ROLE: Goddess of the Hearth
Goddess of the Home
SYMBOL: Fire
PARENTS: Cronus and Rhea
In Rome, Vesta was served by six girls from the patrician class, chosen by lot at the age of six. They were then expected to serve as a Vestal Virgin between the ages of ten and forty in the House of the Vestals, the Atrium Vestae, in the Roman Forum. Once their time was served, they could then marry but few did as they were considered 'too old' by this time. Their main role was to ensure Vesta's sacred flame continued to burn and their main restriction was a vow to chastity; if they broke this vow then they could be whipped to death or buried alive - it is reported that only twenty broke their vows in a thousand years.
Goddess of the Home
SYMBOL: Fire
PARENTS: Cronus and Rhea
In Rome, Vesta was served by six girls from the patrician class, chosen by lot at the age of six. They were then expected to serve as a Vestal Virgin between the ages of ten and forty in the House of the Vestals, the Atrium Vestae, in the Roman Forum. Once their time was served, they could then marry but few did as they were considered 'too old' by this time. Their main role was to ensure Vesta's sacred flame continued to burn and their main restriction was a vow to chastity; if they broke this vow then they could be whipped to death or buried alive - it is reported that only twenty broke their vows in a thousand years.