Hebe in the ancient sources

Ancient Sources / Figures / Hebe

14 passages from 8 ancient authors that tell of Hebe, in the original with English translation, author by author in the order the Greeks read them. Hebe was the goddess of youth, daughter of Zeus and Hera. She served nectar and ambrosia to the Olympians and later married Heracles, with whom she ha... For the story in one place, read our article on Hebe.

Hesiod (1)

Hesiod, Theogony 930–959Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, Dionysus and Heracles (930-959)Poseidon and Amphitrite have Triton, and Aphrodite bears Panic and Fear to Ares, and Harmonia, whom Cadmus marries. Maia bears Hermes, Semele bears Dionysus and Alcmene bears Heracles, who is finally wed to Hebe and lives among the gods. Hephaestus marries Aglaea, Dionysus marries Ariadne, and Perseis bears Circe and Aeetes to Helios, with Aeetes' daughter Medea at the end.

Homer (2)

Homer, Iliad 5.711–792Hera and Athena ride down to the plainHera harnesses her chariot while Hebe fits the wheels, and she and Athena arm themselves, Athena taking the aegis and her great spear. The Hours open the gates of heaven, and Hera asks Zeus whether she may drive Ares from the battle, and he tells her to set Athena on him. They come to the plain where the Simois and Scamander meet, and Hera, in the voice of Stentor, shouts to shame the Achaeans.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 12.1–18.12Hymns 12 to 18: Hera, Demeter, the Mother of the Gods, Heracles, Asclepius, the Dioscuri and HermesSeven short hymns. Hera is praised as queen of the immortals, sister and wife of Zeus, and Demeter and her daughter Persephone are asked to keep the city safe. The Mother of the Gods delights in rattles and timbrels, Heracles, born to Alcmena, now lives on Olympus with Hebe, Asclepius is born to Coronis, the Dioscuri are born to Leda, and Hermes is born to Maia.

Pindar (1)

Pindar, Nemean Odes 1.1–72Nemean 1: for Chromius — Ortygia and the infant HeraclesPindar greets Ortygia, the cradle of Syracuse, and praises Chromius of Aetna, victor with the chariot, for his wealth and hospitality, recalling Zeus' gift of Sicily to Persephone. He tells how the infant Heracles strangled the two serpents sent by Hera, while Amphitryon and the Cadmeans hastened in, and how Teiresias foretold his labours against monsters and giants and his marriage to Hebe.

Euripides (2)

Euripides, Children of Heracles 799–866Messenger speech: the battle and the capture of EurystheusThe servant describes how the two armies drew up in line, how Hyllus offered to fight Eurystheus in single combat and Eurystheus shrank from it, and how the battle began and the Athenians at last turned the Argives to flight. Iolaus, who took up Hyllus into his chariot and, on the hill of Pallene, prayed to Hebe and to Zeus to be young again for a day, caught up with Eurystheus' chariot and bound him.
Euripides, Children of Heracles 867–927Fourth choral song; Alcmena rejoicesThe Chorus prays to Zeus and sees the day that frees them from fear, and Alcmena thanks Zeus for his favour. She asks why Iolaus spared Eurystheus, and the servant tells her that he was brought alive so that she could see him humbled, and asks to be set free. The Chorus sings of the dance and of the justice of the city, and of Heracles, who now lives in heaven as the husband of Hebe.

Diodorus Siculus (1)

Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.36.1–4.39.4The death of HeraclesHeracles takes the field with the Calydonians against the Thesprotians and, after he kills a serving boy by accident, goes into exile with Deïaneira. At the river Euenus the centaur Nessus attacks her; dying, he gives her a charm, and years later she uses it on a robe to win Heracles back from Iole. The robe consumes Heracles, who has himself burned on a pyre on Mount Oeta; the section closes with the honours paid to him as hero and god.

Ovid (2)

Ovid, Metamorphoses 9.322–412Dryope and IolausIole tells of her sister Dryope, who plucked a lotus blossom, not knowing that it was the nymph Lotis, and who began to turn into a tree. Dryope was turned into a lotus as her husband and father looked on, and begged them to let her child play in the shade. Iolaus, Heracles' nephew, grown old, is made young again by Hebe, and Themis prophesies the coming of other prodigies.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 9.413–571Byblis and CaunusThemis' prophecy ends, and Byblis, a girl of Miletus, falls in love with her twin brother Caunus, and at first tries to deceive herself that it is only sisterly love. She dreams of him, and debates with herself whether she should write to him, and in the end writes a letter confessing her love. As she gives the tablets to a servant, they slip from her hands and fall.

Pausanias (3)

Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.13.1–8Phlius: the Dorian conquest and the sights of the acropolis and market-placeThe Dorian Rhegnidas takes Phlius, and Hippasus, ancestor of Pythagoras, withdraws to Samos. Pausanias describes the acropolis with the grove and sanctuary of Ganymeda or Hebe, the temples of Hera, Demeter and Asclepius, and the theatre. In the market-place are the bronze goat worshipped against blight, the tomb of Aristias, the house of divination associated with Amphiaraus, the Navel, and the chapel of Cyathus killed by Hercules.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.19.1–6Athens: Delphinium, Gardens, Cynosarges, Lyceum and the Ilissus stadiumBeyond the Olympieum Pausanias notes the shrines of Pythian and Delphinian Apollo, with the tale of Theseus tossing the oxen over the temple roof, the square image of Aphrodite in the Gardens by Alcamenes, Cynosarges with altars of Hercules and Hebe, and the Lyceum with the tomb of Nisus of Megara. He describes the Ilissus, where Orithyia was carried off by the North Wind, the temple of Huntress Artemis at Agrae, and the white marble stadium built by Herodes.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.17.1–7The Argive Heraeum: the temple of Hera and Polyclitus’ statueFifteen furlongs from Mycenae lies the Heraeum, on the slope of Mount Euboea, with the Water of Freedom and the plant asterion. Pausanias describes the temple, its sculptures and fore-temple offerings, Polyclitus’ gold and ivory Hera with pomegranate and cuckoo, the old wooden image from Tiryns, Hadrian’s peacock and Nero’s crown and robe. Above it stand the remains of the earlier temple burnt through the priestess Chryseis’ lamp.

Nonnus of Panopolis (2)

Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 19.158–262Book 19: Seilenos and Maron contend for the golden bowlMaron and Seilenos rise to dance for the great bowl. Maron addresses the spirit of Staphylos and mimes the cupbearing of Hebe and Ganymede to the gods. Seilenos mimes a contest between Dionysos and Aristaios, in which the gods judge Dionysos' wine better than Aristaios' honey drink.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 4.0–105Book 4: Harmonia refuses; Aphrodite comes as PeisinoeElectra tells Harmonia of Zeus's wish, and Harmonia protests against marrying a wandering stranger. Aphrodite, disguised as a neighbour girl called Peisinoe, then flatters her, praises Cadmos's beauty and suggests he may be a god.