Vesta (mythology)

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This article is about the Roman goddess. For the asteroid, see 4 Vesta. For other
uses, see Vesta (disambiguation).
Vesta
Goddess of the hearth, home, and family
Member of the Dii Consentes and Di selecti
L. Cassius Longinus, denarius, 63 BC, RRC 413-1.jpg
Denarius of 60 BC; veiled and draped Vesta on the left, with a lamp next to her.
Major cult center Temple of Vesta
Predecessor Caca
Abode Forum Romanum
Symbol The hearth, fire, donkey
Gender female
Festivals Vestalia
Personal information
Parents Saturn and Ops
Siblings Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Juno, Ceres
Greek equivalent Hestia
Etruscan equivalent Possibly Ethausva[1]

Coin issued under Nero: the reverse depicts the cult statue of Vesta, holding a
patera and scepter, within her hexastyle temple.
Vesta (Classical Latin: [ˈu̯ɛs̠tä])
̪ is the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and
family in Roman religion. She was rarely depicted in human form, and was often
represented by the fire of her temple in the Forum Romanum. Entry to her temple was
permitted only to her priestesses, the Vestals, who tended the sacred fire at the
hearth in her temple. As she was considered a guardian of the Roman people, her
festival, the Vestalia (7–15 June), was regarded as one of the most important Roman
holidays.[2] During the Vestalia matrons walked barefoot through the city to the
sanctuary of the goddess, where they presented offerings of food. Such was Vesta's
importance to Roman religion that hers was one of the last republican pagan cults
still active following the rise of Christianity until it was forcibly disbanded by
the Christian emperor Theodosius I in AD 391.

The myths depicting Vesta and her priestesses were few, and were limited to tales
of miraculous impregnation by a phallus appearing in the flames of the hearth—the
manifestation of the goddess.[3] Vesta was among the Dii Consentes, twelve of the
most honored gods in the Roman pantheon.[4] She was the daughter of Saturn and Ops,
and sister of Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Juno, and Ceres. Her Greek equivalent is
Hestia.[5]

Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Origin
2.2 Roman Empire
3 Depictions
3.1 Hearth
3.2 Marriage
3.3 Agriculture
4 Temple
5 Vestal Virgins
6 Festivals
7 Mythography
7.1 Birth of Romulus and Remus
7.2 Conception of Servius Tullius
7.3 Impropriety of Priapus
8 Vesta outside Rome
9 See also
10 Citations
11 Sources
11.1 Ancient
11.2 Modern
12 External links
Etymology
Religion in
ancient Rome
Marcus Aurelius sacrificing
Marcus Aurelius (head covered)
sacrificing at the Temple of Jupiter
Practices and beliefs
libationsacrificevotumtemplesfestivalsludifuneralsimperial cultmystery religions
Priesthoods
PontificesAuguresVestalesFlaminesFetialesEpulonesFratres Arvales
Deities
List of Roman deitiesTwelve major godsCapitoline TriadAventine Triadunderworld
godsindigitamenta
Deified emperors:

Divus JuliusDivus Augustus

Related topics
Glossary of ancient Roman religionRoman mythologyAncient Greek religionEtruscan
religionGallo-Roman religionInterpretatio graecaDecline of Greco-Roman polytheism
vte
Ovid derived Vesta from Latin vi stando – "standing by power". 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"). This etymology is
offered by Servius as well.[6] Another etymology is that Vesta derives from Latin
vestio ("clothe"), as well as from Greek έστἰα ("hearth" = focus urbis).[7]

Georges Dumézil (1898–1986), a French comparative philologist, surmised that the

name of the goddess derives from Proto-Indo-European root *h₁eu-, via the
derivative form *h₁eu-s- which alternates with *h₁w-es-.[8][9] The former is found
in Greek εὕειν heuein, Latin urit, ustio and Vedic osathi all conveying 'burning'
and the second is found in Vesta. (Greek goddess-name Ἑστία Hestia is probably
unrelated).[10] See also Gallic Celtic visc "fire."

