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Goddess Vesta |
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"So speaking, he
[Aeneas] rouses the embers of the slumbering |
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Goddess Vesta is one of the Dii Consentes, a group of twelve gods that were especially honored by the ancient Romans.
Vesta is one of the oldest Italic deities Whose name may have been derived from vi stando (meaning "standing by force"). Vesta was intertwined with the fruits of the earth and sedentary farmers rather than migratory pastoralists, which forms the premise of Her indigenous Latin origins. Vesta’s private cultus (cult) dates back to the earliest Latin occupation in central Italy when Romans resided in primitive huts. Each family in its own casa (home) had to propitiate the maternal spirit that presided over the domestic focus (hearth), the last deity to be invoked at all times in Roman religious custom. This household rite later evolved into community and ultimately state rites that were maintained by the Vestal Virgins (female priesthood of Vesta). Vesta was the intransient emblem of survival and familial cohesiveness which contributed to the foundation of a communal society. More is known of Vesta than any other deity of the Roman pantheon, yet She was the only goddess of the Roman pantheon Who remained unformed. Her only contour emanated from Her residence at Rome which housed Vesta’s symbolic flame. The Temple of Vesta had been built by Augustus Caesar and contained the singularly known statue dedicated to Vesta however this statue did not bear any resemblance to Her. In fact, there were no objects inside Vesta’s Temple that bore Her likeness. The Temple was unusual in shape; congruous to Vesta’s profound place in Roman worship, and further illustrated Her worldly presence. According to tradition, the building itself was actually a house (aedes) rather than a temple. It was shaped to mirror the original structure which bore resemblance to the spherical thatched huts of early Rome. Ovidius (Ovid) compares Vesta’s Temple to the Earth; round, domed and suspended, and relates that it was originally the palace of Numa the long-beard. But Ovidius further relates that the shape existed previously on the same site, possibly indicating an earlier temple. Vesta’s temple was closely identified with the sanctity and continuance of Rome. The temple stored and preserved the most sacred and valuable of objects possessed by the State including wills and legal documents. Two sets of objects in particular were thought to reside in the inner sanctum or penus (storehouse); the Palladium (image of Pallas Athena) and two small statues of the Penates (gods of the storehouse), both sets of objects believed by the Romans to have been rescued by Aeneas from the fires of Troy. These objects were profoundly significant to the Romans who thought their preservation assured the safety of Rome. Vesta’s sacred flame within the temple represented the eternal flame of Rome’s hearth. It burned all year round and was relit on New Year’s Day, 1 March by rubbing two sticks together. The flame was symbolic of Aeternitas (see Virtues page); for how ever long the flame would burn, Rome would endure. The cultus Virgines Vestales (cult of the Vestal Virgins) was the only major female priesthood at Rome and dates back as early as the Monarchy. This order of priestesses originated in Alba and was formed by King Numa under Sabine influence. The first Vestals may have been the King’s daughters who tended the hearth in the palace and later came to represent the daughters of the heads of the family. There may have been originally two or four Vestal Virgins which later increased in number to six. The Vestals were between six and ten years of age upon selection, virgins with no bodily defects, from Patrician families with living parents, and selected by the pontifex maximus (greatest pontiff). The Vestals took a vow of chastity and were required to serve a 30 year term but often continued to serve for the rest of their lives. Their virginity signified the safety of Rome and was punishable by death if violated. The cultus was presided over by the Pontifex Maximus as the Priest of Vesta and the only male allowed to enter the Temple of Vesta. The Virgines Vestales formed part of the pontificum collegium (pontifical college), one of the two most important colleges of priests at Rome of which the pontifiex maximus had supreme authority. The Vestals lived in a special house (aedes Vestae) next to the Temple of Vesta, adjoining the King’s house (regia), located near the Forum Romanum. They were maintained at public expense so that they could devote themselves solely to their goddess. The Vestals had numerous privileges unlike other women of the time, including the right of making a will without the compliance of a guardian. They were held in the highest esteem and could be very influential in public matters. If a Vestal Virgin encountered someone by chance while being carried off for execution, his life would be spared. Some