Angered, the king contemplated her execution; however, Vesta appeared to him in his sleep and forbade it. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Vesta/. [5] Another etymology is that Vesta derives from Latin vestio ("clothe"), as well as from Greek έστἰα ("hearth" = focus urbis). License. Tibur too had his own vestals who are attested epigraphically. Lavinium had the Vestals of the Laurentes Lavinates. [7][8] The former is found in Greek εὕειν heuein, Latin urit, ustio and Vedic osathi all conveying 'burning' and the second is found in Vesta. When the Vestalia ended there was a ceremonial sweeping of the sanctuary and it was considered a time of bad luck and unfriendly omens until the sweepings were disposed of in the Tiber River or in a certain spot agreed upon in the city. Further, the difficulty of making or transporting fire made the constantly-burning hearth a vital element in the home as well as state buildings. [21], Vesta had no official mythology, and she existed as an abstract goddess of the hearth and of chastity. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. [70], Plutarch, in his Life of Romulus, told a variation of Romulus' birth citing a compilation of Italian history by a Promathion. 269–270:"Vesta is the same as the earth, both have the perennial fire: the Earth and the sacred Fire are both symbolic of home." Upon entering higher office, Roman magistrates would go to Lavinium to offer sacrifice to Vesta and the household gods the Romans called Penates. This has been suggested as evidence of their ancient Italic origin, because neither of them were "fully anthropomorphized"[43][39], Counted among the agricultural deities, Vesta has been linked to the deities Tellus and Terra in separate accounts. [76], Vesta's cult is attested at Bovillae, Lavinium and Tibur. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2020) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. In fact, early templa were often altars that were consecrated and later had buildings erected around them. This name originally was given to the whole sacred area comprising the Temple of Vesta, a sacred grove, the Regia (headquarters of the pontifex maximus, or chief priest), and the House of the Vestals, but ordinarily it designated the home or palace of the Vestals. She was sometimes thought of as a personification of the fire stick which was inserted into a hollow piece of wood and rotated – in a phallic manner – to light her flame. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. ", According to tradition, worship of Vesta in Italy began in Lavinium, the mother-city of Alba Longa and the first Trojan settlement. [54] The temple of Vesta in Rome was an aedes and not a templum, because of the character of the cult of Vesta – the exact reason being unknown. The fire was a religious center of Roman worship, the common hearth (focus publicus) of the whole Roman people. [53] It has been claimed that the shrine of Vesta in Rome was not a templum, because of its round shape. This year records a supplicatio dedicated to Vesta for 9 June, and records of the Arval Brethren on this day observe a blood sacrifice to her as well. [18] In 12 BC, 28 April (first of the five day Floralia) was chosen ex senatus consultum to commemorate the new shrine of Vesta in Augustus' home on the Palatine. [22] Finally, Coelia Concordia stepped down as the last Vestalis Maxima ("chief Vestal") in 394. It was also because the virgins' ritual concern extended to the agricultural cycle and ensured a good harvest that Vesta enjoyed the title of Mater ("Mother").[28]. The lack of an easy source of fire in the early Roman community placed a special premium on the ever-burning hearth fire, both publicly and privately maintained; thus, from the earliest times Vesta was assured of a When her brother Jupiter (the Greek Zeus), who managed to escape their father's appetite, freed his siblings, Vesta was the last to be released (because she was the first swallowed) and so is regarded as both the oldest and the youngest of the gods. X. Vesta was the goddess of the hearth, the home, and domestic life in the Roman religion (idenitified with the Greek goddess Hestia ). Alongside those household gods was Vesta, who has been referred to as Vesta Iliaca (Vesta of Troy),[10] with her sacred hearth being named Ilaci foci (Trojan hearth). When he consented to this, Vesta was pleased and took care of his home and hearth; thus identifying her with domestic life but, more importantly, with domestic tranquility. [48] Water was not allowed into the inner aedes nor could stay longer than strictly needed on the nearby premises. "Vesta." [44] Verrius Flaccus, however, had identified Vesta with Terra. Elsewhere, he says donkeys were honored on 9 June during the Vestalia in thanks for the services they provided in the bakeries. