Up: [[Hestia]] Created: 2022-07-04 In the ancient world, [[Hearth]]s were the centre of every home, of every god’s temple, of every town hall. The closest similarity today is the idea, touted by home renovation shows and realtors everywhere, that the kitchen is the heart of the home. The difference is that hearths were essential not just for food prep, but for warmth and for sacrificial offerings to the gods. Hestia was goddess of the hearth, which meant that she was mentioned first in any prayer (*to begin with Hestia*) and was given both first and last offerings of wine, olive oil, and fresh fruits. This was true even at Olympus where Zeus ruled; Hestia got first offering. The flame of the hearth fire represented the energy of all life. Because the centre of the religious life of Greece was the fire on the hearth of Hestia in the Delphic temple, and that temple was the sacred omphalos or navel, the central point of the inhabited earth, Hestia came to be understood as the hearth goddess of the universe. It was considered an omen of disaster to let a hearth fire go out, although at times it could be deliberately extinguished, such as following the death of a family member (a practice common in Argos) or when communal hearths were considered impure following the failed invasion of Greece by the Persians in the 5th century BCE. In this latter case, the fire was relit using purified flames from Delphi. This idea of carrying a flame from one location to another reminds me of the Olympic torch, an appropriate connection because the torch is based in the original honouring of Hestia. Hestia was worshipped for 900 years, from 500 BC until around 400 AD when Christianity took over. See also [[Fire Rituals Related to Hestia]]