HESTIA, in Greek mythology the hearth-goddess (see VESTA), daughter of Cronus and Rhea. She is not mentioned as a goddess in Homer, but the hearth is recognized as a place of refuge for sup pliants. In post-Homeric religion she is one of the 12 Olympian deities. When Apollo and Poseidon became suitors for her hand she swore to remain a maiden forever, whereupon Zeus bestowed upon her the honour of presiding over all sacrifices. She was chiefly worshipped as goddess of the family hearth ; but, as the city union is only the family union on a large scale, she had also, at least in some states, a public cult at the civic hearth in the pru taneion or town-hall, where the common hearth-fire round which the magistrates met was ever burning. From this fire, as the rep resentative of the life of the city, intending colonists took the fire which was to be kindled on the hearth of the new colony.
In later philosophy Hestia became the hearth-goddess of the universe—the personification of the earth as the centre of the universe, identified with Cybele and Demeter. She is seldom repre sented in works of art and plays no important part in legend. See A. Preuner, Hestia-Vesta (1864) , the standard treatise on the subject, and his article in Roscher's Lexikon der Mythologie; J. G. Frazer, "The Prytaneum," etc. in Journal of Philology, xiv. (1885) ; Homeric Hymns, xxix., ed. T. W. Allen and E. E. Sikes (19o4) ; L. R. Farnell, Cults of the Greek States, v. (1909).