Pagan Village News

Author Unknown

"Hestia, in the high dwellings of all, both deathless gods and men who walk on earth, you have gained an everlasting abode and highest honor: glorious is your portion and your right. For without you mortals hold no banquet, --where one does not duly pour sweet wine in offering to Hestia both first and last." (Homer)

Vesta/Hestia is considered one of the oldest Goddesses in Greco-Roman mythos and many scholars believe She is the representation of a very ancient Goddess/Earth mother divinity. There are virtually no images of Her, which is common to all other Greco-Roman deities, suggesting her ancient heritage before humans began to represent Deities in human form. Rather she was seen as the embodiment of the fire itself, the flame that rose from the hearths, the fire that kept people nourished, warm, and gave light. Vesta/Hestia was viewed as the patron, not of an individual, but of a family, for which all newborns were intimately connected into through a "baptism of fire", in which upon being born they would be walked in a circle around the fire to consecrate their life and invoke the protection of Hestia/Vesta. As time progressed, Vesta became a central figure in Roman political life--much more so than in Greece. In Rome, open round temples were built in Her honor and deep within them was a hearth with the sacred flame of Vesta. This central temple extended the connections forged in fire between family members to include the connection of the family to the community for when the household fire went out, members could rekindle it with the sacred flame in the temple. This eventually led to the development of the six Vestal Virgins, whose chastity was felt to ensure the purity of the flame and promote the highest blessings upon the town. These vestal virgins tended the fires and perhaps could be said to channel the great virgin fire Goddess, Vesta, through their careful actions and devotions.

Imbolc is a time of stirring the fires to transform the landscape and for renewal. Winter is still with us, but the growing light is increasing--the land is warming under the sun. Vesta's flame has been carefully tended through the winter (perhaps evidenced by our electric bills these days) and now we are awakening to the growing warmth outside as she extends her attention outward. Perhaps She is not a goddess of all seasons, but rather a Goddess of Winter, who provides us with hope and security within our homes until warmth and fire return to the land outside our homes and hearths. In this capacity, Vesta is a Goddess of connections, while in Her ancient aspects she connected family members together and then the family to the community, today she may be seen as a Goddess that reconnects us to Nature. She connects our often isolated and nature-free lives within our inner sanctums with the Natural world outside, encouraging us to see our intimate need for heat, warmth, and sunlight. As such, the waning of winter shows us how the heat of the hearth is also found in the world outside of us.

Vesta/Hestia may be invoked to ensure community, connection, and vitality within your family or community. She also represents our intimate connection with the sun and the earth to bring about life, and as such is also a fertility goddess. She further represents the transformation of old into something new--the vital forging power of fire and the power of fire to scourge for new growth. As such her symbols are the fireplace/hearth and fire. Traditional offerings to ensure her blessings was sweet wine sprinkled on the fire.

Imbolc is a time of the growing Goddess and God. It is a time when fertility is returning to the Earth--the first wave of births is setting in and life is beginning to reappear. As such, Venus (Aphrodite & Turan) is associated with the season--She is a quintessential fertility goddess and is associated with the reseeding and growth of the earth--She turns the barren winter landscape into a lush paradise, a carpet of green. As the season progresses Her energy and vitality increase and flowers begin to bloom and their fragrance fills the Spring air. But for now, she is initiating; beginning to encourage and tease out passions and devotion to ensure a fruitful harvest to come and fertility of all who dwell on Earth.

While the Roman legend of Venus's birth is lost to time and cultural assimilation, we have two Aphrodite birth myths that have coalesced into Venus's history. The first is Aphrodite was born of a union between Zeus and Dione. The second is that during the period of time before the Olympians, Aphrodite was born from the fertilized ocean that followed the castration of Uranus by Cronus. This legend would make Aphrodite Zeus's Aunt, rather than daughter and suggest that this birth from sea is the older of the two myths.

Aphrodite and Venus are not uniquely the same, but rather hold different positions in their societies. While Aphrodite was revered as a Goddess of passion and many stories sing and tell of her proclivities for leaving a wake of destruction behind her (such as the Trojan War) when passions were ignited. Venus is of a different sort. Roman venerated Venus along the lines of her being an ancient mother/fertility goddess; she was viewed as the Goddess of the Gardens and of seeding and harvest times. This is very similar to the Etruscan Goddess Turan, who was viewed as the Goddess that ensured Vitality. As Roman life increased in complexity and politics, Venus became a Goddess of the State. No longer did she ensure the fertility and vitality of the agrarian life, but was now invoked to ensure the vitality and strength of the city-state. The cooption of Greek myths of her love of mortal men, became important myths to the Roman people as now, Roman rulers could link the birth of their children and their lineage directly to Venus's love. Interestingly, Venus's love of mortal men was confined to Roman politics as she also became the Goddess against Vice (a dramatic departure from her Aphrodite counterpart). Venus underwent one more transformation in Roman life and became the Goddess of motherhood, domesticity, and marriage (a further departure from Aphrodite who is the goddess of initial passions). Venus became the Goddess of Love that is passionate, sustained, and devoted.

She was so revered Venice is named after her and legend holds that the floating city is married to the Goddess Venus--further suggesting that Her birth from the ocean, a fertile combination of Air and Water, was the more significant myth to Ancient Romans. Finally, the planet Venus is named for Her--the planet once known as the morning and evening star and Earth's twin, suggests the intimate relationship Venus has in human life. Further, She was once likely associated not only with the water but also as a Sun goddess, particularly of the Dawn. Since the Renaissance, She has been inextricably linked to Aphrodite--a disservice to both--and has become widely associated with sexuality and beauty. With the exception of one theme in her collected myths that remains visible--there is an intimate relationship between love and war, as evidenced by her devotion to the God of War Ares/Mars--does love conquer all or when untempered to passions incite?