Hestia Goddess

Hestia was the virgin goddess of the hearth and the home. As the goddess of the family hearth she also presided over the cooking of bread and the preparation of the family meal. She was also the goddess of the sacrificial flame and received a share of every sacrifice to the gods. Hestia is one of the three goddesses of the first Olympian generation, along with Demeter and Hera, she was described as the oldest and the youngest of the three daughters of Rhea and Cronus, sister to the three brothers Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Of all the gods, Hestia was the mildest, the most tender and loving, and the most forgiving

Hestia, as the Goddess of the Heart, protects all suppliants at every private house and city hall. Her fire is truly sacred

and if a hearth goes cold it is relit with something called a fire wheel. When the gods Apollo and Poseidon sought for her and in marriage, Hestia refused and asked Zeus to let her remain an eternal virgin. He agreed and she took her place at his royal hearth. Only once was Hestia’s virginity ever in danger. After a feast attended by all the gods, after all the gods fell asleep, Priapus, a fertility god who was cursed with enormous genitalia and was the son of Aphrodite and Dionysus, made his way over to her and tried to ravish her while she was asleep. A donkey brayed just in time to awaken Hestia, who screamed when she saw Priapus about to mount her. Her screaming frightened him away and her virginity was secure once again. Hestia gave up her seat in favor of newcomer Dionysus to tend to the sacred fire on Mount Olympus.
Hestia had many friends, being the most obscure Olympian, meaning happiest, kindest and most congenial.one of Hestia’s friends was Hermes. Hermes was the great Olympian God of animals, husbandry, roads, travel, hospitality, etc. Hestia has no personal enemies but did despise the titans, Cyclops, and Typhon along with her fellow gods and goddesses. Even to this day, she is best remembered in western society by the names of Vesta. She who in ancient Rome was honored by virgin priestesses sworn to keep her sacred flame, thought of as the living spiritual strength of the city alight.
Songs of Hestia, five plays from the 2010, San Francisco Olympians Festival, adapt some of western cultures oldest stories to illuminate our present day concerns with imagination, creativity, curiosity and passion. Places in the United States named after mythology are Vesta Minnesota, Vesta Virginia, and Vestal New York. There is also a company that uses Hestia, “Hotel Hestia”. These are good names because Hestia is the god of home, it’s supposed to be comfortable.