Hestia
Goddess of
the hearth and the altar-fires, whose sacred flame would burn in many cities.
The ancient Greeks prayed to her before and after they ate.
She was the eldest daughter of Cronus
and Rhea. When Apolloand Poseidon
wanted to marry her, she swore by Zeusthat she would remain a virgin.
Hestia was strongly connected to the cult of the home and the family. When
a child was born, the Greeks would carry it around the hearth, so that it
would become a family member.
She was also the goddess of the city hearth (Prytaneion). To be allowed to
eat by this hearth was a great honour.
In Rome she became an important goddess under the name Vesta.