Hestia's Hearth

Hellenic Shrine to Hestia

[honeyandhestia]

May you be embraced by Hestia’s warmth and share it with others wherever you go 🧡

[home-fire]

Overwhelmingly the image of Hestia I see shared here is a soft, cozy, pie and tea and sweaters vibe, and while I'm not knocking that at all, I've always been drawn to a harder, firmer aspect of Hestia that people don't seem to focus on much. There's a disciplined, practical, well-ordered side to her that has always given me a lot of comfort, the kind that comes with hard work and a tidy home. But even beyond that, perhaps the aspect of Hestia that I love most is the unbending, stern, protective guardian at the door, the goddess who provides safety and privacy, curtains and locked doors, a setter of boundary lines and protector of property; Hestia the immovable warden who keeps out, the balancing side to Hestia the generous host who welcomes in.

I dont think there's a better representation of this side of Hestia than that of Lillian Gish's iconic scene in Night of the Hunter where, to protect the orphans she's taken in from the predations of Robert Mitchum's evil preacher, she keeps an unflagging night-long vigil by her door, seated in a rocking chair, loaded rifle in hand, calmly singing hymns.

I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on and praise Hestia in this less-celebrated but equally worthy and necessary role, one that is particularly important to me.

[whats-the-word-again]

Hestia Aidios

Hestia Aidios, Eternal Lady of the hearth, Hear this prayer and grant it warmly. Eldest of the Kronides, The first and last, The heart of every home and every state; Hestia Aidios, you who is always there, Be here now. I pray before your everlasting comfort, Your undying flame of love. Eternal Queen, I pray for you to be ever present To those who need you most. May you always be found, Even when place is unfamiliar, Let us find solace in you, beloved Queen. May those who have more of a family Outside the walls of their abode, Find peace in knowing that even then They are safe, They are with family, They are with you. O lovely eternal Lady of the home, Hestia, Come before me and hear this prayer. If ever I have done you well, grant my words life. Hestia Aidios, may your name always be present in our life And always be in our hearts. Xaire.

-> divider by @/anitalenia

Prayer by me :3

[honeyandhestia]

Hestia is....

steam curling up from a morning cup of tea.

[honeyandhestia]

[ladyhestiashearth]

Autumn really just feels like Hestia's time of year to me. It's a time for bonfires and smores, curling up with a good book and a warm drink, cooking up feasts for family dinners, baking pies and cookies. It's that time of year when we start to stay inside more often, and build ourselves a cozy place to nest away in during the colder months.

[aplaceforhestia]

The trees dress themselves in her colors, and we snuggle just a bit closer for warmth. It's the time of year when the smell of fresh baked bread smells the best. The feel of her is inescapable this time of year, and it is wonderful.

[visionofrosepetals]

Basics of Hestia

Her parents are the Titan King and Queen. Cronus and Rhea. She was the first born child of the couple, and the last regurgitated before the titanomachy. 

She is the Goddess of the Hearth, and Home. More specifically she is the  Goddess of …

houses

home

family

domestic life

hearths

domestic fires

heating and warmth

Keep reading

[visionofrosepetals]

Aspects of the Hearth: Practicalities

While it is by no surprise that the hearth has multiple functions, it is even less of a surprise that the basic functions are simply cooking, warmth as well as being a light source.  It is said in The Hearth as a Place of Refuge in Ancient greece that hominins invented the hearth structure to contain fire so that they might eat when hungry, warm themselves when cold and have a place to congregate when dark.  Food is very important no matter where you go and having a way to cook it in order to curve the probability of developing food poisoning is a good reason to have a hearth. A good replacement in the modern day is the stove that is easily found in every home.

The importance of eating at the hearth was “…an old cult tradition extending back at least to Mycenaean times…” (Guess whos coming to Dinner: Cross).  We can take this as further proof that the hearth had a larger position in Greek life than let on by its lack of mention outside of the religious aspects. Although this quote is more so relating to the political side, it still is useful in our studies on practicalities.  Later on and in certain areas, the hearth was replaced with the brazier. At least in the cooking and warming the home as the homes grew larger. (See Fire and Smoke for more on the Brazier.) 

A good replication of the hearth as a warmth feature would be the modern fireplace or outdoor fire pit. Both providing light, one cannot forget the modern light bulb, although I wouldn’t recommend giving one as an offering to Lady Hestia. 

Over all hearths were simply places to cook your food and get warm while being around loved ones! Sources: Cross, Nicholas D. “The Hearth as a Place of Refuge in Ancient Greece.” Pallas (2020): 107–123. 

Cross, Nicholas D. “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner: Hestia, Hospitality, and Interstate Relations in Fourth-Century BCE Athens.” First and Last: A Devotional for Hestia (2017): 102–117.

Tsakirgis, Barbara. “Fire and Smoke: Hearths, Braziers and Chimneys in the Greek House.” British School at Athens Studies, vol. 15, 2007, pp. 225–231. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40960591. 

