Hera (/ˈhɛrə/ IPA, Χερα in Olympian) is the Greek goddess of marriage. Married to Zeus after he had already conceived several children with other goddesses, Hera became the Queen of the Olympian Galaxy. Far more interested than her husband in running the Galaxy, Hera has tried to limit the influence of his illegitimate children and help her own sons and daughters, with mixed results.
Biography[]
Born for the second time a million years ago, after being devoured by her father Kronos, Hera and her sister Demeter constantly bullied Hestia for her inability to have children. Hera adopted Eris, raising her as own daughter despite being illegitimate and born before her marriage; this was not repeated for any other of the children of Zeus. Hera later gave Zeus five children: Ares, Hephaestus, Enyo, Ilithyia and Hebe.
In their youth, Hera and her sister Demeter argued about who was the most powerful between the two; this was settled during one of the Strongest Under The Heavens tournament, where Hera defeated Demeter.
Hera opposed the marriage between Hephaestus and Aphrodite, thinking his son should have married one of his daughters and believing (correctly) that Aphrodite would be unfaithful. She also opposed the marriage between Hebe and the demi-god Herakles.
A firm believer of divine rule of gods over mortals, she supported Demeter's idea to populate the Olympian Galaxy with descendants of Earth humans. While being Queen of the entire Galaxy, Hera is also the direct ruler of her own sector, one of the largest and more densely populated.
Hera had almost no reaction to the death of her son Hephaestus, who she considered a failure due to his unsuccessful marriage, or of her sister Demeter, who she despised for having conceived a child with Zeus (despite Persephone being born before her marriage to Zeus).
SPOILER WARNING: Plot details after Beyond The Impossible #195-201
When Isis returned to the Olympian Galaxy, Hera called upon an assembly of the Nine Gods, representing the Olympian Galaxy in the absence of her husband. Her motion to destroy all planets that refused to swear allegiance to the gods did not pass.
Seeking to counterbalance the rise in power of mortals and following the creation of the Enyo sector, Hera created other sectos for her other daughters Ilithyia and Hebe, setting them up as puppet states for keeping more power within her family.
SPOILER WARNING: Plot details after Beyond The Impossible #211-220
She sent her daughter Enyo to stop Noriko Null from finding the Dragon Tomb. When her failure led to the return of Tiamat, Hera joined the fight against the Primordial Goddess but lost; she only survived thanks to Noriko Null and Hades.
Unable to stop the Nine Gods to allow mortals to serve as vassals to Zeus, Hera unilaterally decided a new rule: all vassals must be married to consolidate her claim, with all marriages requiring her consent.
Powers[]
Hera is one of the most powerfuls gods in the Olympian Galaxy. While not at the same level of the Nine Gods or the Primordial Gods, she was shown to wield far more power than Athena and Enyo.
Immortality: Hera does not age; she has kept her current apparent age for the last million years.
Flight: Hera can lift her own body telekinetically. She can likely fly faster than light.
Invulnerability: By placing a mental lock on her molecular structure, Hera can prevent her body from being harmed.
Telekinesis: Hera can move objects with her mind.
Godlike strength: Hera is as strong as she thinks she is.
Godlike stamina: Hera doesn’t need to eat, drink or sleep.
Universal translator: Hera can understand any language instantly. People around her will have the same ability, but it will fade over time without prolonged contact.
Shapeshifting: Hera is able to change her body into several forms, including a peacock of blue fire as big as a planet
Matter and energy manipulation: Hera can manipulate matter at a molecular energy, generate vast amounts of energy, and was able to create a forcefield to separate Athena and Enyo during a battle that devastated a planet.
Trivia[]
- She is the first character debuting in "Untold tale of Vesta" to appear in the main series
- She is extremely vain: she always wears her crown and excessive amounts of jewerly. She has been described as being extremely attractive even by divine standards
- The peacock is her sacred animal. She has been shown to have several pet peacocks in her palace and has assumed the form of a giant peacock of blue fire (sometimes mistaken for a phoenix)
Defining episodes[]
- Untold tale of Vesta: is present during the exiled of Vesta
- Beyond The Impossible #195, "Bow": meets Hades
- Beyond The Impossible #200, "The Throne of the Universe": opposes Null's position against the Nine Gods
- Beyond The Impossible #220, "Breaking heaven": witnesses the destruction of Tiamat
- Beyond The Impossible #223, "Familty matters": rules that all vassals must be married
Gallery[]