Vestals used their prominent position and connections to obtain favors for friends and clients-using the same structures of patronage as Roman men. The religious duties of the Vestals were similar to the domestic duties of women in the home. They included tending to and guarding the sacred fire on the sacred hearth of their Temple (originally the home), safeguarding the penus Vestae (storehouse of Vesta), which must originally have contained the stores on which the family depended for their sustenance, cleaning and expelling the dirt from the temple, and gathering the first ears of the corn from the harvest to make mola salsa. Mola salsa were sacred cakes (see Recipes for Offerings) offered at the various festivals throughout the year. The Vestals connection with the provision of food is evident in their responsibility for preparing and preserving the mola salsa, a sacred food for the gods. Certain duties such as letting the sacred fire go out or losing their virginity were subject to certain penalties if they failed. Vesta’s significance as a cultus in Rome was evident in the many religious holidays and sacred days that honored Her. Festivals to Vesta included Lupercalia, Matronalia and Vestalia, of which the latter which was the most significant to Vesta and the Vestal Virgins. From 7 Iunius (June) to 15 Iunius, the penus (storehouse of sacred items and the inner sanctum of the Temple of Vesta) were open (Vesta aperit) to worshipping women of Rome. After this eight day period the Temple of Vesta was then swept and cleaned by the Vestals and the prohibitions of sacred law then ended when the penus Vestae is once more closed. Vestalia also became a holiday for bakers and millers and, according to Ovidius, both the millstones and the asses that turned them were garlanded with violets and hung with small loaves. Each month the Vestal Virgins swept Vesta’s house and offerings were made on the Kalends, Nones, and Ides (New Moon, First Quarter, and Full Moon). From the Nones Iunius until XVII Kal Quint (15 June) there could be no marriages. During this period, the flaminica Dialis (wife of the priest of Jupiter and acting as high priestess of Juno) would remove her usual ritual garments of a bride and wear the dress of mourning. Her hair was hung down to remain uncombed throughout the whole period, her nails were uncut and she could have no marital relations with her husband.
Vesta is still
the essence of the goddess from antiquity. She is still the
unsleeping fire of the domestic hearth and overseer of the home
where family and a sense of belonging reign, and from which the
fruits of the earth are prepared and stored. Like the flame
itself, Vesta’s unwavering warmth encompasses Her sphere of
influence and remains a force behind a decided lineage between
mired existence and viable civilization. The prolific and
virtuous aspirations of the Great Goddess are attested to in the
consistent components of security, endurance, and comfort that
we receive from Her. These characteristics ensure our
prosperity, belie our decline, and ultimately determine and
cultivate Humanitas (see Virtues page). Vesta never ceases to
remind us that Her flame is always near, always burning and
always harboring the universal strand of life.
Vesta is the great force that continues to transform our lives. Her protection, fruitfulness, warmth and virtue represent a sympathetic return to purism; to our humble beginnings when family and security meant everything, and when all fruits were yielded to the hearth. In ancient Rome, the holidays of Vesta enabled the sanctity of home, mind and body. The Romans revered Vesta’s gentle flame as procurement for emotional and physical comfort, as a source of stability, and as a conduit to internal peace. Today the term ‘spring cleaning’ is both literal and metaphorical. It denotes purification of ourselves and of our environment. By removing the debris and clutter that we accumulate, we free up all the areas of our lives, so that we may not only be receptive to Vesta’s gifts but also adverse to stagnation. Light a candle and say a prayer to Vesta, prepare mola salsa, or create your own unique offering from your sacred culinary center. Set aside a period of time for internal cleansing by abstaining from toxins whether physical, environmental or mental. Create a special place, a sanctuary for Vesta, where you can meditate and accept Her grace. By acknowledging Vesta’s presence in our lives, we sustain our understanding of the nature of the hearth and of Her lucid wisdom; the unaffected conscience which even in a complex and ever-changing world continues to reach deep into our souls.
Main festivals: 15 February: Lupercalia, 9 June; Vestalia Month sacred to: December Day sacred to: 6 March Offerings: wine, incense, meat, bay laurel, juniper, violets, mola salsa (see Recipes for Offerings page) Common prayers to Vesta in antiquity were for: Healthy childbirth, fertility, female bodily functions, chastity
Rite:
Ritus Romanus (head covered)
Hymn to Vesta
Come, Vesta,
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