Hestia (Vesta)
Hestia was the goddess of the hearth. She could be found in the sacred fire on the hearth in every home and in every temple, and would be carried from old homes to new ones, or from old cities to new settlements. Hestia had no human form in mythology, and did not go about generating gossip like the other gods and goddesses. She was simply present, in home and temple, providing a sense of comfort, security, and continuity for the family or community. As a goddess, Hestia had marriage offers, but vowed to remain virgin instead. Hestia was the oldest of the Olympians and may well date back to hunter-gatherer campfires.
Modern Hestias are often equally calm and unobtrusive. They live quiet lives, not getting worked up about anything, maybe marrying, maybe not. They're solid, dependable workers, but they don't normally have major career aspirations. Few become famous, and those that do often inherit their position rather than go after it themselves. They're homebodies, enjoying immersing themselves in the daily chores of home and work without rushing or becoming overwhelmed, laying out the table nicely, giving everything a homey touch, quietly doing their own thing. Hestias are often calm, orderly, relaxed, unruffled, quietly cheerful and sociable. They are practical, conservative, cautious, apolitical. They are self-contained and self-sufficient, with an inner toughness, cheerfully oblivious to things that stress other people out, even to the point of appearing bullet-proof. They are conventional: religious rather than mystical; happy to work in traditional female occupations like nurse or teacher, or to be homemakers and traditional wives.
Themes
the nun; the nurse; the nanny; the housekeeper; the teacher; the sensible one; the volunteer worker; the mouse
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Symbols
the circle
the hearth fire
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