Greek Mythology · deity
Hestia
Ἑστία
deityhearththe homedomesticitysacrifice
Goddess of the hearth and the home, the eldest of the Olympians; she renounced a seat on Olympus to let Zeus divide the world.
The account
Who they are
Hestia is the goddess of the hearth, the home, and the domestic flame — the eldest of the first-born children of Cronus and Rhea [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text. She is a serene, non-combative deity, and in one famous account she renounced her place among the twelve Olympians, yielding her seat so that the world could be divided (or so that Dionysus could take it) [S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text. Her cult was the first sacrifice offered at the opening of any public gathering, and the hearth (hearth-fire) was the center of the Greek home and the city [S6]S6 · Pausanias, Description of Greecec. 150–180 CEtext. She is a figure of domestic stability and continuity rather than dramatic myth.
Worth knowing
- Eldest of the first-born Olympians [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗.
- Renounced her Olympian seat (in one account) to make room for Dionysus [S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text.
- The hearth-fire was the center of home and city; her sacrifice opened public gatherings [S6]S6 · Pausanias, Description of Greecec. 150–180 CEtext.
Relationships (1)
Connections
Family & kinship
SIBLING_OFZeus — First-born children of Cronus and Rhea.[S1]
Local graph
Their corner of the divine world
Viewhierarchical — generations top → bottom, partners side by side
Overlays
FocusHestiaGreek
- parentage
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Depictions
