The stages of Hera: deconstructing the sacred marriage

<p>Since the early 19th century, scholarship has been captivated by the idea of the <em>hieros gamos</em>, or ‘sacred marriage’, of Hera, the matrimonial goddess <em>par excellence</em>. Believed to constitute the principal aspect of the goddess’ cultic sphere, the <em>hieros gamos </em>not only refers to her mythological marriage to Zeus, but also its alleged ritual performance at several of Hera’s cult-sites. It is often thought that this ritual involved the traditional stages of the Greek marital ceremony, with Hera’s cult-statue being given a nuptial bath, veiled, conducted in bridal procession, and placed on a decorated marital couch; this is allegedly detectable in literary, iconographic, and archaeological sources. This thesis is a critical examination of the existence of the <em>hieros gamos </em>in Hera’s mythology and cultic sphere. It subjects both modern scholarship and primary evidence to scrutiny and alternate interpretations, focussing on the cult-sites that have traditionally been held to have hosted the <em>hieros gamos </em>ritual: Athens, Plataia, Argos, and Samos. Through the systematic assessment of each piece of evidence substantiating the <em>hieros gamos</em>, the concept is deconstructed into its constituent parts and questioned. I demonstrate that a <em>hieros gamos </em>cannot be justified in its traditional iteration at any of Hera’s cult-sites, nor in her mythology. Rather, the concept itself is received doctrine from 19th century thought, and has ‘matrimonialised’ many elements of the goddess’ cult-worship.</p>