Hebe
Hebe served nectar to the gods and married Heracles.
The Myth of Hebe
Hebe was the daughter of Zeus and Hera, serving as cupbearer of the gods on Olympus, pouring nectar and ambrosia at their feasts. She was replaced in this role by Ganymede, the Trojan prince whom Zeus abducted in the form of an eagle. Hebe possessed the power to restore youth — a gift she exercised for her husband Heracles after he was deified and ascended to Olympus following his death on the pyre. Their marriage represented the hero's final reward: eternal youth and divine status. She bore Heracles two sons and was worshipped alongside him at sanctuaries across Greece. Hebe also attended Hera and prepared her chariot, serving as an emblem of the bloom and vigour of youth among the immortals.
Parents
Zeus and Hera
Children
Alexiares, Anicetus
Symbols
Fun Fact
An "ephebe" comes from the same root as Hebe.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Hera
⚡ godQueen of the gods, marriage, family, childbirth
Queen of the Olympian gods and goddess of marriage. Known for her jealous rages against Zeus's lovers and their children.
Ganymede
🗡 herobeauty
Most beautiful mortal boy, abducted by Zeus (as an eagle) to serve as cupbearer of the gods on Olympus.
Aphrodite
⚡ godGoddess of love, beauty, desire
Goddess of love and beauty, born from the sea foam. Aphrodite's power to inspire desire was so great that even the gods were not immune.
Dionysus
⚡ godGod of wine, festivity, theatre, ecstasy, madness
God of wine, ritual madness, and theatrical performance. Dionysus was the only Olympian born of a mortal mother and the last god to join the twelve.
Hymenaios
⚡ godMarriage ceremonies
God of weddings and the marriage hymn, invoked at every Greek wedding celebration
Apollo
⚡ godGod of the sun, music, poetry, prophecy, healing, archery
God of light, music, poetry, and prophecy. Apollo embodied the Greek ideal of youthful masculine beauty and was patron of the Oracle at Delphi.
Hera
⚡ godQueen of the gods and guardian of marriage
The queen of Olympus and goddess of marriage who defended the institution of matrimony with a wrath that shaped half the myths.
Adonis
🗡 heroBeautiful youth loved by Aphrodite
Adonis was a youth of such extraordinary beauty that Aphrodite herself fell in love with him — his death and annual rebirth became a metaphor for the cycle of seasons.
Liber
⚡ godWine, freedom, fertility, male vitality
Ancient Italian god of wine and freedom, later merged with Bacchus and the Greek Dionysus
Zeus
⚡ godKing of the gods, sky, thunder, lightning, law, order
Supreme ruler of the Olympian gods and lord of the sky. Zeus overthrew his father Kronos and divided the world among his brothers.
Aphrodite
⚡ godGoddess of love, desire, and beauty
The goddess born from sea-foam whose power over desire could override the will of gods and mortals alike.
Ganymede
🗡 heroCup-bearer of the gods
A beautiful Trojan prince abducted by Zeus to serve as cup-bearer on Olympus. Ganymede became immortal and was placed among the stars as the constellation Aquarius.