Zeus and Hera - Archetypal Image of Father, Husband, Wife Archetypal Images in Greek

A landmark study of the archetypal father, husband, and wife in Greek religion and myth

What did Zeus mean to the Greeks of antiquity? Who was Hera, archetypally united with Zeus as if they were a human couple? Examining the word Zeus and its Greek synonyms theos and daimon, acclaimed mythologist and historian of religion Carl Kerényi traces the origins of Greek religion to the Minoan-Mycenean civilization. He shows how Homer’s view of the gods decisively shaped the literary and artistic tradition of Greek divine mythology and how the emergence of the Olympian family became the expression of a humane Zeus cult determined by the father image but formed within the domain of Hera.

About the author

Carl Kerényi (1897–1973) was a Hungarian scholar of classical philology and the history of religion. He made significant contributions to the modern study of Greek mythology and collaborated with figures like C. G. Jung in exploring mythological archetypes.

Product details

• Authors: Karl Kerenyi, Karl Kerényi
• Assisted by: Holme Christopher (Translation)
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 14.04.2026
• EAN: 9780691281896
• ISBN: 978-0-691-28189-6
• No. of pages: 232
• Series: Bollingen Series; Bollingen Recollections
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; HISTORY / Civilization, Ancient Greece, HISTORY / Ancient / Greece, RELIGION / Ancient, Ancient Greek religion & mythology, Ancient History, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Ancient Greek religion and mythology