Goddesses of Ancient Greece ~ H

Hamadryads
Tree nymphs who lived and died with the tree they inhabited.

Harmonia
In Greek mythology, Harmonia is the goddess of harmony and concord. She is the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite (other sources say Zeus and Electra). She was married to the Theban ruler Cadmus, and as such was beloved by the Thebans. Upon her wedding she received a necklace and a garment, which proved fatal to who wished to possess them. Harmonia is the mother of Ino and Semele.

Harpies
"Robbers". In earlier versions of Greek myth, Harpies were described as beautiful, winged maidens. Later they became winged monsters with the face of an ugly old woman and equipped with crooked, sharp talons. They were represented carrying off persons to the underworld and inflicting punishment or tormenting them. Those persons were never seen again. They robbed the food from Phineus, but were driven away by Cailas and Zetes, the Boreads, and since then they lived on the Strophades. The Harpies were probably the personification of storm winds. They are: Aello, Celaeno, and Ocypete.

Hebe
(Youthful vigour) Daughter of Zeus and Hera, Cupbearer of the Gods, and Patroness of domestic virtues and work. Hebe presents the traditional valuation of femininity within the Mediterranean Classic world, that of helpmate, household worker, and compliant servant. She was wed to Herakles upon his Apotheosis. She poured the nectar of the gods on the Olympus until Ganymede replaced her. Hebe also prepared Ares' bath, and helped Hera to her chariot. After Heracles became a god, he married her. The Romans called her Juventas ("youth").

Hecate Triformus
A Triple Goddess, the original Holy Trinity was the maiden-matron-crone holding triple sway over heaven, earth, and underworld. Her torch of lunar fire, serpent of immortality and knife of midwifery imbued her with primal power, especially in Greek, Egyptian and Celtic cultures. Christian tradition diabolized her as queen of witches to obscure her importance to the agrarian societies of medieval Europe as a source of healing magic.
A Powerful Personification of Female Creativity, Greek Hecate embodies the original Holy Trinity who held sway over heaven, earth and the underworld. Her torch of lunar fire, serpent of immortality, and knife of midwifery imbued her with primal power.
The crone aspect of the triple Goddess (maiden, mother, crone), Hecate was worshipped during the dark phase of the moon where 3 roads crossed. As the Greek Goddess of death and regeneration, her powerful magic was widely respected. Her worship could have originated in Egypt as Heqit and possibly further back to Nubia and northern Sudan. She possessed knowledge of the Heka - the magical power of words. The frog (as a symbol of transformation) and the dog were her totems.
Hecate, Goddess of the Night - In these midnight colors, the Triple Goddess reveals her wisdom and healer aspects, which were vital to midwives and common people well into the Middle Ages. Hecate embodies the original Holy Trinity who held sway over heaven, earth and the underworld. Her torch of lunar fire, serpent of immortality, and knife of midwifery imbued her with primal power.
Daughter of Perses and Asteria, She was a Goddess of travels by night, especially a patroness of crossroads, and by extension, any choice made in darkness or incomplete knowledge. She is often portrayed bearing two torches, and she has close associations with the Moon (ie. Selene and Artemis). She is a patroness of witchcraft, and her cult was extensive in ancient Thessaly. Hecate is the Greek goddess of the crossroads. She is most often depicted as having three heads; one of a dog, one of a snake and one of a horse. She is usually seen with two ghost hounds that were said to serve her. Hecate is most often mispercepted as the goddess of witchcraft or evil, but she did some very good things in her time. One such deed was when she rescued Persephone, (Demeter's daughter, the queen of the Underworld and the maiden of spring), from the Underworld. Hecate is said to haunt a three-way crossroad, each of her heads facing in a certain direction. She is said to appear when the ebony moon shines.

Heimarmene
Pythagorean Goddess of Fate. Aspect of the triple Goddess with Ananke and Dike.

Helene
The daughter of Tityrus, and one of the Amazons. It was expected of her to fight Achilles in a one-on-one battle. Achilles killed her, although she did manage to wound him first. A trusted friend of Venus. The goddess used her help to seduce Adonis.

Heliades
The Heliades were three sisters in Greek mythology; Aegiale, Aegle, and Aetheria. Their brother was Phaeton and they were daughters of Helios, the sun god. When Phaeton died driving Helios' chariot, they mourned and grieved so much (4 months) that the gods took pity on them. The gods changed all three into poplar trees. Their arms turned into branches. Their legs turned into a trunk, and their tears into amber. They stayed poplar trees forever. Heliades means "children of the sun".

Hemera
Hemera is the Greek goddess of day. She was born from Erebus, darkness, and Nyx , night. Nyx was the daughter of Chaos, and sister of Erebus. Erebus was among the first beings, dwelling in Hades. He sprang from Chaos at the beginning of time. Erebus' name was given to the gloomy underground cavern which the dead walk through on their way to the Underworld. Hemera emerged from Tartarus as Nyx left it and returned to as she was emerging from it. Thalassa, the sea, is the daughter of Hemera and her brother Aether, light.

