ORIGIN: Roman
TYPE: Queen of Heaven
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP: Circa 400 BCE to circa CE 400
SYNONYMS: Hera (Greek)
CENTER(S) OF CULT: Sparta, Rome and Heraeum
ART REFERENCES: large number of sculptures
LITERARY SOURCES: Aeneid (Virgil) etc.
INFORMATION: Juno is modeled on the Greek goddess Hera. In the Roman pantheon she is the daughter of Cronos and Rhea and the sister and incestuous consort of Jupiter, who seduced her in the guise of a cuckoo. Following their wedding on Mount Olympus, Juno was accorded the title of goddess of marriage, though subsequently she was obliged to endure Jupiter's philandering with numerous concubines. Juno is the mother of Mars, Vulcan and Hebe. Her sacred animals are the peacock and the cuckoo and she is invariably depicted in majestic apparel. Her chief festival in Rome was the Matronalia. See also Kronos, Vulcanus.