Hestia

Hestia was the firstborn child of Kronos and Rhea — and therefore the first to be swallowed by her father. She was also the last to be disgorged, making her both the eldest and youngest of the six siblings. When Poseidon and Apollo both sought her hand in marriage, Hestia swore an oath of eternal virginity, and Zeus granted her the honor of receiving the first offering at every sacrifice.

Hestia presided over the hearth fire — the center of every Greek home and the altar of every temple. She represented domestic stability, family unity, and the warmth of civilized life. Every meal began with an offering to Hestia, and every new colony carried fire from the mother city's hearth to light the new one.

Hestia was the least dramatic of the Olympians — she appears in almost no myths precisely because she never left Olympus, never quarreled with the other gods, and never interfered in human affairs. In some accounts, she gave up her seat among the Twelve Olympians to Dionysus, preferring the quiet of the hearth to the politics of the divine council.