Hestia (deity)
Hestia is a significant deity in Greek mythology, known as the goddess of the hearth, home, and domestic life. Her name translates to "hearth" or "fireplace," highlighting the essential role fire played in ancient Greek society for sustenance and warmth. The hearth was considered sacred, symbolizing family and social order, and was central to domestic activities such as cooking and baking. Hestia was believed to be present in every household, making her worship integral to daily life; families would often offer prayers and sacrifices at their hearth in her honor.
As the firstborn child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, Hestia was associated with both the protection of homes and the proper construction of buildings. She was depicted as a gentle and modest goddess, often avoiding the conflicts among other deities on Mount Olympus. Notably, Hestia chose to remain a virgin, rejecting the advances of Apollo and Poseidon, and instead dedicated herself to her role as the keeper of the sacred fire.
While there were few temples specifically dedicated to Hestia, public hearths in cities served as communal sites of worship for her. In Roman mythology, Hestia is equivalent to the goddess Vesta, who also embodied similar themes of domesticity and was served by priestesses known as Vestals. Hestia's influence extended beyond mere domesticity; she was pivotal in symbolizing the bond between communities, as evidenced by the tradition of carrying fire from a public hearth when establishing new settlements.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Hestia (deity)
Symbols: Hearth; fire
Country: Greece
Mother: Rhea
Father: Cronus
Siblings: Zeus; Hades; Poseidon; Hera; Demeter
Hestia was the goddess of the hearth in Greek mythology. Her name in fact means "hearth" or "fireplace" in the Greek language. Because fire in ancient times was crucial to life, the hearth was a symbol of life. The fire on a hearth was never allowed to go out. The hearth was sacred and stood for home, family, and social order. It represented domesticity—activities such as baking bread and preparing a meal. Thus, the ancient Greeks worshipped daily at their hearths; in this sense, every family had a shrine to Hestia. It was thought she was present in the inner part of every house.
Because Hestia said that a house should be built around a hearth, she was also known as the goddess of building and architecture. She was acknowledged as the protector of homes and the one who provided security.
In most parts of ancient Greece, a city was seen as an extended family. As a result, Hestia was regarded as the goddess of the sacred fire on the altar in the prytaneion, or town hall. When sacrifices were offered on a public altar, her name was invoked. All hearths on Earth were considered to be the altars of Hestia; in time, she became the hearth goddess of the universe.
In Mythology
Hestia was the daughter and first child of the Titan god Cronus and his wife, the Titaness Rhea. Cronus was the youngest and strongest son of Gaea, or Mother Earth. His father was Uranus, who was thought to be the lord of the universe. It was prophesized that a son of Uranus would overthrow him. As a result, Uranus began to swallow his children when they were born. Only his son Cronus dared to oppose his father, and by doing so, he eventually replaced his father as the lord of the universe. After that, Mother Earth wanted Cronus to set his siblings free, but he refused his mother’s request. However, Cronus believed that in time, he would suffer his father’s fate. One of his own sons would be stronger than he was and would overthrow him. Thus, each time Rhea had a child, Cronus swallowed it and thought he was safe.
Rhea grieved over the loss of her children. When she was expecting her sixth child, she consulted Mother Earth about what to do. Following Mother Earth’s advice, Rhea hid the child, the god Zeus, as soon as he was born. She wrapped a stone in swaddling clothes and gave it to Cronus. Her husband swallowed the stone instead of his new son. Meanwhile, Mother Earth spirited Zeus safely away to a cave on the island of Crete.
Zeus quickly grew into a great new god. He then married Metis, who was the goddess of prudence. She helped Zeus trick Cronus into eating a magic herb that made him very ill. In a very short time, Cronus vomited up the stone and his five other children. One of them was Hestia. The others were her brothers and sisters—the gods Poseidon and Hades and the goddesses Demeter and Hera. Cronus fled, and Zeus became the lord of the universe. Because Hestia was the first born and the last to be vomited by Cronus, she was sometimes referred to as "the first and the last."
Hestia was a quiet and gentle goddess who did not get involved in the various jealous disputes of the other gods on Mount Olympus, the home of the Greek deities. She was known to be kind and honorable. She dressed modestly and often wore a veil. In the myths, Hestia lived in a palace that was hidden in the clouds on Olympus. There, she tended the sacred fire. In some early sculptures, she was shown with a kettle.
A Greek writer once said of Hestia that she was one of the few deities not affected by the desires of love. Although two gods, Apollo and Poseidon, both asked for Hestia’s hand in marriage, she refused both proposals, saying she would prefer to stay a pure maiden all her days. Zeus agreed to let her remain a virgin and gave her a share of honor in all the temples of the gods.
At some point, Zeus had a son named Dionysus. The son’s mother was a mortal, a beautiful princess. Dionysus was the god of wine and brought much pleasure to mortals. According to some versions of the myths, Zeus wanted to give Dionysus a gold throne on Olympus. However, there were only twelve thrones in the hall, and all of them were assigned. It was Hestia who volunteered to give up her own throne to Dionysus, saying that her true place was by the hearth.
Origins and Cults
Hestia was a popular deity; she was worshipped in many places both privately and publicly. The inhabitants of Greek homes began and ended each meal with an offering to her. Parents carried their newborn around the hearth and prayed to the goddess. It was said that the phrase Begin with Hestia meant, "Always start out in the right way."
There were few temples for Hestia in Greece, but every city had a public hearth for all its citizens, and it was here that Hestia was worshipped. The goddess had a special sanctuary in the prytaneion, where sacrifices were offered to her. Here, too, visitors and foreign ambassadors were received. The sacred fire symbolized the alliance of the city with smaller surrounding settlements. When emigrants left for a colony, they took fire from the public hearth and kept it burning in the new towns.
In Roman mythology, Hestia was represented as the goddess Vesta. The Romans built a temple for Vesta in the Forum. Tending the temple were six priestesses called Vestals. Like Hestia, they, too, never married.
An asteroid named Vesta still circles the sun. It is the second largest asteroid and is visible from Earth.
Bibliography
Atsma, Aaron J. "Hestia." Theoi Project: Greek Mythology. Theoi Project, 2015. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.
Chisholm, Jane, Lisa Miles, and Struan Reid. The Usborne Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece. New York: Scholastic, 1999. Print.
D’Aulaire, Ingri, and Edgar Parin. D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1962. Print.
"Hestia." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.
Leeming, David. The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.
Phillips, F. Carter. "Hestia." World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 9. Chicago: World Book, 2000. 219-20. Print.