History
Origin
According to tradition, worship of Vesta in Italy began in Lavinium, the mother-
city of Alba Longa and the first Trojan settlement. From Lavinium worship of Vesta
was transferred to Alba Longa. Upon entering higher office, Roman magistrates would
go to Lavinium to offer sacrifice to Vesta and the household gods the Romans called
Penates. The Penates were Trojan gods first introduced to Italy by Aeneas.
Alongside those household gods was Vesta, who has been referred to as Vesta Iliaca
(Vesta of Troy),[11] with her sacred hearth being named Ilaci foci (Trojan hearth).
[12]

Worship of Vesta, like the worship of many gods, originated in the home, but became
an established cult during the reign of either Romulus,[13] or Numa Pompilius[14]
(sources disagree, but most say Numa).[15] The priestesses of Vesta, known as
Vestal Virgins, administered her temple and watched the eternal fire. Their
existence in Alba Longa is connected with the early Roman traditions, for Romulus'
mother Silvia was a priestess.[16]
Roman Empire
Roman tradition required that the leading priest of the Roman state, the pontifex
maximus reside in a domus publicus ("publicly owned house"). After assuming the
office of pontifex maximus in 12 BC, Augustus gave part of his private house to the
Vestals as public property and incorporated a new shrine of Vesta within it. The
old shrine remained in the Forum Romanum's temple of Vesta, but Augustus' gift
linked the public hearth of the state with the official home of the pontifex
maximus and the emperor's Palatine residence. This strengthened the connection
between the office of pontifex maximus and the cult of Vesta. Henceforth, the
office of pontifex maximus was tied to the title of emperor;[17][18] Emperors were
automatically priests of Vesta, and the pontifices were sometimes referred to as
pontifices Vestae ("priests of Vesta").[19] 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.[20][21] The latter's hearth was the focus
of the Imperial household's traditional religious observances. Various emperors led
official revivals and promotions of the Vestals' cult, which in its various
locations remained central to Rome's ancient traditional cults into the 4th
century. Dedications in the Atrium of Vesta, dating predominantly AD 200 to 300,
attest to the service of several Virgines Vestales Maxime.[22] Vesta's worship
began to decline with the rise of Christianity. In ca. 379, Gratian stepped down as
pontifex maximus;[17] in 382 he confiscated the Atrium Vestae;[15] simultaneously,
he withdrew its public funding.[22] In 391, despite official and public protests,
Theodosius I closed the temple, and extinguished the sacred flame.[23] Finally,
Coelia Concordia stepped down as the last Vestalis Maxima ("chief Vestal") in 394.
[24]

Depictions
Depicted as a good-mannered deity who never involved herself in the quarreling of
other gods, Vesta was ambiguous at times due to her contradictory association with
the phallus.[25] She is considered the embodiment of the "Phallic Mother" by
proponents of 20th Century psychoanalysis: she was not only the most virgin and
clean of all the gods, but was addressed as mother and granted fertility.
[clarification needed] Mythographers tell us that Vesta had no myths save being
identified as one of the oldest of the gods who was entitled to preference in
veneration and offerings over all other gods. Unlike most gods, Vesta was hardly
depicted directly; nonetheless, she was symbolized by her flame, the fire stick,
and a ritual phallus (the fascinus).[3]

While Vesta was the flame itself, the symbol of the phallus might relate to Vesta's
function in fertility cults, but it maybe also invoked the goddess herself due to
its relation to the fire stick used to light the sacred flame. 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.[26]

Hearth
Concerning the status of Vesta's hearth, Dionysius of Halicarnassus had this to
say: "And they regard the fire as consecrated to Vesta, because that goddess, being
the Earth and occupying the central position in the universe, kindles the celestial
fires from herself."[27] 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."[28] The sacred flames of the hearth were believed to be indispensable for
the preservation and continuity of the Roman State: Cicero states it explicitly.
The purity of the flames symbolised the vital force that is the root of the life of
the community. 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").[29]

The fecundating power of sacred fire is testified in Plutarch's version of the

birth of Romulus,[30] the birth of king Servius Tullius[31] (in which his mother
Ocresia becomes pregnant after sitting upon a phallus that appeared among the ashes
of the ara of god Vulcanus, by order of Tanaquil wife of king Tarquinius Priscus)
and the birth of Caeculus, the founder of Praeneste.[32] 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.[33] Caeculus kindled and
extinguished fires at will.

