Hestia- a virgin goddess of the hearth, home, family and sacrificial
flame. She was the oldest of the six children and received the first
offering at every sacrifice. She was initially one of the Twelve
Olympians but was said to have given up her place in favour of Dionysus.
Apollo and Poseidon both courted her but she turned them down and requested to Zeus that she remain a virgin.
As
she was the goddess of the hearth she did not leave it and so there are
few if any tales about her. She was usually depicted as veiled with a
torch in one hand and was a peaceful, docile goddess. Her symbols were
the sacred flame, the kettle, the swine and the donkey.
Her
Roman counterpart was Vesta, she had six virgins known as the Vestal
Virgins, who swore chastity for thirty years and guarded the flame in
her temple, as long as it burned Rome was safe.
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