Vesta
Roman goddess of the hearth and sacred fire, equivalent to the Greek Hestia, served by the Vestal Virgins
The Myth of Vesta
Vesta was arguably the most important goddess in daily Roman life, though she had almost no mythology. Every household maintained a fire sacred to her, and the state maintained an eternal flame in her circular temple in the Forum, tended by the six Vestal Virgins. These priestesses served for thirty years, during which they had to remain chaste — violation was punished by being buried alive. In return, Vestals enjoyed extraordinary privileges: they could free condemned prisoners, owned property independently, and had the best seats at public games. If Vesta's flame ever went out, it was considered a terrible omen for Rome. Her temple was one of the last pagan shrines to be closed, finally shut in 394 AD.
Parents
Saturn and Ops
Symbols
Fun Fact
Vestal Virgins who broke their vow of chastity were sentenced to be buried alive in an underground chamber
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Hestia
⚡ godGoddess of the hearth and home
The eldest child of Kronos and goddess of the hearth fire. Hestia was the gentlest of the Olympians, tending the sacred fire at the center of every home and temple.
Hestia
⚡ godGoddess of the hearth and home
The firstborn of the Olympians and the most quietly powerful — the goddess of the hearth fire around which every home and city was centred.
Goddess of the Hearth
💭 conceptHearth, home, domesticity, sacred flame
Hestia keeps the sacred hearth fire burning on Olympus and in every mortal home, representing domestic stability.
Vulcan
⚡ godFire, forge, metalworking, volcanoes
Roman god of fire and the forge, equivalent to the Greek Hephaestus
Hera
⚡ godQueen of the gods and guardian of marriage
The queen of Olympus and goddess of marriage who defended the institution of matrimony with a wrath that shaped half the myths.
Bellona
⚡ godWar, destruction, battlefield fury
Roman goddess of war and destruction, companion or sister of Mars, equivalent to the Greek Enyo
Juno
⚡ godMarriage, childbirth, women, the state
Queen of the Roman gods and protector of women and the state, counterpart to the Greek Hera
Demeter
⚡ godGoddess of the harvest and sacred law
The goddess of grain and agriculture whose grief at losing her daughter created winter and whose mysteries at Eleusis promised life after death.
Epione
goddesssoothing of pain, healing, comfort
Goddess of the soothing of pain, wife of Asclepius and mother of the healing deities who attended his cult at Epidaurus.
Jupiter
⚡ godKing of gods, sky, thunder
Supreme deity of the Roman pantheon, equivalent to the Greek Zeus, ruling over gods and mortals from the heavens
Victoria
⚡ godVictory, triumph, success
Roman goddess of victory, equivalent to the Greek Nike
Minerva
⚡ godWisdom, strategy, crafts, education
Roman goddess of wisdom, strategic warfare, and the arts, equated with the Greek Athena