I read that poem about Hestia and I like it, don’t get me wrong but I actually always view Hestia as a goddess of necessity, rather than one of luxury. She’s the safety of home and the nutrients of breakfast. She’s tea and coffee and all that, yes, but that’s hardly luxurious at least not when compared to the other Theoi esp Aphordite and Dionysus. Good poem though.

pieandhotdogs:

Au contraire dear anon! Just a glance at the Orphic Hymn 24 to Hestia indicates otherwise:

“Hestia, you who tend the holy house of the lord Apollo, the Far-shooter at goodly Pytho, with soft oil dripping ever from your locks, come now into this house, come, having one mind with Zeus the all-wise —draw near, and withal bestow grace upon my song.”

I would like to bring the focus to the phrase “with soft oil dripping ever from your locks”, because that is indicative of the luxury surrounding Hestia, and the Theoi as a whole.

Remember that the ancient world was a fairly smelly place. Running water was a rare occurrence, and daily or even weekly bathing was a luxury that few could afford. Domesticated animals such as goats and cows milled about the polis with the public, adding certain aromas to the marketplace. Without modern air conditioning, even the wealthiest of Hellenes were likely sweaty messes throughout the day, and commoners were a hopeless cause as far as keeping the stink out was concerned.

Remember that our modern alcohol-based perfumes didn’t come into vogue until the Elizabethan era, so perfumes were made up of scented oils, which required a much larger quantity to mask body odor and sweat. The wealthy were often smeared head to toe with oils and were particularly pungent with the scent of flowers and incense.

The ancients would have envisioned their gods in the same manner as their beautiful and wealthy citizens. One could imagine that the Theoi were exceedingly fragrant, and likely shined with the amount of oil that bathed their godly skins. Indeed, Hestia appears in the hymns as having oil “ever-flowing” from her hair. This is a symbol of the very luxury that exemplifies Olympos.

You’re correct that Hestia seems to be a “simpler” goddess than her siblings. However, this is indicative of her role as an intermediary between mortals and gods. She receives our prayers and takes them to the foot of her holy brethren, but even more importantly, she brings the light, glory, and yes, the luxury of immortality into our very homes. She is a light-bearer of the grace of the Theoi, and it does her, and us, a disservice to downplay that godly nature.