Marriage

Vesta holding a patera and scepter on the reverse of an antoninianus (ca. 253 AD)
Vesta was connected to liminality, and the limen ("threshold") was sacred to her:
brides were careful not to step on it, else they commit sacrilege by kicking a
sacred object.[34] Servius explains that it would be poor judgement for a virgin
bride to kick an object sacred to Vesta – a goddess that holds chastity sacred.[35]
On the other hand, it might merely have been because Romans considered it bad luck
to trample any object sacred to the gods.[36] In Plautus' Casina, the bride Casina
is cautioned to lift her feet carefully over the threshold following her wedding so
she would have the upper hand in her marriage.[37] Likewise, Catullus cautions a
bride to keep her feet over the threshold "with a good omen".[38][39][40]

In Roman belief, Vesta was present in all weddings, and so was Janus: Vesta was the
threshold and Janus the doorway. Similarly, Vesta and Janus were invoked in every
sacrifice. It has been noted that because they were invoked so often, the evocation
of the two came to simply mean, "to pray".[41] In addition, Vesta was present with
Janus in all sacrifices as well.[42][43] It has also been noted that neither of
them were consistently illustrated as human. This has been suggested as evidence of
their ancient Italic origin, because neither of them were "fully
anthropomorphized"[44][40]

Agriculture
Counted among the agricultural deities, Vesta has been linked to the deities Tellus
and Terra in separate accounts. In Antiquitates rerum humanarum et divinarum, Varro
links Vesta to Tellus. He says: "They think Tellus... is Vesta, because she is
'vested' in flowers".[45] Verrius Flaccus, however, had identified Vesta with
Terra.[46] Ovid hints at Vesta's connection to both of the deities.[47]

Temple
Main article: Temple of Vesta

Temple of Vesta in a 2009 photo

Where the majority of temples would have a statue, that of Vesta had a hearth. The
fire was a religious center of Roman worship, the common hearth (focus publicus) of
the whole Roman people.[48] The Vestals were obliged to keep the sacred fire
alight. If the fire went out, it must be lit from an arbor felix, auspicious tree,
(probably an oak).[49] Water was not allowed into the inner aedes nor could stay
longer than strictly needed on the nearby premises. It was carried by the Vestales
in vessels called futiles which had a tiny foot that made them unstable.[50]

The temple of Vesta held not only the ignes aeternum ("sacred fire"), but the
Palladium of Pallas Athena and the di Penates as well. Both of these items are said
to have been brought into Italy by Aeneas.[51] The Palladium of Athena was, in the
words of Livy: "fatale pignus imperii Romani" ("[a] pledge of destiny for the Roman
empire").[52] 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.[48] Such objects were kept in the penus Vestae (i.e. the
sacred repository of the temple of Vesta).[53]

Despite being one of the most spiritual of Roman Shrines, that of Vesta was not a
templum in the Roman sense of the word; that is, it was not a building consecrated
by the augurs and so it could not be used for meetings by Roman officials.[54] It
has been claimed that the shrine of Vesta in Rome was not a templum, because of its
round shape. However, a templum was not a building, but rather a sacred space that
could contain a building of either rectangular or circular shape. In fact, early
templa were often altars that were consecrated and later had buildings erected
around them.[55] 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.[55]

Vestal Virgins
Main article: Vestals

The Virgo Vestalis Maxima depicted in a Roman statue

The Vestales were one of the few full-time clergy positions in Roman religion. They
were drawn from the patrician class and had to observe absolute chastity for 30
years. It was from this that the Vestales were named the Vestal virgins. They wore
a particular style of dress and they were not allowed to let the fire go out, on
pain of a whipping. The Vestal Virgins lived together in a house near the Forum
(Atrium Vestae), supervised by the Pontifex Maximus. On becoming a priestess, a
Vestal Virgin was legally emancipated from her father's authority[56] and swore a
vow of chastity for 30 years.[57][58] A Vestal who broke this vow could be tried
for incestum and if found guilty, buried alive in the Campus Sceleris ('Field of
Wickedness').[56][59][60]

The februae (lanas: woolen threads) that were an essential part of the Vestal
costume were supplied by the rex sacrorum and flamen dialis.[61] Once a year, the
Vestals gave the rex sacrorum a ritualised warning to be vigilant in his duties,
using the phrase "Vigilasne rex, vigila!" In Cicero's opinion, the Vestals ensured
that Rome kept its contact with the gods.[62]

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"). This dough too was prepared by them on fixed days.[63] Theirs
also the task of preparing the suffimen for the Parilia.[64]

