,
the sun god. When Phaeton died driving Helios' chariot, they mourned and
grieved so much (4 months) that the gods took pity on them. The gods changed
all three into poplar trees. Their arms turned into branches. Their legs
turned into a trunk, and their tears into amber. They stayed poplar trees
forever. Heliades means "children of the sun".
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Hemera
Hemera is the Greek goddess of day. She was born from Erebus, darkness,
and Nyx , night. Nyx was the daughter of Chaos, and sister of Erebus.
Erebus was among the first beings, dwelling in Hades. He sprang from Chaos
at the beginning of time. Erebus' name was given to the gloomy underground
cavern which the dead walk through on their way to the Underworld. Hemera
emerged from Tartarus as Nyx left it and returned to as she was emerging
from it. Thalassa, the sea, is the daughter of Hemera and her brother
Aether, light.
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Hera
Romans worshipped her as Juno. Amazon priestesses fought for matriarchy
in Hera's name as recently as the time of Herodotus (450 BCE). As Goddesses
everywhere lost power, Hera was forced into marriage with Zeus, but retained
her position as Queen of the Gods. Her name is from the Aegean Greek for
"Lady" or "Holy One." Originally the chief divinity
in pre-patriarchal Greece, she ruled the earth and all beings, was worshipped
as a triple Goddess (youth, mother, crone), and was highly celebrated
in the Heraea, which were games that pre-dated the Olympics.
Since Hera's worship was so well established that she could not be overthrown,
when the patriarchal tribes invaded Greece, their sky god Zeus became
her philandering husband. The legendary rapes Zeus committed against many
Goddesses are a reflection of the acts of the invading tribes against
the Goddess worshipping women of Greece. It was believed that Hera scattered
the "eyes" on the tail of the peacock, symbolizing the starry
firmament. Her jealousies and vengeances are legendary; unsurprising in
light of Zeus' proclivities.
She is a patroness of the matronly virtues, and a protectress of Womankind.
She punished her rivals and their children, among both goddesses and mortals,
with implacable fury. She placed two serpents in the cradle of Heracles;
she had Io guarded by a hundred-eyed giant; she drove the foster-parents
of Dionysus mad, and tried to prevent the birth of Apollo and Artemis.
Even Zeus usually could not stand up to her. Sometimes when he got angry,
he chained her to the mountain of Olympus by fastening anvils to her feet.
However, most of the time Zeus resorted to stratagems: he either hid his
illegitimate children, or he changed them into animals.
The peacock (the symbol of pride; her wagon was pulled by peacocks) and
the cow (she was also known as Bopis, meaning "cow-eyed", which
was later translated as "with big eyes") are her sacred animals.
The crow and the pomegranate (symbol of marriage) are also dedicated to
her. Other attributes include a diadem and a veil. Hera is portrayed as
a majestic, solemn woman. Her Roman counterpart is Juno.
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Hesperides
The Hesperides are nymphs who live in a beautiful garden, situated in
the Arcadian Mountains (Greece) or, alternatively, at the western extreme
of the Mediterranean, near Mt. Atlas (hence they are sometimes considered
daughters of Atlas). In this garden grows the tree with the golden apples
which Gaia had given as a present to Hera on her wedding to Zeus. This
garden is guarded by Ladon, a dragon with a hundred heads. The only one
who succeeded in obtaining some of the apples was Heracles, who tricked
Atlas to get them for him. Thus Heracles completed the eleventh of his
Twelve Labors. The Hesperides are Aegle, Arethusa, Erytheia and Hesperia.
They are also called The African Sisters.
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Hesperius
("evening") Hesperius is regarded as the wife of Atlas and mother
of the Hesperides. Because of her beauty she was also associated with
Aphrodite.
Hestia
Daughter of Kronos and Rhea, Goddess of family life and the hearth. Like
Artemis, Hestia has no consort and remains a maiden. Her primary functions
are patronage of hospitality to guests in an outward sense, and family
unity in an inward sense. Her cult was widespread in private homes, but
also recieved some attention from states at large. She was a virgin-goddess,
and when wooed by Poseidon and Apollo, swore by the head of Zeus to remain
a virgin. She had no throne, but tended the sacred fire in the hall on
the Olympus and every hearth on Earth was her altar. She is the gentlest
of all the Olympians. Hestia also symbolized the alliance of the Metropolis
("mother-city") with the smaller settlements which were founded
in the colonies. The colonists took fire from the hearth in the prytaneion
and kept it burning in their new towns. The Romans called her Vesta, and
build a temple for her in the Forum.
Himalia
A Cyprian nymph who bore three sons of Zeus, one of which was Cronius.
Hippodameia
The daughter of Oenomaus, who had been told by an oracle that he would
be killed by his son-in-law, thus he would only give Hippodameia's hand
to the man who could beat him in a chariot race. He was always certain
of his victory, because of the winged horses given to him by his father
Ares. When Oenomaus was challenged by Pelops, Hippodameia secretly replaced
the pins of her father's chariot with wax. Oenomaus was killed, and Pelops
won the race and her hand in marriage. The Goddess-Queen will not allow
the Old King to escape his fate.
Hippolyte
The Queen of the Amazons, daughter of Ares and Harmonia (or Otrera).
Horae
("the hours") The Horae are the goddesses of the seasons (the
Greek had only three seasons; spring, summer and winter), and the daughters
of Zeus and Themis. They are called Thallo, Auxo and Carpo, names which
denote budding, growth and ripening. Later, as Eunomia ("good order"),
Dike ("justice") and Eirene ("peace") they represented
law and order in society. As goddesses of nature they controlled the growth
of plants; as goddesses of order they maintained the stability of society.
Hyades
("the rainy ones") The five daughters of Atlas and Aethra, and
the sisters of the Pleiades. In some traditions they were regarded as
the nurses of either Dionysus or the infant Zeus. As a reward, they were
placed in the sky as a constellation. In other traditions, they were the
sisters of Hyas. The latter was killed in a hunting accident and the Hyades
died of grieve, and changed into stars. They form the head of the constellation
of Taurus. |
Hygeiea
Physicians and nursing professionals trace their curative skills back
to Hygieia, the Goddess of Health, whose inscriptions appear on the Acropolis
in Athens. Her serpent companion epitomizes rejuvenation, sloughing off
its old skin for new each year.
She and her sister goddess Panacea sprang from the milk of the Goddess
Rhea. Hygieia, one of the daughters of Asklepios (Asclepius) and granddaughter
of Apollo, took an important role in the cult of Asklepios as a giver
of health, often identified with health and sometimes also called The
Health.
She was worshipped and celebrated together with her father at many places
(Asklepieion) of the Greek and Roman world. Sometimes Hygieia is accompanied
by Telesforos, the dwarf with a cowl on his head, who is a symbol of the
recovery. According to some myths he was the brother of Hygieia and the
deity in Thrace.
With the increasing importance of Asklepios´ cult during the Roman
period, Hygieia was associated with the moon; and her father, the most
worshipped of the gods, was considered as the equal of the sun. The name
of Hygieia survived until the present times in the word hygiene and its
components and her sacred snake together with the rod of Asklepios is
the emblem of medicine and medical practice.
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Hypermnestra
One of the fifty daughters of King Danaus, the only one to disobey his
orders to kill their husbands on their wedding night. Her husband, Lyncaus,
eventually succeeded Danaus as king. The legend is another illustration
of a patriarch's attempt to circumvent matrilinear succession, and the
heiress's refusal to allow it. |
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