Ok so hopefully it's okay to post this here. I wasn't actually sure where I should ask this. K. So I'm writing this book that obviously deals heavily in Greek mythology. Issue is, there is this scene where Hera is supposed to fight another god in this epic magical battle. No weapons or magically constructed weapons, no other people involved (aside from one but that's another topic). However, while this other god is easy to tell what their magic would be, as they so happen to be the god of magic, Hera is a little harder to pin down. While I know she is the goddess of marriage and childbirth, that's all she is for the most part. And she can't be equal in power to the other god, as for certain purposes she needs to begin to lose the fight in the middle of all the chaos. So what powers would I give her? I have thought of some form of absorption, as in there are some attacks she can absorb, but it just doesn't quite feel like enough. Other than the usual super strength, damage resistance, and healing that every god has that's all I can think of. Hope I made sense. It's late for me so this may seem rushed together.
Being a motherly figure, she could have some sort of protective magic. As in, she loses because she can throw a hell of a defence, but not much offense. Alternatively, being the god of family, she could maybe duplicate herself multiple times to throw the opponent off which one is the real her? That's a little outside the box. There's one story (I'm sure someone else will help me out here if I fudge this up a little) where Hera turned some geezer into a cow, I think. So maybe you could use some general witchy kind of powers. She was always constantly fighting with her hubbie, so maybe in your story she's stolen some of his power - and she can throw around lightning etc and be a real windy fella. If you want to go really out there, remember she's the mother of Area, god of war. Perhaps when your opponent figure is surprised by how well she fights, she gives him the line "Who do you think taught Ares to fight?" And then pulls out a glowing semi-automatic and dudadudaduda sorted.
Hera is known for putting curses on people and turning them into cows and bears. There is usually a sense of what I’d called ‘cloak and dagger’ with her due to the neurotic jealousy. I would imagine she’d get someone else to fight her fights for her being too aloof to bother herself with such mundane activity (physical fights).
Thank you. I actually have thought of the defensive thing before but it's helpful none the less. I do like your idea of Hera teaching Hades, despite it's far fetched implications. But maybe she has hand to hand combat experience. Again, thank you. This has given me some ideas.
Hera can use a spell to make you (Hercules) mad or turn you into a cow (although some stories Zeus turned the girl into a cow). What you could do as a limitation is only allow her to curse people that are related to some form of marital spat or adultery. Hercules a lovechild of adultery and Io (the cow girl) was actually a priestess of Hera I believe that slept with Zeus.... So you could do that and have some other unrelated characters be free from her magic directly but she could still put a monster like a Cyclops or something in someone's way. Edit:If it's another god then she can probably set a trap for them or curse a loved one of theirs who may be in some sort of affair. That way you can still make the other powerful, but also make it so they can't hurt Hera directly.
Normal women don't fight in ancient Greece... And Hera is the ideal of normal. (Athena is a warrior, but she's exceptional, and Artemis is represented with a bow, for a hunter, which is also exceptional.) Women are mischievous though. In a way, the gods seem to have similar powers. They can transform themselves into other creatures. The animals with which she is portrayed by the ancient are the peacock, the lion and the cow. Wikipedia says that "Hera's chariot was pulled by peacocks"... (Maybe you could think about using this...) Wikipedia also says she was called goat-eater (aigophágos) by the Lacedaemonians (or Spartans). There's not much in her of a fighter... Perhaps as a mother guarding her children, one might think (a lion in this way...). Motivation for fighting might be the secret.