Hera
Regal and Powerful, Hera holds a flowering apple branch from her western orchard of immortality. Romans worshipped her as Juno. Amazon priestesses fought for matriarchy in Hera's name as recently as the time of Herodotus (450 BCE). As Goddesses everywhere lost power, Hera was forced into marriage with Zeus, but retained her position as Queen of the Gods. Her name is from the Aegean Greek for "Lady" or "Holy One." Originally the chief divinity in pre-patriarchal Greece, she ruled the earth and all beings, was worshipped as a triple Goddess (youth, mother, crone), and was highly celebrated in the Heraea, which were games that pre-dated the Olympics. Since Hera's worship was so well established that she could not be overthrown, when the patriarchal tribes invaded Greece, their sky god Zeus became her philandering husband. The legendary rapes Zeus committed against many Goddesses are a reflection of the acts of the invading tribes against the Goddess worshipping women of Greece. It was believed that Hera scattered the "eyes" on the tail of the peacock, symbolizing the starry firmament. Her jealousies and vengeances are legendary; not, perhaps, surprising in light of Zeus' proclivities. She is a patroness of the matronly virtues, and a protectress of Womankind. Writers represented Hera as constantly being jealous of Zeus's various amorous affairs. She punished her rivals and their children, among both goddesses and mortals, with implacable fury. She placed two serpents in the cradle of Heracles; she had Io guarded by a hundred-eyed giant; she drove the foster-parents of Dionysus mad, and tried to prevent the birth of Apollo and Artemis. Even Zeus usually could not stand up to her. Sometimes when he got angry, he chained her to the mountain of Olympus by fastening anvils to her feet. However, most of the time Zeus resorted to stratagems: he either hid his illegitimate children, or he changed them into animals. The peacock (the symbol of pride; her wagon was pulled by peacocks) and the cow (she was also known as Bopis, meaning "cow-eyed", which was later translated as "with big eyes") are her sacred animals. The crow and the pomegranate (symbol of marriage) are also dedicated to her. Other attributes include a diadem and a veil. Hera is portrayed as a majestic, solemn woman. Her Roman counterpart is Juno.

Hesperides
The Hesperides are nymphs who live in a beautiful garden, situated in the Arcadian Mountains (Greece) or, alternatively, at the western extreme of the Mediterranean, near Mt. Atlas (hence they are sometimes considered daughters of Atlas). In this garden grows the tree with the golden apples which Gaia had given as a present to Hera on her wedding to Zeus. This garden is guarded by Ladon, a dragon with a hundred heads. The only one who succeeded in obtaining some of the apples was Heracles, who tricked Atlas to get them for him. Thus Heracles completed the eleventh of his Twelve Labors. The Hesperides are Aegle, Arethusa, Erytheia and Hesperia. They are also called The African Sisters.

Hesperius
"Evening". Hesperius is regarded as the wife of Atlas and mother of the Hesperides. Because of her beauty she was also associated with Aphrodite.

Hestia
Daughter of Kronos and Rhea, Goddess of family life and the hearth. Like Artemis, Hestia has no consort and remains a maiden. Her primary functions are patronage of hospitality to guests in an outward sense, and family unity in an inward sense. Her cult was widespread in private homes, but also recieved some attention from states at large. She was a virgin-goddess, and when wooed by Poseidon and Apollo, swore by the head of Zeus to remain a virgin. She had no throne, but tended the sacred fire in the hall on the Olympus and every hearth on Earth was her altar. She is the gentlest of all the Olympians. Hestia also symbolized the alliance of the Metropolis ("mother-city") with the smaller settlements which were founded in the colonies. The colonists took fire from the hearth in the prytaneion and kept it burning in their new towns. The Romans called her Vesta, and build a temple for her in the Forum.

Himalia
A Cyprian nymph who bore three sons of Zeus, one of which was Cronius.

Horae
The Horae (the Hours) are the goddesses of the seasons (the Greek had only three seasons; spring, summer and winter), and the daughters of Zeus and Themis. They are called Thallo, Auxo and Carpo, names which denote budding, growth and ripening. Later, as Eunomia ("good order"), Dike ("justice") and Eirene ("peace") they represented law and order in society. As goddesses of nature they controlled the growth of plants; as goddesses of order they maintained the stability of society.

Hyades
The five daughters of Atlas and Aethra, and the sisters of the Pleiades. In some traditions they were regarded as the nurses of either Dionysus or the infant Zeus. As a reward, they were placed in the sky as a constellation. In other traditions, they were the sisters of Hyas. The latter was killed in a hunting accident and the Hyades died of grieve, and changed into stars. They form the head of the constellation of Taurus. Their name means "the rainy ones".

Hygeiea
Physicians and nursing professionals trace their curative skills back to Hygieia, the Goddess of Health, whose inscriptions appear on the Acropolis in Athens. The serpent companion epitomizes rejuvenation, sloughing off its old skin for new each year.
Health. She and Her Sister Goddess Panacea sprang from the milk of the Goddess Rhea. Hygieia, one of the daughters of Asklepios (Asclepius) and granddaughter of Apollo, took an important role in the cult of Asklepios as a giver of health, often identified with health and sometimes also called The Health. She was worshipped and celebrated together with her father on many places (Asklepieion) of the Greek and Roman world. Sometimes Hygieia is accompanied by Telesforos, the dwarf with a cowl on his head, who is a symbol of the recovery. According to some myths he was the brother of Hygieia and the deity in Thrace. With the increasing importance of Asklepios´ cult during the Roman period, Hygieia was associated with the moon and her father, the most worshipped of the gods, was considered as the equal of the sun. The name of Hygieia survived until the present times in the word hygiene and its components and her sacred snake together with the rod of Asklepios is the medical sign for actual medicine.