Here we are in the next round of our Greek vs. Roman battle royale! This time we’re looking at the mother of all gods to determine who is the quintessential benefactress of women. Juno and Hera—it’s time to duke it out!
Herstory
As the most famous and important goddess to each of their respective cultures, Hera and Juno have been worshipped throughout history for blessing marriage, childbirth, and motherhood. But only one of them had a month of the year named after her—the month in which practically everyone schedules their wedding. Talk about brand recognition.
Familial Love
The second thing Juno and Hera are best known for is marrying their brothers. Juno paired up with Jupiter, while Zeus tried for years to win over Hera. Zeus didn’t succeed until he disguised himself as a distressed cuckoo. After Hera nursed the “injured” bird back to health, Zeus revealed himself to her, and she fell for him. Truly a love story for the ages.
Women in Revolt
Surprisingly, there are more stories about Hera standing up to Zeus’s predictable infidelities than the tougher, more warlike Juno. Hera went so far as to stage a coup against Zeus’s throne. Sure, she was caught and had to spend every day afterward being tossed into the Void of Chaos, but we give her points for standing up for herself.
Assembly Required
Upon learning Gaea’s plan to overthrow the gods, Juno worked to bring the Heroes of Olympus together. A fissure between the Greeks and Romans caused Juno and Hera to have massive disagreements, revealing that only Juno would help the demigods save the world. Guess Hera couldn’t be bothered.
Creative Curses
Still, Hera has history with at least one Hero of Olympus. Annabeth struck a nerve when she accused Hera of not being the most, let’s say, loving towards her family. In retaliation, Hera cursed Annabeth to suffer the horrible fate of . . . cow poop. Yup. For a solid year, Annabeth had to deal with cows messing themselves in her general area. Which kind of proves her point.
Juno may be more heroic, but we’re going to have to give this round to Hera for her spunk and tenacity. And because we really don’t want her to give us that cow curse.
