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Hestia
was the daughter of Cronos and Rhea and sister to Zeus, Demeter, Hades and
Poseidon. She wsas the goddess of the hearth (the fireplace where food was
cooked), the home, and feasts. A prayer
was spoken to her before and after all feasts. As the goddess of the hearth,
she was also goddess of altars, outside temples, where sacrifices of animals
were burnt to the gods. She therefore had a place in every temple. At Delphi
there was a fire in the temple of Apollo dedicated to Hestia, which was
never allowed to go out - an eternal flame.
Myths
There a very few myths about Hestia. She was
a mild, charitable goddess, and refused to have any love affairs with other
gods (as did Artemis and Athena) |
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An Homeric Hymn which mentions Hestia:
"Zeus the Father gave her [Hestia] a high honour
instead of marriage, and she has her place in the midst of the house and has
the richest portion. In all the temples of the gods she has a share of
honour, and among all mortal men she is chief of the goddesses." |
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Goddess of the
Home As the hearth was the centre
of religious sacrifice and worship in the ordinary family home, Hestia was
the centre of domestic religion. She had no temples of her own, but did not
need one as she was worshipped in every home. |
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