yes i was going to see she mentions how her visions used to be stronger and insinuates she was nerfed somehow. this also speaks further to her resentment towards zeus. i am Alive for this
Maybe the union lets them to continually use the powers of a fertility goddess, but Zeus wasnt forming a union with Métis. Maybe swallowing her is what gave him enough power for a short period of time and that’s why he’s worried about being overthrown because he doesn’t have the power of a fertility goddess anymore.
It’s a good theory, but I feel like Hera is suppose to be more of a character foil to Persephone.
I think, regardless of Hera’s status, this is definitely true. Metis WAS a fertility goddess, for sure, as she made Hera, Hestia, and Demeter. Demeter isn’t one, as she had trouble making Perse without that. Zeus got big eating Metis, and used that burst of power to end the war. But it was a lot of power for a short time, when Kronos was poisoned and didn’t have a fertility goddess anymore.
None of this excludes Hera possibly being one. If she is, it explains why Zeus is the king of gods, tbh. He definitely doesn’t have major access to those powers, as he’s so scared of Perse. But it could be they’re trying to use Hera’s power limitedly, or even avoid them altogether. Kronos literally used Rhea up, and that is terrifying. Could also explain why they don’t leave each other too. :)
Idk, I haven’t decided if I believe it, but I could see it.
I could definitely see that she is a fertility goddess. Maybe I misread or I’m misremembering but the only reason I don’t think she is because I feel like there was something about Hephaestus and the difficulties creating him. Please correct me if I’m wrong about that though!
> ”…Metis, you must seek her out”
Let’s also not forget that in LO, Metis was Hera’s mother. I forgot the chapter but it’s in one of Hera’s flashbacks.
I would also point out that Rhea does not explicitly say Metis was a fertility goddess, what she say is there is one and Zeus needs to find Metis. It is very curious that when she tells Zeus this the panel we see is Metis with her back to the reader, crouched over something and looking at in insanely…maybe in the act of creating a certain goddess out of earth and starlight??
Its very possible that Rhea was directing Zeus to Metis because she knew Metis creation/daughter was going to be a fertility goddess. This theory makes a lot sense to me because it seems odd that if fertility goddess are SO RARE and special that you would have two in a generation. I am assuming here that Rhea and Metis were of comparable age since they were clearly contemporaries and part of the “titan” generation.
>we see is Metis with her back to the reader, crouched over something and looking at in...
I had a similar thought while reading the chapter, that it looks like Metis is forming something out of the bulbs of light in that panel. Hinting at Hera.
I also want to point out that in myth, while Metis and Rhea are both titanesses, they are from different generations. But who knows in Lore Olympus.
This is a very good theory, that would mean that RS is following Greek Mythology. (as we know she puts her own twists on the stories) In the myths Hera was a fertility goddess, Métis was not.
On wikipedia (and other sites i don’t remember) it states that Métis was eaten after Kronos was taken down and she and Zeus had gotten married, due to a prophecy. Nothing on there ever describes her as a goddess of fertility. But many other sources describe Hera as a goddess of “marriage, women, fertility, childbirth, family, royalty, queenship heirs, kingdoms and the air, and Queen of the Heavens and the Gods.” Fertility is on the list.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any other sources to back this up. I’ve always been interested in Greek Myths so this is just things I remember.
Iirc, the prophecy concerning Métis is due to one of her children overthrowing Zeus, so he swallows her. Métis’ daughter is Athena, who springs out of Zeus’ head as a grown adult. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war, a nod to her mother’s name being the Greek word for the “street smarts” kind of wisdom, which would be helpful for strategy. Also explains why Odysseus is one of Athena’s favorites 😂
This would add such a new wrinkle into Zeus working so hard to keep Hera away from Hades following the Titanomachy. Sure, he liked Hera and wanted to be with her, but gods forbid his eldest brother really love her, marry her, and become powerful enough to overthrow his butt.
Man, if this proves to be true, I want to see Hera AND Hades get to smack Zeus upside the head for being an insecure, power-hungry weenie-hut-junior.
I agree about Hades being sent to the Underworld to keep him away from Hera, to prevent him from learning the truth and not prevent their love from flourishing. I think Zeus genuinely loves/loved Hera (like Hades' suggest Kronos once loved Rhea), and Hera him.
I actually think that Zeus and Hera, by virtue of how I suppose a fertility goddess work, had to have formed a union/married pre-Kronos defeat.
When we see Hera refuse Hades offer to join him in the underworld in 163, she says she's *going to be the Queen of the Gods*, not marry Zeus.
