He is credited with creating humans from clay, and for being a champion of mankind in the halls of the heavens. She really did have a terrible husband who fathered children with every maiden, goddess, and nymph that crossed his path. As if her punishment was not already horrible enough, Zeus piled on and capped it off by turning Niobe into a pillar of stone, in which state she would continue to weep throughout eternity for her loss. In ancient Greek religion, Zeus is the Chief deity and ruler of all gods and mankind. In their flight, they sought refuge in Lycia, whose peasants, on Heras instructions, sought to prevent Leto and her infants from drinking water. In return for this deed . However during the feast he tried to pick up on Zeus' wife, Hera. Hera, Queen of the Heavens and Chief wife of Zeus, was jealous of all of Zeus's lovers because they would give demigods, but . Danaus hauled the daughter who had disobeyed him before a court, but her husband intervened and murdered Danaus in revenge for the deaths of his 49 brothers. Disobeying ones parents was a great sin in Ancient Greece, so all the daughters, except one who took pity on her new husband after he respected her desire to remain a virgin, murdered their spouses on the wedding night. Ironically, Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, was trapped in a loveless marriage; Athena, wisest of beings, always deferred to Zeus; and Hera, Goddess of Marriage, was married to the worst serial adulterer ever known. Tantalus was placed in a pool of water, beneath a fruit tree with low branches. For that, the gods subjected her to a terrible punishment. Hera decided to pay Zeus back for his infidelity by making the rest of Hercules' life as miserable as she could. He then courted Thetis, but abandoned the idea of marrying that Titaness when a similar prediction was made. The Ancient Greeks worldview differed greatly from the orderly worldview of the major monotheistic religions, in which the universe is ruled by an omniscient, omnipotent, and infallible God. In Greek legend, Prometheus was a Titan a race of divine beings who preceded the Olympian gods. What bad things did Zeus do? He also liked to blab, and revealed to mortals secrets he had learned at the table of the gods in heaven. In this view of marriage, Hera really did embody the role of a Greek wife. First, Hera kicked the pregnant Leto out of Mount Olympus, forcing her to wander the world amongst mortals. 1 / 70. That impiety shocked the Thebans, and they returned to their daily pursuits in awestruck silence and trepidation. The very creation of women was set as a punishment to man because Prometheus, son of Iapetos, tried to trick Zeus . Without Eileithyas help, Letos labor was slow and painful. Hephaestus made a woman out of clay, a beautiful woman. As to Prometheus, Zeus punished him by having him taken to the Caucasus Mountains, where he was chained to a rock. Despite their many problems, the two were never enemies. Ixion pretended to shrug it off, invited his father-in-law to a feast, and there, murdered him by shoving him into a bed of burning coals. That angered Zeus, whose divine responsibilities included the promotion of Xenia. Like the hero Achilles, of Iliad fame, Actaeon had been taught hunting by the centaur Chiron. The islands barrenness also meant it had nothing to lose, and thus nothing to fear from Heras wrath by defying her will. Zeus however took pity on Ixion, and although promotion of Xenia was part of the chief Olympian gods portfolio, he cleansed him of the defilement, and invited him to Mount Olympus, to dine at the table of the gods. Her fellow goddesses could feel her wrath, as well. That was another big breach of Xenia: lusting after and pursuing your hosts wife was a major violation of a guests obligations to his host that was how the Trojan War started, when Paris seduced Helen while a guest of her husband. He and his wife then ruled Argos, inaugurating a dynasty that ran that city for centuries. That championing of mankind got him in trouble with the gods, who devised a horrific punishment for him in consequence. When Zeus heard, he couldnt believe that Ixion, whom he had rescued and cleansed of his guilt, then honored by hosting him in heaven, could be so ungrateful and brazen. Ixion, in Greek mythology, was a son of the war god Ares and a mortal woman. What folly, said she, is this! He continued to live to a ripe old age, before dying a second time. Zeus and Heras children were able to exemplify the happy, stable relationship their father and mother had never been able to represent. Not to be outdone, Artemis strung her bow, and slew all seven of Niobes daughters. