Goddesss Hebe, 3d printed statuette, weathered marble effect. Hebe in ancient Greek religion & mythology, often given the epithet Ganymeda (meaning Gladdening Princess), is the goddess of youth or of the prime of life. She functioned as the cupbearer for the gods & goddesses of Mount Olympus, serving their nectar & ambrosia. People of Sicyon also worshipped her as the goddess of forgiveness or of mercy. Hebe is a daughter of Zeus & Hera, & the divine wife of Heracles (Roman equivalent: Hercules). She had influence over eternal youth & the ability to restore youth to mortals, a power that appears exclusive to her, as in Ovid's Metamorphoses, some gods lament the aging of their favoured mortals. According to Philostratus the Elder, Hebe was the youngest of the gods & the one responsible for keeping them eternally young, & thus was the most revered by them. Her role of ensuring the eternal youth of the other gods is appropriate to her role of serving as cupbearer, as the word ambrosia has been linked to a possible Proto-Indo-European translation related to immortality, undying, & lifeforce. in art, she is typically depicted with her father in the guise of an eagle, often offering a cup to him. Eagles were connected with immortality & there was a folklore belief that the eagle (like the phoenix) had the ability to renew itself to a youthful state, making the association with Hebe logical. Her equivalent Roman goddess is Juventas. Attributions. design by Ameede www.ameede.net Goddess Hebe Statuette, Greek Mythology Gift, Gods & Goddesses, Roman Juventas Statue, Hellenistic Marble Sculpture, Resin Figurine