Festivals
Domestic and family life in general were represented by the festival of the goddess
of the house and of the spirits of the storechamber – Vesta and the Penates – on
Vestalia (7 – 15 June).[65] On the first day of festivities the penus Vestae
(sanctum sanctorum of her temple which was usually curtained off) was opened, for
the only time during the year, at which women offered sacrifices.[66] As long as
the curtain remained open, mothers could come, barefoot and disheveled, to leave
offerings to the goddess in exchange for a blessing to them and their family.[67]
The animal consecrated to Vesta, the donkey, was crowned with garlands of flowers
and bits of bread on 9 June.[68][25] 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.
[66]

In the military Feriale Duranum (AD 224) the first day of Vestalia is Vesta
apperit[ur] and the last day is Vesta cluditur. 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.[69] Found in the Codex-Calendar of 354,
13 February had become the holiday Virgo Vestalis parentat, a public holiday which
by then had replaced the older parentalia where the sacrifice of cattle over flames
is now dedicated to Vesta. This also marks the first participation of the Vestal
Virgins in rites associated with the Manes.[22]

Mythography

Temple of Vesta on the reverse of a denarius issued in 55 BC by Quintus Cassius

Longinus.
Vesta had no official mythology, and she existed as an abstract goddess of the
hearth and of chastity.[70] Only in the account of Ovid at Cybele's party does
Vesta appear directly in a myth.[71]

Birth of Romulus and Remus

Main article: Romulus and Remus
Plutarch, in his Life of Romulus, told a variation of Romulus' birth citing a
compilation of Italian history by a Promathion. In this version, while Tarchetius
was king of Alba Longa, a phantom phallus appeared in his hearth. The king visited
an oracle of Tethys in Etrusca, who told him that a virgin must have intercourse
with this phallus. Tarchetius instructed one of his daughters to do so, but she
refused sending a handmaiden in her place. Angered, the king contemplated her
execution; however, Vesta appeared to him in his sleep and forbade it. When the
handmaid gave birth to twins by the phantom, Tarchetius handed them over to his
subordinate, Teratius, with orders to destroy them. Teratius instead carried them
to the shore of the river Tiber and laid them there. Then a she-wolf came to them
and breastfed them, birds brought them food and fed them, before an amazed cow-
herder came and took the children home with him. Thus they were saved, and when
they were grown up, they set upon Tarchetius and overcame him.[72][73] 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.[74]

Conception of Servius Tullius

Dionysius of Halicarnassus recounts a local story regarding the birth of king
Servius Tullius. In it, a phallus rose from the hearth of Vesta in Numa's palace,
and Ocresia was the first to see it. She immediately informed the king and queen.
King Tarquinius, upon hearing this, was astonished; but Tanaquil, whose knowledge
of divination was well-known, told him it was a blessing that a birth by the
hearth's phallus and a mortal woman would produce superior offspring. The king then
chose Ocresia to have intercourse with it, for she had seen it first. During which
either Vulcan, or the tutelary deity of the house, appeared to her. After
disappearing, she conceived and delivered Tullius.[75] This story of his birth
could be based on his name as Servius would euphemistically mean "son of servant",
because his mother was a handmaiden.[76]

Impropriety of Priapus
In book 6 of Ovid's Fasti: Cybele invited all the gods, satyrs, rural divinities,
and nymphs to a feast, though Silenus came uninvited with his donkey. At it, Vesta
lay at rest, and Priapus spotted her. He decided to approach her in order to
violate her; however, the ass brought by Silenus let out a timely bray: Vesta was
woken and Priapus barely escaped the outraged gods.[77] Mentioned in book 1 of the
Fasti is a similar instance of Priapus' impropriety involving Lotis and Priapus.
The Vesta-Priapus account is not as well developed as that involving Lotis, and
critics suggest the account of Vesta and Priapus only exists to create a cult
drama.[78] Ovid says the donkey was adorned with necklaces of bread-bits in memory
of the event. Elsewhere, he says donkeys were honored on 9 June during the Vestalia
in thanks for the services they provided in the bakeries.[77]

Vesta outside Rome

Vesta's cult is attested at Bovillae, Lavinium and Tibur. At Bovillae were located
the Alban Vestals (Albanae Longanae Bovillenses), supposed to be continuing the
Alban Vestals. Lavinium had the Vestals of the Laurentes Lavinates. The two orders
were rooted in the most ancient tradition predating Rome. Tibur too had his own
vestals who are attested epigraphically.[79]

Vestals might have been present in the sanctuary of Diana Nemorensis near Aricia.
[80]