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Her husband/ sibling was an insatiable and predatory nymphomaniac with a roving eye, always on . Hera, now even more jealous of Leto after she gave birth to Zeus children, sent a dragon to chase her and her newborns around. c) ancient humans could not do the miraculous things that gods did and were at the mercy of . The Greek goddess Hera was the patroness of marriage, status, and social power, and as I hope to demonstrate here, a goddess appropriate to feminism too. Zeus, to punish him, bound him on a fiery wheel, which rolled unceasingly through the air or, according to the more common tradition, in the underworld. Chiron a mythical being with the lower body of a horse, and the torso and upper body of a human was notable in Greek legend for his youth-nurturing nature. He instilled in Actaeon a passion for hunting that would prove the Theban heros undoing. Following are ten of the weirdest divine punishments from Ancient Greek religion and mythology. Zeus is the Olympian god of the sky and the thunder, the king of all other gods and men, and, consequently, the chief figure in Greek mythology. To vent his anger at mankind, Zeus sent Pandora down to earth with a box whose lid, when it was eventually removed, unleashed upon the world all the evils that plague humanity, such as diseases, plagues, war, death, and the constant need for backbreaking labor to eke sustenance out of the earth. In only one story did Zeus punish Hera for her actions when she plotted to overthrow him. He was the father of Pelops, after whom the Peloponnesus is named. On three occasions Zeus threatens physical punishment of Hera in the Iliad: In A 566ff., when Hera intrudes on Zeus to discover what went on between him and Thetis concerning the (xfjvi of Achilles . Another of Tantalus children was Niobe, who got her own dose of divine punishment and earned an entry on this list see below. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. There, a giant eagle would fly in every day to rip open his guts and feast upon his liver. It is from Tantalus punishment, of desperately wanting something that seems so close but that is just beyond reach, that we get the English word tantalize. This was a demonstration of the unforgiving nature of the Olympians. Have I not cause for pride? Olympians / Zeus. Zeus punished Apollo to purify him. To vent his anger at mankind, Zeus sent Pandora down to earth with a box whose lid, when it was eventually removed, unleashed upon the world all the evils that plague humanity, such as diseases, plagues, war, death, and the constant need for backbreaking labor to eke sustenance out of the earth. 19 (trans. As a punishment, Hera takes away Echo's voice so that she is only able to repeat whatever she hears. Pixabay. A peeved Zeus responded by taking fire away from mankind, and wiping its secret from human minds, so they would have to eat meat row, and shiver from the cold in the dark of night. Being Zeus mistress was tough. Hera also sent the gigantic Titan Tityos to rape Leto, but she was once again saved by her children, Apollo and Artemis, who killed their mothers would-be rapist. However, she committed the sin of hubris a mixture of extreme pride, dangerous overconfidence, and overweening arrogance. She stood and surveyed the people with haughty looks. Hera and the Roman Juno. The goddess Hera cursed her with just an echo for a voice as punishment for distracting her from the affairs of Zeus with her endless chatter. The wine god laid a curse upon Lycurgus kingdom, rendering its soil barren and incapable of producing fruit. Hera occasionally worked against her husband, as well. Hermes did that by shooting the breeze with the many-eyed giant, getting him to shut his eyes one by one by playing the flute and telling stories. She is best known as the mother of Dionysus. Being Zeus mistress was tough. In the second century, AD, the geographer Pausanias reported seeing a sepulcher of Tantalus, and visiting a port bearing his name. Arriving at Mount Nyseion, Lycurgus used an ax to slay a Maenad who had nursed Dionysius as a child, and broke up the festival by chasing the remaining attendants out with an ox goad. Will you prefer to me this Latona, the Titans daughter, with her two children? Zeus gathered the rest of the boys body parts, got the god Hephaestus