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Hestia

Goddess of the Hearth

Hestia was the Olympian Goddess of the Hearth, Fire, and Family, the firstborn child of Cronos and Rhea. A virgin goddess who tended the royal hearth of Olympus, she did not appear during the fall of Greece, but voiced her contempt for the destruction Kratos and his Spartan armies brought upon the worshipers of the gods.

By Joe Garratt

Hestia was the Olympian Goddess of the Hearth, Fire, Architecture, and Family, the firstborn child of Cronos and Rhea. Among the eldest of the gods and a sister to Zeus, she kept herself apart from the wars and conquests of Greece, yet she did not hide her disdain for the ruin that Kratos and his armies visited upon the faithful.

The eldest of the Kronides#

Hestia was the firstborn child of the Titans Cronos and Rhea, and the virgin goddess of the hearth, of both the private home and the public sanctuary. As goddess of the family hearth she presided over the baking of bread and the preparation of the household meal, and as goddess of the sacrificial flame she received a share of every offering made to the gods.

Like her siblings she was swallowed by her father Cronos at her birth. When Zeus later forced the old Titan to disgorge his children, Hestia, the first to be swallowed, was the last to be brought forth again, and so was reckoned both the eldest and the youngest of the six Kronides. Because she was the first taken, she suffered longest inside her father. When both Poseidon and Apollo later sought her hand in marriage, Hestia refused them and asked Zeus to let her remain forever a virgin. He agreed, and she took her place at his royal hearth.

Contempt for the conquest#

Hestia kept herself remote from the affairs that consumed Greece, and she did not appear amid the campaigns of Kratos. In one brief moment, however, she was seen within the halls of Olympus speaking with her sister Demeter. When the Ghost of Sparta stepped into the room the two daughters of Cronos withdrew, and as they did they shared their disregard for the conquests and the destruction that Kratos and his Spartan armies had brought upon Greece, slaughtering the worshipers of the gods. The sisters of Zeus were owed great respect among the Olympians, yet Hestia alone among them bore the King of the Gods no children.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Hestia in God of War?
Hestia was the Olympian Goddess of the Hearth, Fire, Architecture, and Family, and the firstborn child of the Titans Cronos and Rhea. A sister to Zeus, she was a virgin goddess of both the private home and the public sanctuary, and she kept herself apart from the wars and conquests of Greece.
Why is Hestia called both the eldest and youngest of the Kronides?
Like her siblings, Hestia was swallowed by her father Cronos at birth. When Zeus forced Cronos to disgorge his children, Hestia, the first swallowed, was the last brought forth again, so she was reckoned both the eldest and the youngest of the six Kronides.
Why did Hestia remain a virgin goddess?
When both Poseidon and Apollo sought her hand in marriage, Hestia refused them and asked Zeus to let her remain forever a virgin. He agreed, and she took her place at his royal hearth. Alone among the sisters of Zeus, she bore him no children.
Does Hestia appear during Kratos's campaign?
Hestia did not appear amid the campaigns of Kratos. In one brief moment she was seen within the halls of Olympus speaking with her sister Demeter, and as the two daughters of Cronos withdrew they shared their disregard for the conquests and destruction Kratos and his Spartan armies had brought upon Greece.

Sources

  • WikiHestiaGod of War Wiki entry

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