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Vesta is the goddess of the hearth and its flame, the etymological equivalent of Hestia in Greek religion. She was prominent in the household cult of the family. She is not frequently depicted in art, although her image was sometimes depicted in the household shrines, or lararia. The relative lack of artistic depictions may derive from the common conception of the goddess as the flame itself. Indeed, in her principal temple in the Roman Forum, there was no statue of the goddess, but simply the flame of the state hearth.
Her state cult was very ancient, perhaps tied to the royal household cult of Rome under the kings (traditionally 753-509 BCE). According to Ovid (Fast. 6.257-267), her cult was introduced by the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius. Her state cult was associated with the protection and stability of the city, and for this reason it was considered highly dangerous for the priestesses of the goddess, the Vestal Virgins, to neglect the essential duties of the cult, in particular, letting the flame on the hearth go out or violating their chastity. For more on the Vestal Virgins, go to the Cella of the Temple of Vesta and look for the priestess there.
Vesta's special animal was the ass, for according to myth, he protected her from being raped in her sleep by the fertility god Priapus by letting out a loud bray and awakening her (Ov. Fast. 6.319-348). Reportedly in memory of this act, the custom derived of adorning asses with loaves of bread during the festival of the goddess, the Vestalia, in June, which also included a holiday for bakers and millers. Sheep were commonly sacrificed to the goddess in other rituals.