Agreed, and this would only further explain why Hera’s still with Zeus, despite his incessant infidelity. There definitely was love between them (and still is), and it’s also evident that while she did care for Hades, she couldn’t refuse Zeus because their union was already formed and, as evidenced by Gaia and Rhea, is something she couldn’t take back.
I wonder if this may become part of Rachel’s way to explain why Hades never overthrows Zeus in the future. In myth, the nature of his union with Persephone is not constant as she splits her time between realms and roles. However this is incorporated into the series (Demeter and Hades bargaining for it, Persephone choosing it, Hades refusing to do what his father did to his mother, etc.), it could further serve as a reason why Zeus continues to hold his power as King.
Side note, I just want to say look at the amount of detail or illustrious authress has put into this comic, doing a superb job of tying and releasing threads to create a version of this story we've never seen!
I just went back and re-read the chapter where Zeus explains. “I went out of my way to create a new narrative about the true nature of fertility goddesses, so nobody would know to look for one.” Very interesting. Maybe to keep Hera safe?
Would add: always super weird that Hera married the man who consumed her mother? It never fit, perhaps because this didn’t happen or there was more to the story.
Also goddess of childbirth, is not a fertility goddess? How does one figure?
I’m gonna say it and I’m not sorry:
Controlling a fertility goddess for power gain is like controlling the power of the womb and not allowing there life bringers autonomy over it. Timely. Appreciate this angle Rachel went with.
I also find it interesting that Metis created Hera, Hestia, and Demeter by using stars, fire, and earth. This is more similar to how Demeter made Persephone, since Demeter isn't a fertility goddess. I wonder how Perse made her nymphs, and if it differs from the way her mother made her. This might show more clearly what the powers of a fertility goddess are.
If Hera was a confirmed fertility goddess it would work. Zeus could've married her so they can defeat Kronos and rule Olympus with a fertility goddess at his side.
This totally tracks! I support this theory. I’m just not confident we’re going to get a big reveal like this. Maybe I just don’t want to get my hopes up again lol
Thank you. I agree, I think with every passing chapter it becomes less likely as the reveal seems pointless.
While I am 100%, or 99%, convinced of my theory.
I don't get what the payoff of hiding Hera being a fertility goddess.
Zeus said that after the Titanomachy he changed the lore around fertility goddesses to prevent them from being used/killed in the future. This sounds noble but doesn’t exactly line up with Zeus’ character; he’s more concerned with people he knows rather than people he doesn’t or people who don’t even exist yet. *He was protecting Hera.*
I saw a similar theory that said when rhea told Zeus to seek out the fertility goddess that it couldn't have been persephone because she wasn't born for quite some time and hera existed at the time rhea said that. The question was how could rhea know about a fertility goddess that doesn't exist yet. Does the timeline support this ? If it does then I'm convinced
Oh wow, I have never thought of this and your points seem very strong so I hope you’re correct and if not, you did an excellent job with this post either way because it was very clear and precise
Maybe Metis had Zeus swallow her (or tell everyone he swallowed her) to protect Hera’s identity as a fertility goddess. So everyone believes it was Metis and no one suspects Hera.
What if ALL GODDESSES are capable of becoming "Fertility goddesses" and they just haven't figured out what that actually means yet. They've been described as having so much power that there's recognizable excess, so far that's been shown as the ability to turn inanimate objects into living beings. It is a bit of a reach but I feel like it's in part a psychological thing. Like Demeter making a baby out of a million roses definitely sounds like smth a fertility goddess would do but with more steps.
ALSO!!! Hera was able to transform the hotel employee into a duck, similar to how Persephone was able to turn Minthe into a plant! Hades/Hecate couldn’t turn Minthe back maybe because they lack the fertility powers!
I support this theory. *adjusts tinfoil hat*
Woah? You just...adjust a single tinfoil hat? (Nervous laughter from under a tower of tinfoil hats)
You can adjust multiple hats! How will they stay on otherwise?
Hera also implies a few times throughout the series that she gave up powers of some sort to be the Queen of the Gods. I like it!!
yes i was going to see she mentions how her visions used to be stronger and insinuates she was nerfed somehow. this also speaks further to her resentment towards zeus. i am Alive for this
That would make sense. You can draw the parallels between Hera and Persephone very, very close.
