When you’re the wife of Zeus, you get the perks and privileges of being Queen, right? Well, Metis, Themis and Hera all had different experiences as King of the Gods’ spouse.
Many people don’t know that Zeus had more wives than the three we will talk about. Some sources, such as Greek Gods and Goddesses, say he had seven wives. Others, including The Collector, say he had six. Many of the women were merely lovers and not spouses.
Let’s start with Metis, as she had much to do with the beginning of Zeus’ reign as King of the Gods.
Metis – The First Wife Of Zeus
Metis is the first wife of Zeus. Depending on the source, Metis is depicted as being either a minor Titaness or an Oceanid. She assisted the God of Thunder in freeing his five siblings from the stomach of their father, Kronos.
After they married, Zeus made his new wife his advisor. There are multiple versions of what happened to her, but the most famous version is her being turned into a fly and being swallowed by her husband. Now, you might be wondering why he did this. Well, he’d been given a prophecy where she would give him a son and a daughter and that their son would overthrow him. Metis was pregnant with their first child when this occurred.
Not wanting this to happen, Zeus turned Metis into a fly and swallowed her. However, one day, Zeus came down with a colossal headache and asked to have his head broken open to relieve the pain. When this was done, a goddess jumped from Zeus’ head, dressed in full battle armour. This was Athena, Zeus’ daughter.
Metis, Athena’s mother, had been pregnant with her daughter when Zeus had turned her into a fly. Also, some versions of Metis did have a son, Porus, but it is unknown who his father was.
Furthermore, History Cooperative says that before Athena, Metis was the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Prudence and Deep Thought.
Zeus’ Second Wife: Themis – Greek Goddess Of Justice And Divine Order
The second wife of Zeus is the goddess Themis, the Greek goddess of Justice and Divine Order. Her associations were often tied to oracles, including the famous Oracle of Delphi she created. There are different versions of how the Oracle of Delphi came about.
Themis is one of the most recognisable female Titans as statues are set up outside Courtrooms worldwide with her symbol of the Scales of Justice.
Like Metis, Themis was a Titaness. She was also the mother of several famous children, including the Fates (also known as the Moirai) and the Horae, her daughters with Zeus. The Horae were known for bringing toward the Seasons of the year. Moreover, Themis was Zeus’ aunt as she was a sister of Kronos and his sister-wife, Rhea and a daughter of Gaia and Uranus.
Depending on the version of the story, the Moirai are either the daughters of Nyx, goddess of the night or Zeus and Themis.
Hera – Greek Goddess Of Women And Marriage
Hera is probably the most famous wife of Zeus. She is the goddess of marriage and women and is well-known for being quite vindictive towards Zeus’ mistresses. One example is when Alcemene, the mother of Heracles, realised who her son’s father was; she named her baby after Hera to appease her. Hera was also the goddess of childbirth.
Several of Hera’s children are part of the Olympian council or are minor deities. Her sons with Zeus, Ares, the god of war and Hephaestus, the god of the forge, are both Olympians, while her other children aren’t as well-known. These include:
- Hebe
- Angelos
- Eris
- Arge
- The Charities
- Eileithyia
- Eleutheria
