Background

There is no home without hearth. And there is no hearth without Vesta. Virgin Goddess of Hearth, Vesta's foremost shrine and temple did not depict her in the standard statuary, instead she was represented by a flame kept perpetually burning by her priestesses known as the Vestal Virgins.

History

Vesta's origins are unclear. A variety of etymologies have been purposed, but none have universal acceptance. One theory postulates her name is derived from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning, 'to burn', but this is unconfirmed. Roman tradition linked her worship with Troy, insisting her cult was brought to Italy by Aeneas when he and the remaining Trojans fled their home. Aeneas supposedly had her worshiped established in Lavinium, named for his Latin bride Lavinia.

Gods of household and domesticity are well recorded across cultures, and the Romans equated Vesta with the Greek Hestia. It is unknown if the two goddesses ultimately originate from the same source.

Mythology and Legends

As perviously mentioned, the Vestal Virgins predate Rome as a city. Rhea Silvia, the mother of Romulus and Remus, is reported to have been among their numbers. Her membership was not voluntary, however; being ordered by her uncle, King Amulius, to join their ranks in a (vain) hope she would never birth children to overthrow him. When she did conceive, Vesta extinguished the sacred flame to display her vexation at the priestess.

The Vestals would arrive in Rome not long after its foundation. Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome, is claimed to have installed the cult into the city, having the famed Temple of Vesta built to accommodate her rites. This ensured the Vestal Virgins retained a prestigious stead within Roman society for centuries to come.

Perhaps ironically, one of the most infamous betrayals in Roman history would come at the hands of a Vestal. In the days of the Roman Kingdom, the neighboring Sabine peoples attempted to conquer the infant city. The Vestal Tarpeia, in a fit of greed, offered to open the city gates to the Sabines in exchange for what they wore on their wrists, meaning their jewelry and bracelets. The Sabines, unimpressed with her offer, instead hurled the shields they wore, crushing her to death. Later, the Romans would throw the body of the would-be traitoress from atop a cliff on the Capitoline Hill, henceforth known as the Tarpeian Rock. It would be used for similar purposes for centuries to come.

In Ancient Rome

Vesta's association with purity and the home was extended to Rome in its entirety. The Vestal Virgins would tend a sacred flame that was linked to the security and survival of Rome. If the flame was ever extinguished, it was an omen that Rome was in imminent danger. This placed the Vestals as one of the most vital religious orders in Roman history.

But even with the prominence and honor of both the goddess and his priestesses, the cult would perish under the many attempts to root out paganism within Rome by later Christian rulers. Emperor Gratian seized all assets related to the Vestal Virgins in a long campaign to revoke the status of pagan cults. The Vestal Virgins disappear from the historical record shortly thereupon.