Hera Prays

In Homeric Hymn 3, Hera queen of the Gods, slaps her palms to the earth and prays to Earth and Heaven, as well as the Titans from which both god and man descend, she then looks for a sign her prayer was heard. It is strange to think of the Gods as praying. Especially one of the chiefmost. It is also interesting that Hera must look for mundane signs that her prayers have been heard, suggesting she is unable to converse directly with the entities she prays to. The scene is humanising, making the gods look more like a race of people (albiet a superior one) rather than powerful supernatural forces.