I think I could go on for HOURS about how Hestia is one of the, if not THE, most important Olympian(s). She was the first to be born, though last to be regurgitated by Kronos, and is SO heavily underestimated just because she doesn’t appear in many myths. If anything, I think, that speaks volumes to her power, because she didn’t bother herself in getting mixed up in both Godly and human affairs alike. When Apollo and Poseidon attempt to marry her, she goes to Zeus and requests to remain a maiden, he grants her this and both Posideon and Apollo respect this decision, which is shocking, at least in terms of Greek mythos, because normally the male Gods do whatever they want. But in Hestia’s case, she’s either so well respected and/or so extremely powerful that they back off.
Another testament to her importance is the fact that she receives a percentage, for lack of a better term, of each sacrifice that is made to the Gods. It doesn’t matter who it is, she always gets a piece of whatever is given. Think about that, that’s a ton of offerings. Not to mention all the sacrifices that were made to her as the goddess of the hearth, home, and state.
Hestia’s demeanor and personality also say a lot about her. She’s known to be one of the kindest and most benevolent of the Greek Gods/Goddesses. She doesn’t act angrily or in vengeance, but does her best to maintain peace amongst the Olympians, even giving up her throne to Dionysus to do so. She is perfectly content by the fire, not bothering with fame or fortune. Because she doesn’t need to.
In Greek culture, in contrast to what a lot of people believe, she is factually known as one of the most important deities, as the Greeks had hearths in their homes, places of business, and government buildings. In Ancient Greece, if a new city were being established, it would require a hearth to be official. They would actually take fire from an already burning hearth, transport it to the new city, and light the hearth in the new town with one from the old. Extending into Roman mythos, which took ALOT of inspiration from the Greek myths, Hestia, or as they called her, Vesta, was described as the being the preservation of the Roman State. The Vestal Virgins, priestesses of Vesta, were given the duty of keeping her sacred flame alight, which was incredibly important to the vitality of the Roman Empire. The flame was believed to represent the life force of Rome, so if it went out, that force was essentially extinguished and Rome’s progression was in danger.
In today’s world, peacefulness and humbleness are regarded as signs of being a pushover or a doormat, but I think these traits are some of the most undervalued virtues, especially in the political atmosphere. It is not weak or insignificant to hold out for diplomacy, to be kind, to not be power hungry, to simply think of other people. Force and violence have been the norm for gaining power for years, but it truly doesn’t require that. Kindness and goodwill can accomplish all that and more. Unfortunately, I think, as of now, some things have reached past simple diplomacy and require some type of shock value to become known and recognized, which is extremely unfortunate as it typically happens at the expense of innocent people. Though, if we held these aforementioned morals and attitudes in higher importance, we wouldn’t have to implement such measures.
To conclude all of this, Hestia is not only important as a deity, but as a symbol of life itself, in both today’s world and ancient times. And I think we could stand to learn a lot, both from her and about her. While she may not be the most famous or the most heroic, she is certainly, at least in my opinion, the most significant and undervalued. And the latter needs to change IMMEDIATELY.
⬆️ (Some of my favorite depictions of Hestia (Top left) Percy Jackson and the Olympians; (Top right) Blood of Zeus; (Bottom left) DC's Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed; (Bottom right) GOD's School)
<<Also wanted to say, I am in NO WAY an expert in any sort of mythology. I started out reading PJO and my interest kind of soared from there, as I started reading and analyzing the actual mythology behind the beloved book series. I probably got something wrong, so if you catch a mistake, please let me know, I’m always trying to learn!!! Anyways thanks for reading this, if you did, I appreciate it. >>
