Hestia
/ˈhɛs.ti.ə/noun
In Greek mythology, the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and domestic fire.
Did you know?Hestia is linguistically linked to the Greek word for “hearth” and is part of a wider Indo-European fire-and-home vocabulary that also preserved the sacred idea of the domestic center.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wes-
“to dwell, stay, remain”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἑστία (hestía)
“hearth, fireside, fireplace; the center of domestic life”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἑστία (Hestía)
“the goddess personifying the hearth and sacred household fire”
Latin
Latin
Vesta
“Roman goddess of the hearth, later identified with Greek Hestia”
Modern English
English
Hestia
“the Greek goddess of the hearth and home”