to make him a bronze shoulder, put them all together and restored the kid to life. Hera tormented many of Zeus's mistresses. Hera, titled the Queen of Heaven, reigned from the gods home atop Mount Olympus as the wife and sister and wife of Zeus, chief god of the Greek pantheon. He instructed his wife not to bury him or perform any of the sacred death rituals when he passed away, and to just throw his corpse out. One day, the people of Thebes went out to celebrate the feast of Latona a religious festival in honor of Leto, the mother of the gods Apollo and Artemis and as described in Bulfinchs Mythology: It was on occasion of the annual celebration in honor of Latona and her offspring, Apollo and Diana [i.e Artemis] when the people of Thebes were assembled, their brows crowned with laurel, bearing frankincense to the altars and paying their vows, that Niobe appeared among the crowd. Only hope was left inside the box, to keep life bearable despite its sufferings. However, she did not address that by taking it up with Zeus and directing her wrath at him for breaking whatever passed for marital vows and obligations of monogamy atop Mount Olympus. When we say that myths present humans at an 'ontological disadvantage,' we mean that. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). She then sent emissaries to all cities and settlements, forbidding them to offer Leto shelter, food, or water. Hera eventually came to terms with the situation, accepted things as they were, and let Leto and her children be. There, Leto finally gave birth to the gods Artemis and Apollo. The goddess Hera cursed her with just an echo for a voice as punishment for distracting her from the affairs of Zeus with her endless chatter. Once in the Underworld, Zeus could have his vengeance on Sisyphus. From its towers, they watched the Theban youths engaged in sports below, while the Latona festival in honor of their mother was ignored. It should come as no surprise, then, that The Moons of Jupiterof which there are at least 67are named for his lovers (including "lovers") and descendants. Although the affair and pregnancy had occurred before Heras marriage to Zeus, the Queen of Heaven was still jealous of Leto, and set out to turn her life into a living hell. Though vigilant, whenever she was about to catch him, Echo distracted her with lengthy conversations. While she was killed shortly before giving birth the child was resuced by Zeus. The Argives were impressed by the arrival of fifty beauties rowing a boat, and even more so by their father, whom they made their king. The breach of Xenia left Ixion defiled, shunned by fellow Greeks and unfit to live amidst men. to prefer beings whom you never saw to those who stand before your eyes! I didn't mentioned the worst part about Zeus' constant seduction and/or sexual assault of every pretty girl in Greece his wife Hera would inevitably torture the the women, too. To exacerbate the unfairness of it all, Leto had been Zeus mistress before he married Hera, so the chief god had not even been cheating on his wife at the time. However, before the wedding, Danaus gathered his daughters around him, and passed a dagger to each, with instructions to murder their husbands as soon as they were alone with them. 1. Yet Tantalus, his punishment, and his damned family also inspired many great works of Classical literature: His punishment has, ironically, ensured an enduring legacy. First, Apollo sent Hercules to the hills of Nemea to kill a lion that was terrorizing the people of the region. Io swam the straits between Europe and Asia, which were known thereafter as the Bosporus (Greek for ford of the cow), and the sea southwest of Greece, which became known as the Ionian Sea. Now, fans are unsure how the . The terrified Actaeon bounded into the woods, but his own dogs detected the scent of a stag, and failing to recognize their master in his new body, chased him down and tore him to pieces. According to Ovid, how id Zeus punish Lycaon? She also had a gadfly follow Io around and continually sting her. Python was sent by Hera to find and kill Apollo's mother, Leto, for Zeus' act of adultery against her. Echo and Narcissus (John William Waterhouse, 1903, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool) In Metamorphoses, the poet Ovid tells of Juno (Hera in Greek mythology) and the jealousy she felt over her husband Jupiter's (Zeus in Greek mythology) many affairs. Thus the deities in the heavens had human appetites and desires, and human emotions such as