1. (AA=83, TT=84.) To Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth Fire
Divine medium: aromatics
Hestia, fair daughter of mighty Kronos, Basileia,
Majestic midpoint of every dwelling, fiery foundation eternal,
From thou complete mystic holy rites are declared,
Sulphur eternally blooms with plentiful blessings and comprehension clear,
Divinely bless dwellings, mortal-sustaining might,
Eternal, many-shaped, longed for greenish light.
Smile with blessings here, receive holy offerings eagerly,
Bestow whole-life blessings with each breath, and the easing hand of Hygieia.
1. (AA=83, TT=84) Ἑστίας, θυμίαμα ἀρώματα.
Ἑστία εὐδυνάτοιο Κρόνου θύγατερ βασίλεια,
ἣ μέσον οἶκον ἔχεις πυρὸς ἀενάοιο, μεγίστου,
τούσδε σὺ ἐν τελεταῖς ὁσίους μύστας ἀναδείξαις,
θεῖσ’ αἰειθαλέας, πολυόλβους, εὔφρονας, ἁγνούς·
οἶκε θεῶν μακάρων, θνητῶν στήριγμα κραταιόν,
ἀιδίη, πολύμορφε, ποθεινοτάτη, χλοόμορφε·
μειδιόωσα, μάκαιρα, τάδ’ ἱερὰ δέξο προθύμως,
ὄλβον ἐπιπνείουσα καὶ ἠπιόχειρον ὑγείαν.
Hestia (Ἑστία) is the Goddess of the power and force of the friendly presence of fire.
This could be the fire in a fireplace, at a campsite, on an altar, in a government building, in a torch, or candle.
In modern times, the Olympic torch relay is an example of the honor paid to Hestia, as her fire is transported from the altar of Olympos in Greece to the Olympic venue. In ancient mystery rituals and for explorers setting forth to establish new colonies, the torchbearer was conferred a sacred trust.
Hestia is the first deity to receive offerings in religious rites. Socrates discusses Hestia’s name and honored status by explaining that Hestia means essence:
“‘Socrates: Shall we, then, begin with Hestia, according to custom?’
“‘Hermogenes: That is the proper thing.’
“‘Socrates: . . . those who called the essence of things essia (έσσία) would naturally sacrifice to Hestia first of all the [Goddesses and G]ods.’”[1]
William Smith in A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology says of Hestia: “…as the [G]oddess of the sacred fire of the altar, she had a share in the sacrifices in all the temples of the [Goddesses and G]ods… Hence when sacrifices were offered, she was invoked first, and the first part of the sacrifice was offered to her….
“Solemn oaths were sworn by the [G]oddess of the hearth, and the hearth itself was the sacred asylum where suppliants implored the protection of the inhabitants of the house…
“A town or city…had likewise its sacred hearth, the symbol of an harmonious community of citizens and of a common worship... As this public hearth was the sacred asylum in every town, the state usually received its guests and foreign ambassadors there...
“When a colony was sent out, the emigrants took the fire which was to burn on the hearth of their new home from that of the mother town…
“If ever the fire of her hearth became extinct, it was not allowed to be lighted again with ordinary fire, but either by fire produced by friction, or by burning glasses drawing fire from the sun.
“The mystical speculations of later times…assumed a sacred hearth not only in the centre of the earth, but even in that of the universe…
“There were but few special temples of Hestia in Greece, as in reality every prytaneum [fireplace] was a sanctuary of the [G]oddess, and as a portion of the sacrifices, to whatever divinity they were offered, belonged to her.”[2]
Hestia is called “Basileia,” meaning Queen or ruler.
Hestia’s father, Kronos, is the God of time. Kronos is the son of Ouranos—God of the sky—and Gaia—Goddess of earth. In the ancient world, people knew what time it was by observing the fire-lit sky in relation to earth and by the position of the sun and stars and phases of the moon. Note that Hestia was the first-born of the Olympian Goddesses and Gods (Hesiod Theogony 454).
Hestia’s divine essence is present in sulphur (θειόω), which is used in matchheads to start fires.
The “greenish light” referenced in the hymn may pertain to boron or copper, which produce green flames when burned. Interestingly, copper pyrites, also called chalcopyrites (χαλκοπῠρί̄της), are mined from hydrothermal springs and can create sparks for starting a fire when struck against metal or stone. Copper sulphate is widely used as fertilizer.
Hygieia is the Goddess of health. Hygieia and Eirene--Goddess of peace--are frequently invoked at the conclusion of the Orphic Hymns.
[1] Plato (circa 350 BCE),“Cratylus 401b – 401d,” in Plato in Twelve Volumes, vol. 12, trans. Harold N. Fowler (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, 1921).
[2] William Smith. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London. John Murray: printed by Spottiswoode and Co., New-Street Square and Parliament Street, 1873.
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