Hestia was the Greek goddess of the hearth, home, and family. She was originally the most important and revered goddess but is now largely forgotten. Hestia chose to remain unmarried and a virgin, instead dedicating herself to serving her family and community from her home in Mount Olympus. She represented virtues of peace, kindness, and stability. One myth describes the lustful Priapus attempting to rape Hestia but being stopped by a donkey's braying that awoke the other gods.

1. Hestia, Greek Goddess
of Hearth and Home
Hestia, Greek Goddess of the sacred fire, was once known as "Chief of
the Goddesses" and "Hestia, First and Last". She was the most
influential and widely revered of the Greek goddesses.
Though the goddess Hestia was once the most important of the Greek
goddesses, she (like her counterpart, the Roman goddess Vesta) is
virtually unknown today. Her name means “the essence”, the true
nature of things.
Scholars often refer to the goddess Hestia as "the forgotten goddess".
Because of the her association with hospitality, the word Hestia can
mostly be heard today used in the names of inns and restaurants,
making some people wonder if “Hestia” is the name of a franchise.
Unlike the other Greek goddesses, Hestia does not have a "story" . . .
there were few adventures to record about her. She simply "is".
It is her traits, not her actions, that most define her. These virtues
define the goddess Hestia: mild, gentle, forgiving, peaceful, serene,
dignified, calm, secure, stable, welcoming, and, above all else, well-
centered.
Of all the Olympian gods and goddesses, Hestia was the first born. And
also the last. This takes some explaining . . .
Her parents were the Titans, Cronus & Rhea. She was their first child.
But Cronus, made fearful by a prophecy that one of his children would
grow up to usurp his throne, quickly swallowed the infant Hestia (as he
did the brothers and sisters that followed) in order to prevent the
fulfillment of the prophecy.
Later, following the birth of Zeus, the grieving goddess Rhea tricked
her husband into swallowing a rock wrapped in swaddling instead of
the infant, causing him to vomit up all the babies he had swallowed.
First in, Hestia was the last to be disgorged.

2. Hence, the goddess was often called "Hestia, First and Last".
The goddess Hestia grew in grace and beauty and soon caught the
attention of the gods Apollo and Poseidon who both sought her hand in
marriage.
But Hestia wasn't having any of it . . . saying that Aphrodite's ways
(romance and marriage) were not her ways, she placed her hand on
Zeus' brow and swore an oath that she would not marry.
More than anything else, she wanted to follow a path that was true to
her nature and was of her own choosing.
Greek Goddesses: Hestia
She didn't require the trappings of power or adventure (like Athena
and Artemis, the other virgin, i.e. unmarried, goddesses). She was
perfectly content and fulfilled, being "Aunt Hestia", and enjoyed being
of service to her family and community.
The goddess Hestia never involved herself in the fights and
machinations of the other gods and goddesses, somehow managing to
stay above the fray.
Non-judgmental and forgiving, her “unconditional love” and calm
acceptance inspired the love and trust of others in return. Dependable
and caring, Hestia was always there for them and helped them to
manage their lives which were certainly more exciting than her own.
One of the few myths of Hestia tells how the lustful Priapus attempted
to rape her as she slept.
As he approached her bed, a donkey (long since a symbol of lust)
began to bray loudly, awakening the slumbering Hestia. Her screams
awoke all the other gods and goddesses and sent the embarrassed
Priapus falling all over himself as he tried to flee.
Hestia is also known as the originator of the concept of “sanctuary”. It
was an offense to Hestia to refuse hospitality to a stranger. That those

