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JUNO, the Roman goddess, was Saturn's daughter. She closely resembled the Greek Hera, whose functions she assumed at a very early date. As the goddess of married women and of childbirth, she was also known as Lucina (Fasti II.436). She hated the house of Thebes because Jupiter openly courted the Theban princesses Europa and Semele (Thebaid I.256-260; this passage appears in manuscripts B and C of the Old French Roman de Thèbes, II: 86-87, not the manuscript Constans prints as the main poem). She hated the Trojan house because Paris, the Trojan prince-shepherd, did not give her the golden apple inscribed "To the Fairest." At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the goddess Eris, or Strife, threw down the golden apple. To settle the dispute that arose among Juno, Venus, and Athena as to whom the apple should be given, the three took the apple to Paris and asked him to decide. He chose Venus, who offered him the most beautiful woman in the world, not telling him that she was Helen of Mycenae. Because Paris passed her over, Juno hated the Trojans (Aeneid I.26-27; Heroides V.33-40).

Jealous Juno has almost destroyed the house of Thebes, KnT 1329, 1543, 1555, 1559; Anel 51. As goddess of married women, she helps Alcyone, BD 108-110, 121-152. Her traditional shrewishness is evident in the expletives that accompany her name: "cruel Juno," HF I.198; "olde wrath of Juno," Anel 51, "Juno thrugh thy crueltee," KnT 1543. She pursues Eneas out of spite and hates the Trojans, HF I.198-218, an inference to the Judgment of Paris. In spite of Juno's wrath, Eneas carries out his mission, HF I.461-463. Juno is "blisful Juno" and "hevenes quene," Tr IV 1116, 1594. Juno's absence from Proigne's wedding, LGW 2249, bodes disaster. [Alcione: Jupiter: Philomene: Proigne: Tereus]

Juno occurs once initially, BD 187; fourteen times in medial positions, KnT 1329, 1543, 1555; BD 109, 129, 132, 136; Anel 51; Tr IV.1116, 1538, 1594; V 601; HF I.1461; LGW 2249; and four times in final rhyming position, KnT 1559; BD 243, 267; HF I.198.


Ovid, Fasti, ed. and trans. J.G. Frazer, 88-89; ibid., Her, ed. and trans. G. Showerman, 60-61; Statius, Thebaid, ed. and trans. J.H. Mozley, I: 358-361; Virgil, Aeneid, ed. and trans. H.R. Fairclough, I: 242-243.
From CHAUCER NAME DICTIONARY
Copyright © 1988, 1996 Jacqueline de Weever
Published by Garland Publishing, Inc., New York and London.

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