Era, the Latin Juno. The best and worst you can find in a woman!
Wednesday afternoon arrived, and Prof. Tafani opened the door at 3:00 p.m. He was wrapped in a beautiful crimson damask dressing gown, which revealed his slight but athletic physique. The kettle was whistling in the kitchen, and a refined oriental tea set was resting on the desk. “Good afternoon, Fabri,” said the professor. He sat down in his armchair and began to speak.
“This haughty deity was the daughter (like Zeus, Demeter, Poseidon, and Hades) of Cronus and Rhea. According to some versions, she was born on the island of Samos, while other sources identify her birthplace as Argos. Some say that her name means ‘lady’. Like all the others, except Zeus, she was swallowed by her father, Cronus, who wanted to avoid the risk of being overthrown. She was vomited out of Cronus’s bowels as a result of an emetic administered to her father by Zeus, with the help of Rhea. Together, the children gave Jupiter command in the inevitable conflict against Cronus and his Titan allies. Ten years of relentless war followed, won only with the help of the Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handers. There are many versions of the story, but we know for certain that the goddess married her brother, Zeus. Many say that this happened as soon as she was vomited out by Cronus, while other versions speak of the goddess courting Jupiter on the island of Crete. What we know for sure is that they are the only deities to be formally married. The first information about Hera comes from Homer in the Iliad. The goddess is depicted on a chariot drawn by two horses, treated with great deference, and the father of the gods listens to her advice. However, the goddess is not the queen of Olympus, but only the wife of Jupiter, placed in a very subordinate position and owing him obedience and respect, like the other gods. Only in much later authors did Hera assume greater power, comparable to that of Jupiter. She bore Zeus (but there is no certainty), Ares, perhaps Hephaestus (24), and Hebe (who, after reconciliation, became the wife of Heracles). Juno was, as mentioned, haughty, vengeful, and even indomitable in character. In essence, she never backed down, and despite the significant difference in power between her and her husband, the latter often had a hard time with her. Of course, on a couple of occasions, she was the one who had big problems. One day, during an argument, Jupiter hung her from a cloud with two anvils tied to her feet. It had happened that Juno, with the support of Poseidon and Athena, had planned to put Zeus in chains. Other versions say that she led a revolt of the gods, except Hestia, which resulted in Jupiter being bound hand and foot, but the Lord of Olympus was saved by one of the hundred-handed giants. Apollo and Poseidon, after Hera was forgiven, were condemned to serve King Laomedon for a year and built the magnificent walls of Troy. For reasons of jealousy, which were understandable, Juno showed irreconcilable hostility towards the children that Jupiter had had with other women, Dionysus and Heracles (25) in particular, but not only them. The couple did not bother to show their disagreements, but on official occasions, they pretended to be in harmony, thanks to the aplomb of the lord of thunder and the cunning of our goddess. What had happened was that Juno, together with Hera, was In the Iliad, Homer called her by numerous epithets: white-armed, golden-seated, golden-sandaled, etc. What surrounded the goddess in the same poem was an aura of great respect. She was certainly a goddess, but her apparent reserve, her severity, and the majesty of her appearance made her distant, somewhat cold, and in any case also fearsome. Let us not forget the episode of the golden apple. Eris, to take revenge for not being invited to the wedding of Cadmus and Harmonia, gave it to Paris or Alexander and, in the presence of Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, ordered him to give it to “the most beautiful.” Paris, who found himself in a situation beyond his control, listened to what the three had to offer him. Aphrodite had an easy job, promising the Trojan prince the most beautiful woman in the world (26). So Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite and sealed Hera’s perpetual hostility towards Troy and the Trojans. Thus, the stage was set for the most famous war ever sung about.
Hera protected marriage, women’s sexuality, and women themselves. In Greco-Roman society, the latter, given the low social status she enjoyed, needed this protection. But she repeatedly showed signs of her impetuosity and even her obstinacy. In short, she was quite a character to have as a wife! In summary, we can say that Zeus, while confiding most of his secrets to his wife, did not completely trust her and had a habit of keeping some to himself. Juno, on the other hand, was a master of deception, but she knew she couldn’t overdo it with the “breakups.” On the other hand, this union and its relationships fully reflected the couple dynamics of Doric society, which I would say were a bit barbaric! The cult of this goddess was widespread throughout Greece. The most famous temples were in the places indicated as her birthplaces, namely Argos in the Peloponnese and Samos, an Aegean island. Other noteworthy temples were in Olympia, Sparta, Mycenae, and Tiryns, also in the Peloponnese. In Samos and Argos, there were annual festivals in her honor with very elaborate ceremonies.
What can I say, Fabrizio? I don’t like her very much, although I admit that there are worse ones, as we shall see. What do you think? “Prof. Tafani, as he had already understood, did not mince his words. Fabrizio tried to think about the story he had followed carefully and made his move. “I don’t want to sound blasphemous, Professor, but without trivializing it, so far these gods seem a little predictable to me, I would say almost devoted to the ordinariness of human passions and nothing else!” “I was expecting a comment like that, Fabrizio, and you did well to express it. You see, for millennia, we have been steeped in a Christian religion that is castrating and oppressive. Our monotheistic religion is perhaps even more contradictory than the one we are dealing with. Our God is distant in the heavens and asks a lot of us, perhaps too much, and we are often unable to fulfil the task. This has put us in a position of subordination, and we have no choice but to burden ourselves with guilt. The priestly class then took care of the rest, or perhaps everything. But I do not want to influence you in this regard. I want to talk to you about facts. Greek and Roman society was equally religious, but it conceived of the deity as closer and did not ask for more or less unusual favors. It sacrificed to the gods, who could hear, with great devotion and did not ask for miracles, but only benevolence (the distance was not too great). However, these gods and their cult have now disappeared as a result of persecution, or rather, their cult has disappeared, opposed by the mantra: “My god is better than yours.” But the history and religious beliefs of civilizations of this caliber cannot be hidden, like dust under a rug. Nor can we take from them only what suits us. And so we are and will be here to talk about them, to study them, and to remain fascinated by them for eternity. They are living, vibrant civilizations; it is impossible to destroy them. It has been attempted countless times, all to no avail. The prisoner laden with history, culture, and religiosity has conquered the jailer, even if we continue to call it “paganism.” Unfortunately, this did not happen for the Etruscans, who were erased from history and memory by a hostile hand. Incidentally, Juno was worshipped by the Etruscans under the name Uni. She was part of a triad together with Tinia and Menrva (Minerva). She was a celestial deity and presided over the harvests. But above all, she was the deity who protected women, sex, and reproduction. As you may have seen, the forgotten society, that is, the Etruscan one, not only had common origins with the other two, but in some cases even surpassed and preceded them. Its “damnatio memoriae” was only a matter of military force, cynicism, and communication
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