Hera, wife of Zeus and queen of the gods, is one of those deities whose mythology does not quite reflect her worship. She is primarily known as a goddess of marriage, specifically of the legal/contractual aspects of marriage, and is especially to be called on at weddings..*

Myth

Most of Hera's myths, unfortunately, have to do with her jealousy and her poor treatment of Zeus' other women, such as Semele, or of his children by these women, such as Herakles. As a goddess of marriage, this certainly makes some sense.

She is also known for her difficult relationship with her son Hephaestos, who may or may not have been fathered by Zeus (if not, he was the child of Hera alone). According to one myth, when she gave birth to him and discovered that he was imperfect--lame--she threw him out of Olympos immediately.

Worship

Hera was widely worshipped all over Greece, particularly in Argos and in Samos. The greatest, earliest known temples were hers. She was honored in various festivals**, including:

• Gamelia, a festival honoring the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera
• The Great Daedela, held every sixty years in Boetia, in which an altar and wooden statues are constructed, offered on, and entirely burned
• Heraia, a New Year festival celebrated in Argos
• In the deme of Erchia, she was honored as Hera Thelchinia (Goddess of Charm)

References

• Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1985.
• Gantz, Timothy. Early Greek Myth, Volumes 1 and 2. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1993.
• Kerenyi, Karl. The Gods of the Greeks. Thames and Hudson, London, 1951.
• Parke, H.W. Festivals of the Athenians. Thames and Hudson, London, 1977.
• Simon, Erika. Festivals of Attica: An Archaeological Commentary. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisconsin, 1983.