Hestia is the greek virgin goddess of the hearth, the household, and domesticity. I decided to write about her because I was feeling very comfortable and cozy in my home. I also reread the Dark Phoenix Saga. Together, they gave me a Hestia vibe (I don't know). My brother and I are X-Men comic fans and we love Dark Phoenix, so whenever we think of a "fire-related person", we tend to think of "badass-phoenix-powerhouse". So, when I told him about Hestia, he completely ignored the domestic, household part of Hestia and only focused on the fireplace aspect. He thinks she is some kind of Dark Phoenix-like fire goddess, and it's hilarious.
Hestia is the oldest child of the Titan Kronos and his wife Rhea and the first deity in the Olympian pantheon. Her name has Proto-Indo-European origins and literally means "fireplace", or "hearth". She was the first child to be eaten by Kronos and also the last to be vomited. Hence, she is the oldest AND the youngest. When the Olympian gods defeated the Titans and set up shop on Mt. Olympus, Hestia's role was tending the sacred flame. She was a peaceful, benevolent deity, and never meddled in the crazy affairs and bickering of the other gods. When the god Dionysus came to Olympus, Hestia gave her position as the 12th Olympian to Dionysus, arguing that her place was at the fireplace (This story is actually more modern, but it never actually happened. When people list the twelve Olympians, they'll either include Hestia OR Dionysus. As Dionysus became more popular with time, people kind of assume he "took her place", but there are no primary sources for this story).
One thing Hestia is known for is her virginity. Apollo and Poseidon both fell in love with Hestia and asked for her hand in marriage. But Hestia wanted to be unmarried for life. So, she went to Zeus and swore an oath to be unmarried and a virgin for all life. Because of this, Hestia is one of three goddesses whom Aphrodite has no power over. Once, the mother goddess Cybele was hosting a feast where gods, goddesses, satyrs ad nymphs were all invited. Hestia attended the feast, but Priapus (a minor fertility and wilderness god) saw her and became attracted to her. While she slept, he attempted to assault her, but Silenus's donkey started braying. Everyone woke up and rushed to defend Hestia and Priapus was chased away.
One thing to note is that there is a small difference between Hestia and Vesta (her Roman counterpart). When people learn about the Greek and Roman gods, they tend to think they're the same gods, just with different names. That is only 70% true. The thing with the Roman deities is that they already existed before the Romans met the Greeks. The Roman deities evolved from various Italian tribal gods and from a hypothetical Proto-Indo-European Mythology (where the Greek gods also came from). The Roman gods had fewer stories about them but were still worshipped. When the Romans met the Greeks, they adopted a lot of their stories about their gods, and the two cultures heavily influenced each other. Hence, there is a difference between the gods.
The difference between Hestia and Vesta is that Hestia isn't important in the Greek pantheon, but has a few stories about her. Vesta, meanwhile, is one of the most important Roman goddesses, but there are no stories about her (Vesta was more of an abstract goddess). Scholars can't seem to agree on where her name came from and what it means. Vesta wasn't depicted in human form and was represented by the sacred flame in her temple. The only people allowed in her temple were her priestesses, who were called Vestal Virgins. Their jobs were tending to the sacred flame. Assaulting them was seen as the worst crime in all of Rome. Vesta had almost no stories about her other than Vestal Virgins getting pregnant thanks to fire from a hearth (don't ask how).
Vesta was the purest and good-mannered of the gods and was also seen as a fertility goddess and a mother goddess. She was represented by a fire stick in some fertility cults and was also a goddess of impregnation (ok? weird). Hence, in some versions, she played a role in the birth of Romulus and Remus (the mythical/historical founders of Rome). Because the fireplace and the earth both played an important part in the household (and because Vesta is a fertility goddess), Vesta has been linked to Terra, the goddess of the earth, by many scholars and poets. Thresholds were also sacred to Vesta. Hence, brides usually stepped over the threshold for good luck by not disrespecting Vesta. Both Vesta and Janus (the god of doorways) were present at all weddings and sacrifices and neither was fully depicted in human form.
Vesta has always been one of the most important goddesses to the Romans and her worship goes as far back as the beginning of Rome itself, with her origins being even older. She was believed to be one of several Trojan gods whose worship was brought to Italy by Aeneas (ancestral Trojan founder of Rome). Her household worship expanded into a full-blown cult that was popular throughout Rome and regarded as the most important. All emperors were priests of Vesta from the title alone. But when Christianity began to rise in popularity, Vesta's popularity went down and was one of the last Roman cults to be deleted from existence.
I like how Hestia is so calm and composed and that the Romans worshipped Vesta so much. Do you agree with my brother's Dark Phoenix representation? What do YOU like about Hestia/Vesta? DO you like Hestia/Vesta? Why or why not? Comment below! (Please comment responsibly. Constructive criticism is welcome.)
