Hebe

Hebe
Goddess of youth and young life, forgiveness Holder of cups of the gods
A statue of Hebe
Abode	Mount Olympus
Symbol	Wine-cup, Eagle, Ivy, Fountain of Youth, and Wings
Personal information
Consort	Heracles
Children	Alexiares and Anicetus
Parents	Zeus and Hera
Siblings	Aeacus, Angelos, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Dionysus, Eileithyia, Enyo, Ersa, Helen of Troy, Heracles, Hermes, Minos, Pandia, Persephone, Perseus, Rhadamanthus, the Graces, the Horae, the Litae, the Muses, the Moirai
Roman equivalent	Juventas

Hebe (/ˈhiːˌbiː/; Greek: Ἥβη) means “young” or “young flower.” She is the girl goddess of forever being young in Greek stories. She is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Zeus is the king of the gods. Hera is the queen of the gods. Hebe later married the hero Hercules. Hebe gave drinks to the gods and goddesses who lived on Mount Olympus. She gave them wine, nectar, and food to make nobody die in golden cups. She also had the power to make old people young again.

In old arts and books

In pictures and statues, Hebe looks like a young girl. She holds a cup. She wears flowers or a gold crown on her head. She wears colorful clothes. She often has dark hair and bright eyes. Sometimes an eagle is near her. The eagle stands for Zeus. The poet Pindar (about 518–448 BCE) said Hebe was the most beautiful goddess. The poet Homer (about 750 BCE) said she had lovely ankles. The Romans called her Juventas. In a book called Theogony, written by Hesiod (about 700 BCE), Hebe is named as the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She is the sister of Ares, the god of war, and Eileithyia, the goddess of birth. She is also a half-sister to the Graces, the Fates, and the Horae.

In Theogony, it says: Zeus married Hera. Hera gave him Hebe and Ares. She also gave him Eileithyia.

When Hebe was born, the gods gave her gifts. Athena and Poseidon gave her toys. Apollo played music for her. In one rare story, Hera became pregnant after eating or touching lettuce at a feast with Apollo.

Works

Hebe worked for the gods on Mount Olympus. She gave them wine, nectar, and ambrosia in golden cups. Even though she was the daughter of the king and queen of the gods, she still served drinks. Long ago, women and girls in homes served guests. In the Iliad, Homer says Hebe gave wine to the gods while they watched a fight between Menelaus and Paris. One day, Hebe slipped while serving drinks. She fell. Zeus removed her from her job. He gave the job to a beautiful young man named Ganymede. Zeus thought Ganymede was the most beautiful human. Hera was very angry. She was upset that her daughter lost her job and that Zeus liked Ganymede so much. Zeus put Ganymede in the sky as a star picture called Aquarius, the water-bearer. Some stories say Hebe stopped serving drinks when she married Hercules. Long ago, Hebe was also called Ganymeda. This may mean the story split into two people: Ganymede (the boy who served drinks) and Hebe (who married Hercules and had two sons).

Relations with family members

Hebe also helped her mother Hera. She got Hera’s chariot ready. She put the harness on Hera’s peacocks. In Book 5 of the Iliad, Hebe helped put the wheels on Hera’s chariot and fixed them to the metal axle. Hebe also washed her brother Ares and dressed him in clean clothes after he fought King Diomedes of Argos in the Trojan War. Then Hebe and Ares went back to Mount Olympus. As the goddess of youth, Hebe could make old people young again. The Greeks thought she was brave and kind. A writer named Philostratus (190–230 CE) said Hebe was the youngest god and the most loved. He said she is why the gods stay young forever. In a book called Metamorphoses by Ovid (43 BCE–17 CE), there are stories about her power. The hero Jason asked his wife Medea to take years from his life and give them to his old father Aeson, who was sick. Medea did not want to take years from her husband. She said she would ask the goddess Hecate for help instead. Medea flew around the world for nine days with her dragons. She picked special plants that bring youth. She built two grass altars. One was for Hecate. One was for Hebe. She asked them for help. With their help, Medea made Aeson young again. Hercules asked Hebe to make his friend and nephew Iolaus young again. Iolaus wanted to get revenge on King Eurystheus for causing much pain to Hercules and his family. Hebe made Iolaus young again. Then she said she would never use her power again. But Themis, the goddess of justice and law, stopped her. Themis said a war was happening in Thebes. She said that Callirhoe, daughter of the river god Achelous, would ask Zeus to give years to her young sons so they could avenge their father. Zeus would allow Hebe’s gift to be used. The other gods were not happy. Each god wanted someone they liked to get youth too.

Relations with Hercules

After Hercules became a god, Zeus and Hera let him marry Hebe. This showed he was now a god. It also showed he would be forever young. It also showed Hera was no longer full of hate toward him, even though he reminded her that Zeus had been unfaithful. Hercules and Hebe had two sons: Alexiares and Anicetus. In Theogony, it says that strong Heracles finished his hard work. Then he married Hebe on snowy Mount Olympus. Now he lives with the gods forever, always young and free from pain.

Worship

People worshipped Hebe in two main places in Greece: Philos and Sicyon, in the Peloponnese. The writer Strabo (63 BCE–23 CE) said people there called her Dia. People prayed to Hebe for forgiveness. Prisoners who were freed hung their chains on trees in holy groves to honor her. In Philos, coins showed Hebe’s head with ivy crowns. The writer Pausanias (115–180 CE) wrote that in Corinth, Hebe had a holy place. There was a statue of her made of gold and ivory by a sculptor named Naukydes of Argos (4th century BCE). The statue stood next to a statue of Hera. A peacock stood between them. There was also a silver altar showing the wedding of Hercules and Hebe. Hebe and Hercules had holy places next to each other, with water running between them. Hens were kept in Hebe’s holy place. Roosters were kept in Hercules’ holy place. In a place called Cynosarges, there were altars for both Hebe and Hercules.