3. in need were to be sheltered and protected from ill-treatment was
recognized by Hestia’s followers as a sacred obligation.
Special emphasis was placed on the requirement to not “take
advantage” of a female guest, presumably as a result of Hestia’s
experience with Priapus.
Hestia's vision of a house was that it should truly be a home, a place
where one's body, spirit, and relationships would be nurtured and
replenished. . . a place to "come home to" after exposure to the cold
and chaos of the external world.
Greek Goddesses: Hestia
Hestia is associated with the warmth and comfort of the welcoming
fireplace. Just as the flames glowing from the hearth soothe us with
their warmth and glowing light, the goddess Hestia gives us security,
peace, and comfort and helps us accept the truth of our lives with
inner grace.
HESTIA & THE GOD PRIAPOS
Ovid, Fasti 6. 319 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st
A.D.) :
"Should I omit or recount your shame, red Priapus? It is a very playful,
tiny tale. Coroneted Cybele [Rhea], with her crow of turrets, invites
the eternal gods to her feast. She invites, too, Satyri (Satyrs) and
Nymphae (NYmphs), Rural-Spirits (Rustica Numina); Silenus is
present, uninvited. It's not allowed and too long to narrate the gods'
banquet: night was consumed with much wine. Some blindly stroll
shadowy Ida's dells, or lie down and rest their bodies in the soft grass.
Others play or are clasped by sleep; or link their arms and thump the
green earth in triple quick step. Vesta [Hestia] lies down and takes a
quiet, carefree nap, just as she was, her head pillowed by turf. But the
red saviour of gardens [Priapos] prowls for Nymphai and goddesses,
and wanders back and forth. He spots Vesta. It's unclear if he thought
she was a Nympha or knew it was Vesta. He claims ignorance. He
conceives a vile hope and tires to steal upon her, walking on tiptoe, as
his heart flutters. By chance old Silenus had left the donkey he came
on by a gently burbling stream. The long Hellespont's god was getting

4. started, when it bellowed an untimely bray. The goddess stars up,
frightened by the noise. The whole crowd fly to her; the god flees
through hostile hands."
>In Greek mythology, Priapus (/praɪˈeɪpəs/;[1] Greek: Πρίαπος,
Priapos) was a minor rustic fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit
plants, gardens and male genitalia. Priapus is marked by his oversized,
permanent erection, which gave rise to the medical term priapism. He
became a popular figure in Roman erotic art and Latin literature, and
is the subject of the often humorously obscene collection of verse
called the Priapeia.
Hestia was universally revered, not only because she was the mildest,
most upright and most charitable of all the Olympians, but as having
invented the art of building houses.
Although she was rarely depicted in art, and played almost no part in
myths, she was held in the highest honor, by both the Greeks and the
Romans.
A drunken brute named Priapus once tried to violate her following a
feast attended by the gods, after everyone had passed out from too
much food, drink and partying.
Luckily for Hestia, a donkey brayed out loud and she awoke to find
Priapus about to jump into her bed.
Her screams sent the startled Priapus running off in comic terror.
That myth served to give warning against sacrilegious ill-treatment of
female guests who are under the protection of the domestic or public
hearth.
It's notable that even the donkey, a symbol of lust, is the one to
announce Priapus's criminal intent.

5. She gave her place among the Olympians to Dionysus to stop a
confrontation, for this gesture Zeus gave her the keys to Mount
Olympus and became the manager of this place. She was in charge of
all weapons of the Gods and take care of all the businesses that
happened in there. She was wanted by Poseidon and Apollo but she
asked Zeus to protect her saying that she wanted to keep her virginity
for all eternity.
There are not many myths of Hestia, mostly because she rarely left
Olympus in search for adventures, but it is know that she was the one
who created the concept of "Sanctuary" to protect everyone in need,
and this became something sacred for all of her followers. Another
story tells how once someone tried to rape her:
One night she was sleeping and Priapus took a chance and decided to
rape her, when he was getting near her bed, a donkey started to bray,
waking her up. She screamed when saw Priapus, making him flee in
embarrassment.
Unlike other Gods, Hestia didn't have a specific sacred city, but instead
was an altar in every city on her name, this altar should be on the
open air and with no roof. She is associated with the circle and the
sacred flame, which came from the lava that its at the center of the
Earth. This was flame was not to be leave to die (an example of this
flame its the Olympic flame). Her oracle was at Delphi, but Apollo took
it , her sacred animal was the cow.