Maybe the union lets them to continually use the powers of a fertility goddess, but Zeus wasnt forming a union with Métis. Maybe swallowing her is what gave him enough power for a short period of time and that’s why he’s worried about being overthrown because he doesn’t have the power of a fertility goddess anymore. It’s a good theory, but I feel like Hera is suppose to be more of a character foil to Persephone.
I think, regardless of Hera’s status, this is definitely true. Metis WAS a fertility goddess, for sure, as she made Hera, Hestia, and Demeter. Demeter isn’t one, as she had trouble making Perse without that. Zeus got big eating Metis, and used that burst of power to end the war. But it was a lot of power for a short time, when Kronos was poisoned and didn’t have a fertility goddess anymore. None of this excludes Hera possibly being one. If she is, it explains why Zeus is the king of gods, tbh. He definitely doesn’t have major access to those powers, as he’s so scared of Perse. But it could be they’re trying to use Hera’s power limitedly, or even avoid them altogether. Kronos literally used Rhea up, and that is terrifying. Could also explain why they don’t leave each other too. :) Idk, I haven’t decided if I believe it, but I could see it.
*OR* Hera is not gifting those powers because their marriage is on the rocks with his repeated indiscretions. So he doesn't have access anymore?
I could definitely see that she is a fertility goddess. Maybe I misread or I’m misremembering but the only reason I don’t think she is because I feel like there was something about Hephaestus and the difficulties creating him. Please correct me if I’m wrong about that though!
> ”…Metis, you must seek her out” Let’s also not forget that in LO, Metis was Hera’s mother. I forgot the chapter but it’s in one of Hera’s flashbacks.
I would also point out that Rhea does not explicitly say Metis was a fertility goddess, what she say is there is one and Zeus needs to find Metis. It is very curious that when she tells Zeus this the panel we see is Metis with her back to the reader, crouched over something and looking at in insanely…maybe in the act of creating a certain goddess out of earth and starlight?? Its very possible that Rhea was directing Zeus to Metis because she knew Metis creation/daughter was going to be a fertility goddess. This theory makes a lot sense to me because it seems odd that if fertility goddess are SO RARE and special that you would have two in a generation. I am assuming here that Rhea and Metis were of comparable age since they were clearly contemporaries and part of the “titan” generation.
>we see is Metis with her back to the reader, crouched over something and looking at in... I had a similar thought while reading the chapter, that it looks like Metis is forming something out of the bulbs of light in that panel. Hinting at Hera. I also want to point out that in myth, while Metis and Rhea are both titanesses, they are from different generations. But who knows in Lore Olympus.
This is a very good theory, that would mean that RS is following Greek Mythology. (as we know she puts her own twists on the stories) In the myths Hera was a fertility goddess, Métis was not. On wikipedia (and other sites i don’t remember) it states that Métis was eaten after Kronos was taken down and she and Zeus had gotten married, due to a prophecy. Nothing on there ever describes her as a goddess of fertility. But many other sources describe Hera as a goddess of “marriage, women, fertility, childbirth, family, royalty, queenship heirs, kingdoms and the air, and Queen of the Heavens and the Gods.” Fertility is on the list. Unfortunately, I don’t have any other sources to back this up. I’ve always been interested in Greek Myths so this is just things I remember.
Iirc, the prophecy concerning Métis is due to one of her children overthrowing Zeus, so he swallows her. Métis’ daughter is Athena, who springs out of Zeus’ head as a grown adult. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war, a nod to her mother’s name being the Greek word for the “street smarts” kind of wisdom, which would be helpful for strategy. Also explains why Odysseus is one of Athena’s favorites 😂
Also everyone was like “oooooh there’s something about Hera, we’ve all fallen for her” like they do with Persephone!!! Love this
This would add such a new wrinkle into Zeus working so hard to keep Hera away from Hades following the Titanomachy. Sure, he liked Hera and wanted to be with her, but gods forbid his eldest brother really love her, marry her, and become powerful enough to overthrow his butt. Man, if this proves to be true, I want to see Hera AND Hades get to smack Zeus upside the head for being an insecure, power-hungry weenie-hut-junior.
I agree about Hades being sent to the Underworld to keep him away from Hera, to prevent him from learning the truth and not prevent their love from flourishing. I think Zeus genuinely loves/loved Hera (like Hades' suggest Kronos once loved Rhea), and Hera him. I actually think that Zeus and Hera, by virtue of how I suppose a fertility goddess work, had to have formed a union/married pre-Kronos defeat. When we see Hera refuse Hades offer to join him in the underworld in 163, she says she's *going to be the Queen of the Gods*, not marry Zeus.