happiness, sadness, love, anger, jealousy, and wrath. Even though Hercules has finished his labors, and is said to have "finally appeased the hatred of his fierce stepmother", his absence from his wife may be understood as a slight against the wife of Zeus, Goddess . The trend of Hera being jealous and spiteful toward her husbands children continued throughout their reign. In one story, which appears to have not been widespread, she even plotted to overthrow her husband. Lycurgus of Thrace was a mythical king of the Edoni people in southern Thrace, and he had a beef with Dionysius, the Greek god of grape and wine. Hera, now even more jealous of Leto after she gave birth to Zeus children, sent a dragon to chase her and her newborns around. In the text, Odysseus is found shouting at Polyphemus saying, "You had the gall to eat the guests in your own house, and Zeus made you pay for it" (IX,478-479). Answer (1 of 4): No he didn't punish Hera. The unfortunate Actaeon on the other hand, endured a divine punishment despite not having done anything of his own volition that could have justified his fate. The overall impression of women from Theogony and Works and Days, leads one to believe that Hesiod is a misogynist. When her father went looking for her, Sisyphus told him where to find his daughter, in exchange for Asopus creating a spring to flow into Sisyphus city of Corinth. When Ixion planned to assault the goddess, her husband not only prevented the attack but gave Ixion a harsh punishment in Hades for the crime of attempting to violate his wife. Although Hera was married to Zeus, his serial interest in women led him far from her bed. Io was a priestess of the Goddess Hera in Argos, whose cult her father Inachus was supposed to have introduced to Argos. Instead, he loaded them in a boat, and oared by his daughters, fled across the sea to Argos. ZEUS, God of Horndogs. Zeus substituted for her a cloud, by which Ixion became the father of Centaurus, who fathered the Centaurs . Term. He got on Zeus wrong side when he tricked him into accepting the bones and fat of sacrificial animals instead of their meat. According to most sources, Zeus did not originally intend to marry his sister, Hera. There, Leto finally gave birth to the gods Artemis and Apollo. Zeus Olympios emphasized Zeus's kingship over the gods. The wheel was later taken down and placed in Tartarus, where Ixion was doomed . Leto was Zeus first mistress, and became the first to fall victim both to the chief god, who slaked his lust and abandoned her when she got pregnant, and then to the cray wrath of his wife. 4) Hera. Zeus' Wife Punished His Mistress by Driving Her Mad, Forced to Wander the Earth in Torment. In this way Zeus and Hera represented not an average marriage, but the type of politically-motivated relationships entered into by human kings and queens. Ixion's Punishment. She punished others in a different way, however. The chief Olympian gods relentless pursuit, persistence, rough wooing, and refusal to take no for an answer was bad enough. Aegyptus did not give up, however, and sent his fifty sons to Argos to claim their brides. The livid Hera responded by sending a gadfly to torment the white heifer, stinging her nonstop, driving her mad with pain, and forcing Io to wander the earth in an attempt to escape the irritant. In this way, the relationship between Zeus and Hera did represent an ideal, albeit one that seems horrible to modern readers. He also liked to blab, and revealed to mortals secrets he had learned at the table of the gods in heaven. First, Zeus ordered the gods' handyman, the maker of things - Hephaestus - to make Zeus a daughter. What Were the Hamadryads in Greek Mythology? One day, while out hunting with his dogs in Boeotia, Actaeon unwittingly stumbled upon the chaste goddess Artemis Diana to the Romans while she was naked, bathing in spring with some wood nymphs. While they were said to have enjoyed a brief period of peace and happiness, this quickly gave way to conflict. Although the affair and pregnancy had occurred before Heras marriage to Zeus, the Queen of Heaven was still jealous of Leto, and set out to turn her life into a living hell. He brought her to life, and then brought her to Zeus. Regardless of their origins, once they were welcomed into Olympus Dionysus, Hermes, Apollo, and Artemis were her peers and above her petty attacks. Niobe, in Greek myth, was a daughter of Tantalus, who got his own dose of terrible divine punishment from the gods see previous entry.