Tales of Hestia

Hestia was the goddess of the hearth and the patroness of all household activites. She was the eldest child of Cronos and Rhea, and therefore the sister of Zeus. Hestia was a peace loving goddess and never took part in wars or disputes. After the fall of her father Cronos, both Poseidon and Apollo expressed a desire to have her for their wife. Hestia politely turned down her two suitors, adamantly professing her desire to remain a virgin. Because she kept the peace between the two gods, Zeus awarded her the honor of being offered the first victim at every festival and public sacrifice.

Though she does not take center stage in any of the myths, Hestia played an extremely important role in the daily life of mortals. In the ancient world the hearth was the symbol of the home and an exact representaion of the goddess herself.

Because every dwelling had a hearth, Hestia had very few community shrines dedicated to her. The glowing flames of the family fire gave everyone the feeling that the goddess was alive and present inside of their home.

All meals started and ended with an offering to Hestia, and every new born baby was carried around the hearth in order to secure her blessing. Because the goddess was so strongly attached to domestic duties, it was believed that she invented the art of house building. Every town had a public hearth dedicated to Hestia, each bearing a flame that was never allowed to be extinguished. Any hearth, whether it be public or private offered sanctuary to all those seeking her protection. When a new colony was started, coals were taken from the mother city and used to rouse the flames in the hearth of the young settlement.

Medea's Lair Of Greek Mythology © 1999-2012.