The goddess Vesta is found in the myths of the Slavs, Greeks and Romans, but revered it everywhere in its own way. In some tales she commanded fire, in others she was called the guardian of the empire, in the third she was the forerunner of the Spring. Slavs always sumptuously celebrated the day of Vesta, and the girls who served it, all nations celebrated separately.
Who is Vesta?
Vesta is a goddess to whom the peoples of states attributed their characteristics and patronage, the Slavs, Romans and Greeks represented it in different ways, but there was much in common in these interpretations:
- Among the Slavic peoples, Vesta personified the Aryan race, was evidence that they had gained the wisdom of the gods.
- The Romans were sure that Vesta was born from the gods of time and space, because it has the appearance of a flame.
- The Greeks called the goddess Hestia and was revered as the keeper of the sacrificial flame and family. They portrayed a beautiful woman, generously giving supplicants life-giving power.
Goddess Vesta of the Slavs
Vesta is a Slavic goddess whom our ancestors considered the younger sister of the goddess Marena, they believed that Vesta is the goddess of spring bringing good news to the earth, and foreshadowing the beginning of flowering in nature, the predominance of light over darkness. Its power was associated with fire, but not as a punitive force, but as an animating and warming world. To call the goddess in the dwelling was possible, 8 times rounding the house, begging at the same time good luck and happiness. It was a popular belief that women, washed by melt water - Vesta's gift, will be as beautiful and eternally young as she is.
Day of the goddess Vesta in the Slavs
In the Slavic peoples the name of Vesta resembles the "message", it was believed that the coming of spring is the best news after a cold winter. There are 2 versions concerning the date when our ancestors honored this goddess:
- Most studies note that the day of the goddess Vesta falls on March 22, he was always celebrated with magnificent festivities and invariably baked pancakes - a symbol of a warm sun.
- The second version of the day of the celebration of the goddess - December 2 - is a cold, when the priests held special ceremonies at dawn, honoring the dawn. In the ancestors of dawn was considered a symbol of the advantages of light over darkness, so they called for an early spring and heat for the family.
Who is such a vest in ancient Rome?
The goddess Vesta of the Romans was in a special position, her image is very contradictory. There is evidence that:
- Vesta was the first of the gods, born of the god of time and the goddess of space, so she did not put the statue.
- This goddess was revered as a virgin who refused to alliance with Mercury and Apollo. A myth has survived, supposedly Vesta was molested by the fertility god Priap, but the donkey woke her with a roar.
- Temple Vesta, the Romans were honored especially, its hearth was called the symbol of the prosperity of Rome. She was also called "the goddess of the fire of Vesta", the flame in the temple was to burn constantly. There is a version, supposedly the tradition of eternal fire in honor of the defenders of the fatherland resembles the tradition of veneration of Vesta.
What do the priestesses call the goddess Vesta?
What was the name of the priestess of the goddess Vesta? They are called Vestal, girls were strictly selected to serve as goddesses. Vestal musts were:
- to resemble eminent families;
- to be beautiful and chaste;
The girls lived at the temple, their service totaled 30 years. For the first ten they learned ceremonies, spent the next ten years, and the last 10 years they taught young vestals. Only after that the priestess of the goddess Vesta could return home or get married, after the end of the service they were already called "not by the way": they have the right to marry. The Slavs, on the other hand, called Vestami the young men, who knew everything about preserving the home. And the girls who were not ready for marriage were called "not by the way", and the ritual was called marriage.
Greek goddess Vesta
Who is the goddess Vesta of the Greeks? These peoples also believed that the goddess Vesta was the patroness of fire and home, but she was called Hestia otherwise. Its main focus was the heavenly flame of Olympus. On the statues the goddess is depicted as a beautiful woman in a cloak, before every important thing she was sacrificed. In the ancient hymns it is famous, as the "green-haired lady", to her with requests for health and preservation of the family.
Myths tell us that the parents of Hestia were the gods Kronos and Rhea, and Zeus - the younger brother. For the fact that the beauty has kept her virginity, having sworn the head of the supreme god Olympus to keep chastity, Mercury recognized her most revered. The place of the goddess Hestia was located in the center of the house, she was the first to be sacrificed, her hearth was considered a symbol of family life , the happiness of which was based on the chastity of the wife.