[visionofrosepetals]

Aspects of the Hearth: Political

So, here we are wondering, what’s the third aspect? Well the next one in line is politics. The hearth was one of the main scenes whenever it came to political drama like making treaties and other such things along those lines mainly because of where the hearth was housed, the prytaneion. 

Now, there’s the new question, what is the Prytaneion?  It was summarized very simply by Nicholas Cross as a “town hall of the city-state”. The prytaneion had multiple different rooms, with the center typically being dedicated to a hearth. I might make a post dedicated to the Prytaneion… let us know if thats something you guys want! 

Back to the topic at hand …

Keep reading

[visionofrosepetals]

Aspects of the Hearth: Societal

The hearth held a principal role in the process of human domestication

This ties into the practical uses of the hearth seen in my previous post. We cultivated our skills in cooking, and social interactions at the hearth. Both leading into the way of a modern civilization based around trust and companionship.

Seen as the entry point to the community. For instance if a traveler needed a place to stay they would go to the hearth, clasp the knees of the person who tends the hearth or the owner of the home, and ask for their basic needs to be met. (Cross) This falls under the concept of Xenia. 

A pillar of ancient greek philosophy and social life, Xenia was very important in ancient greek life. “The xenia relationship, formed between two strangers of equal status, is the most complex of non-kin bonds. The xenia bond was intended to reconcile this disruption by establishing a pact that sought to unite diverse collectives through acts of reciprocity and emotional support” (Belfiore 1998, quoted in Brock).

Moving onto caring for the hearth, most of the time, the hearth was cared for by a woman, more specifically (mentioned in Çayir) a widowed woman. Or simply a virgin or a woman who no longer lived with her husband (Jennings)

There were also certain rituals that happened around the hearth. Specifically Amphidromia or the child acceptance/birth ritual and the marriage ritual. Although these rituals could be seen as religious in nature considering the incorporation of the Goddess Hestia, they were technically social (Vernant, Cross, and Çayir)

The details of these rituals I won’t go into because that’s for another post, but they were important to the family structure. The baby needed to be accepted into the family and the wife needed to be accepted into her new family. This was done by introducing both to the hearth but how they were introduced differed. 

Although these hearths were important, it is said in both Tending Hestia’s Hearth, and Hestia-Hermes that there is an inner ring around the hearth that is preserved for only family and family friends. “Strangers and Enemies were excluded” (Jennings).

Sources

Brock, Ginna. (2018). Cosmopolitanism Beyond the Polis: Creative Memory Works and Reimagining the Relationship Between Xenia and Hestia.  Jennings, Janis. (2008). Tending Hestia’s Flame: Circumambulating the Sacred Feminine. Psychological Perspectives. Cross, Nicholas D. “The Hearth as a Place of Refuge in Ancient Greece.” Pallas (2020): 107–123. Çayir, Esra. The Study of the Concept of the Sacred Hearth and Greek Goddess of the Hearth and Their Association With the Prytaneion, Its Origins, and Its Development. Bilkent University, 2006. Vernant, Jean-Pierre. “Hestia - Hermes : The Religious Expression of Space and Movement among the Greeks.” Social Science Information, vol. 8, no. 4, Aug. 1969, pp. 131–168

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..Rune

[gone-arai]

To Hestia

Lady Hestia, grass-yellow, eternal watcher of the flame,

I call on you to come forth from your place at the central hearth

and join me at the heart of my home, at this humble altar,

to watch over these rites and lead me to my innermost self,

so that I may be vulnerable in the presence of the deathless gods.

You are the constancy of life and my stability at home.

Peace and stillness are created in your presence, O hospitable goddess,

and your protection over my house and family extends from wall to wall.

Never changing, everlasting, you help me to accept what I cannot change.

You hold me, glowing Hestia, and keep my mind from wandering astray.

I ask that you protect me as I confront the worst parts of myself

and thank you for your guiding hand as I navigate my emotions.

I praise you with comfortable familiarity and will look to you always,

for you are the focus around which I orbit day after day.

[delectablydeafeningvoid]

Guys I want Hestia to be my mom

Ares, Hermes, Thanatos, Apollo, Athene, Hestia, Dionysos, Hades

[hestiashearthfire]

“The goddess whom [the Greeks] call Hestia. Her power extends over altars and hearths, and therefore all prayers and all sacrifices end with this goddess, because she is the guardian of the innermost things.”

— Cicero, De Natura Deorum

[bookworm-pagan]

This is a Hestia appreciation post.

I love her.

[the-purvashadha]

Hestia Devotion Tip

It's really basic, but cook in her honour, if you can.

Cook your favourite meals, cook for your friends, cook for your family, cook for your loved ones. Cook and feel her love in the warmth of the food.

[day-dreamersclub]

as the colder months approach: i wish you all a healthy, calm end of the year. i wish you tasty cups of tea, comfortable clothes, warm beds, nutritious meals in safe homes, good music, new friends and unwavering health. you deserve good things now.

[feralisa-deactivated20241027]

[pinkfairiesteaparty]