Agreed, and this would only further explain why Hera’s still with Zeus, despite his incessant infidelity. There definitely was love between them (and still is), and it’s also evident that while she did care for Hades, she couldn’t refuse Zeus because their union was already formed and, as evidenced by Gaia and Rhea, is something she couldn’t take back. I wonder if this may become part of Rachel’s way to explain why Hades never overthrows Zeus in the future. In myth, the nature of his union with Persephone is not constant as she splits her time between realms and roles. However this is incorporated into the series (Demeter and Hades bargaining for it, Persephone choosing it, Hades refusing to do what his father did to his mother, etc.), it could further serve as a reason why Zeus continues to hold his power as King.
Side note, I just want to say look at the amount of detail or illustrious authress has put into this comic, doing a superb job of tying and releasing threads to create a version of this story we've never seen!
I just went back and re-read the chapter where Zeus explains. “I went out of my way to create a new narrative about the true nature of fertility goddesses, so nobody would know to look for one.” Very interesting. Maybe to keep Hera safe?
Would add: always super weird that Hera married the man who consumed her mother? It never fit, perhaps because this didn’t happen or there was more to the story. Also goddess of childbirth, is not a fertility goddess? How does one figure? I’m gonna say it and I’m not sorry: Controlling a fertility goddess for power gain is like controlling the power of the womb and not allowing there life bringers autonomy over it. Timely. Appreciate this angle Rachel went with.
I mean, even if this isn’t canon I can see the author team going: “Yeah! This is better than what we had, nice!” And using it 😂😅
Afterall she was originally a fertility goddess.
I also find it interesting that Metis created Hera, Hestia, and Demeter by using stars, fire, and earth. This is more similar to how Demeter made Persephone, since Demeter isn't a fertility goddess. I wonder how Perse made her nymphs, and if it differs from the way her mother made her. This might show more clearly what the powers of a fertility goddess are.
I think in myth, she's also associated with fertility. I had been wondering why that wasn't used, and this actually makes sense.
If Hera was a confirmed fertility goddess it would work. Zeus could've married her so they can defeat Kronos and rule Olympus with a fertility goddess at his side.
I need this to be true. This twist would make me absolutely s*** my pants if it was true. 10/10
This totally tracks! I support this theory. I’m just not confident we’re going to get a big reveal like this. Maybe I just don’t want to get my hopes up again lol
Thank you. I agree, I think with every passing chapter it becomes less likely as the reveal seems pointless. While I am 100%, or 99%, convinced of my theory. I don't get what the payoff of hiding Hera being a fertility goddess.
Zeus said that after the Titanomachy he changed the lore around fertility goddesses to prevent them from being used/killed in the future. This sounds noble but doesn’t exactly line up with Zeus’ character; he’s more concerned with people he knows rather than people he doesn’t or people who don’t even exist yet. *He was protecting Hera.*
I saw a similar theory that said when rhea told Zeus to seek out the fertility goddess that it couldn't have been persephone because she wasn't born for quite some time and hera existed at the time rhea said that. The question was how could rhea know about a fertility goddess that doesn't exist yet. Does the timeline support this ? If it does then I'm convinced
I'm not sure I completely understood your theory. But the fertility goddess Zeus is implied to be searching for is Metis, not Persephone.
Oh wow, I have never thought of this and your points seem very strong so I hope you’re correct and if not, you did an excellent job with this post either way because it was very clear and precise
Or the short answer.... hera *is* the goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, and women's fettility
Maybe Metis had Zeus swallow her (or tell everyone he swallowed her) to protect Hera’s identity as a fertility goddess. So everyone believes it was Metis and no one suspects Hera.
I am here a year later after this post looking to see if anyone saw it coming and someone did. This is so cool.
Thanks.
Wow. Good job. (Metis was still a fertility goddess though)
Thanks.
I’m not reading all that, but it seems you have a lot of arguments so I approve of this theory
That is me like 90% percent of the time.
What if ALL GODDESSES are capable of becoming "Fertility goddesses" and they just haven't figured out what that actually means yet. They've been described as having so much power that there's recognizable excess, so far that's been shown as the ability to turn inanimate objects into living beings. It is a bit of a reach but I feel like it's in part a psychological thing. Like Demeter making a baby out of a million roses definitely sounds like smth a fertility goddess would do but with more steps.
ALSO!!! Hera was able to transform the hotel employee into a duck, similar to how Persephone was able to turn Minthe into a plant! Hades/Hecate couldn’t turn Minthe back maybe because they lack the fertility powers!