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and Michigan State University and University of Missouri. She was the proctectress of Rome in that she cared for and maintained the homes of each of its citizens. Most common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dedications in the Atrium of Vesta, dating predominantly AD 200 to 300, attest to the service of several Virgines Vestales Maxime. Greek Counterpart: The Greek name for this goddess was Hestia Name of Husband: Unmarried Name of Father: Saturnus (Saturn) Name of Mother: Ops (Opis) Name of siblings: Brothers & sisters: Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune, Juno and Ceres Names of Children: None. This etymology is offered by Servius as well. [71][72] Plutarch concludes with a contrast between Promathion's version of Romulus' birth and that of the more credible Fabius Pictor which he describes in a detailed narrative and lends support to. Cicero supposed that the Latin name Vesta derives from the Greek Hestia, which Cornutus claimed to have derived from Greek hestanai dia pantos ("standing for ever"). Vesta is represented as a fully draped woman, sometimes accompanied by her favourite animal, an ass. Vesta's altar was tended by six keepers of her sacred fire, called "vestal virgins", and it was an honor for a Roman family to have a daughter among them. [36] Likewise, Catullus cautions a bride to keep her feet over the threshold "with a good omen". [73], Dionysius of Halicarnassus recounts a local story regarding the birth of king Servius Tullius. (Greek goddess-name Ἑστία Hestia is probably unrelated). Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum, Rome. The reverse of a copper coin minted by Caligula (r. 37-41 CE) depicting... Roman Forum - House of the Vestal Virgins, Rome, Italy. Vesta rejected them both, however, and begged Jupiter to allow her to remain forever a virgin. Mark, J. J. Vesta, therefore, along with the house spirits of the Penates, Panes and Lares, was a goddess revered in every strata of Roman society as she was thought to literally "keep the home fires burning" from the most modest apartment to the grandest villa. [3] She was the daughter of Saturn and Ops, and sister of Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Juno, and Ceres. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Another etymology is that Vesta derives from Latin vestio ("clothe"), as well as from Greek έστἰα ("hearth" = focus urbis). [50] The Palladium of Athena was, in the words of Livy: "fatale pignus imperii Romani" ("[a] plegde of destiny for the Roman empire"). [67][24] The final day (15 June) was Q(uando) S(tercum) D(elatum) F(as) ["when dung may be removed lawfully"] – the penus Vestae was solemnly closed; the Flaminica Dialis observed mourning, and the temple was subjected to a purification called stercoratio: the filth was swept from the temple and carried next by the route called clivus Capitolinus and then into the Tiber. [34] On the other hand, it might merely have been because Romans considered it bad luck to trample any object sacred to the gods. During which either Vulcan, or the tutelary deity of the house, appeared to her. [31] All these mythical or semilegendary characters show a mystical mastery of fire, e.g., Servius's hair was kindled by his father without hurting him, his statue in the temple of Fortuna Primigenia was unharmed by fire after his assassination. [61], A peculiar duty of the Vestals was the preparation and conservation of the sacred salamoia muries used for the savouring of the mola salsa, a salted flour mixture to be sprinkled on sacrificial victims (hence the Latin verb immolare, "to put on the mola, to sacrifice"). We have also been recommended for educational use by the following publications: Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. Mark, published on 02 September 2009 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Vesta was the goddess of the hearth, the home, and domestic life in the Roman religion (idenitified with the Greek goddess Hestia). [41][42] It has also been noted that neither of them were consistently illustrated as human. When the handmaid gave birth to twins by the phantom, Tarchetius handed them over to his subordinate, Teratius, with orders to destroy them. From Lavinium worship of Vesta was transferred to Alba Longa. [51] Such was the Palladium's importance, that when the Gauls sacked Rome in 390 BC, the Vestals first buried the Palladium before removing themselves to the safety of nearby Caere. Web. Facts about Vesta in Roman Mythology She is also found allied with the primitive fire deities Cacus and Caca. Of all the Roman deities, only Vesta was accorded the honor of full time clergy devoted solely to her rites. "[26] Ovid agreed, saying: "Vesta is the same as the earth, both have the perennial fire: the Earth and the sacred Fire are both symbolic of home.