Hestia: The Neglected Goddess

Written & Illustrated By Ella Wong

You’ve heard of mighty Zeus, Lord of the Skies; his brother Poseidon, who rules the seas; Hades, who houses the dead. But what about Hestia?

The Greek Goddess of the Hearth is often overlooked. But she is no less powerful and crucial to the Greek myths.

Generous and kind, Hestia was the first to slip from the Titan Rhea’s womb, and the first to be swallowed by her father Kronos. When Zeus and Metis made Kronos vomit his children up again, Hestia was the last to tumble out. Hence, she was named both the eldest and the youngest of the Olympian Gods.

Hestia didn’t immediately decide what she wanted to be the Goddess of.

When Poseidon and Apollo both asked for her hand in marriage, she refused and swore she would forever remain a virgin. Zeus was impressed and gave her the job of taking care of the Gods, as well as tending to the sacred fire on Mount Olympus.

And so she became the Goddess of the Hearth, Home, and Hospitality.

When Dionysus was born, Hestia offered him her throne on Olympus. She didn’t need it, anyway, the hearth was where she felt most at home.

But just because she didn’t have a grand chair doesn’t mean she wasn’t important. In fact, in the Greek myths, Hestia was central to the survival of humans.

The first animals were created by the Titans Epimetheus and Prometheus. Prometheus decided to make humans, modelled after the Gods, but when he was finished with his creations he found that Epimetheus had used up all the best gifts on the animals.

Speed, grace, strength—horns, fangs, claws—none of them were left.

Prometheus had nothing to give to his humans.

His solution? He stole a bit of Mount Olympus’ sacred fire and gave it to the humans, telling them never to let the flame go out.

This is probably all you’ve heard.

But what about Hestia? If she was the guardian of the sacred fire, Prometheus couldn’t have stolen it without her help; or, at least, a little pointed side-eye.

As humans expanded and grew, building temples to honour the Gods, Hestia began to preside over sacrificial offerings too. Humans burned offerings in Hestia’s hearth, and the mouthwatering smoke flavoured the food of the Gods. In return for looking over the sacrifices, she got a share of every offering.

Without Hestia, we would never have been able to cook our food, keep warm in the winter, or garner favour with the Olympians.

In Ancient Greece, her sacred hearth was the heart of every home. Births and weddings were celebrated before it, and when someone died, a common practice was to put out the fire and relight it.

Even today, she holds significance. Hestia has given her name to numerous charities and projects.

Hestia: Life Beyond Crisis is an organisation based in London. They aim to aid children suffering from domestic abuse, offer safe places to victims of slavery, and provide mental health support. You can help their work by donating here.

HESTIA is a project funded by the European Union to find efficient, cost-effective ways to save energy and reduce air pollution.

There’s even an app—also named HESTIA—that evaluates the safety of homes for disabled individuals, and helps them become independent.

As Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia has many duties. She takes care of the Gods and humans, tends to the sacred fire, all with a generous heart.

In the times of Ancient Greece, she was given the first and last libations—offerings of wine—at a meal. We can honour her too; by giving her the last sentence of this article, if not the first.

Thank you, Hestia!