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Hera and the Peacock
Hera was the sister and spouse of Zeus, and she was worshiped as the goddess of lawful marriage, family and childbirth. She was also revered as the guardian of moms and babies. She was revered in Greece, and temples were erected to her in Argos and Salmos. Her spouse, Zeus, had many extra-marital relationships, which made her furious and vengeful toward both him and his mistresses, and her fury became as famous as her beauty among both humans and immortals. In ancient Roman religion, Hera was referred to as Juno, and the cuckoo and peacock are connected to her. Since the Renaissance period, Hera has been portrayed riding in a chariot pulled by peacocks, further cementing the association.
According to a tale recounted by Ovid, Zeus fell in love with one of Hera’s priestesses, Io. Hera was enraged at Zeus’ affection for her, transforming Io into a cow and giving her to Argus, her all-seeing giant with 100 eyes, to watch over her. Zeus pitied Io’s suffering, and Hermes, his messenger, was sent to execute Argus to save her. Hera had known, and before Hermes could hypnotize and murder Argus, she removed a hundred eyes from the beast’s body and placed them on the tail of a peacock, who then became her loyal servant.
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