Goddessing: Goddess Religion, Pagan Blog

Vestalia, Vesta, Vestal Virgins

Friday, June 09, 2006

Vestalia, Vesta, Vestal Virgins posted by Sage -- 11:18 AM.
Blogger: Haloscan: . .

Ancient Rome's "greatest priesthood" [Priestesses] -- the Vestal Virgins -- were dedicated to Vesta, living flame and Roman goddess of the hearth fire and of the state.

A state festival generally called the Vestalia occurred from June 7 through June 15 in honor of Vesta, her "temple" (or house) and her priestesses, the Vestal Virgins.

Starting with preliminary activities as early as June 5th and culminating at the Ides of the month, the high point of this festival was the penus Vestae which took place on June 9. On this day, the curtains that concealed the inner sanctum of Vesta's temple and the holy objects associated with it were drawn back, and between June 9 and June 15 all women were allowed to enter this holy of holies, shoeless, to worship and make food offerings or sacrifices to the goddess. On the 15th, the Vestals held a cleaning or purification ritual, the curtain was again drawn around the area, and for the rest of the year the sacred precinct was open only to the Vestals.

Who were the Vestals? What was their origin? What purposes did they serve. There are some straightforward answers to these questions and some interesting clues to other answers, some of which indicate that theirs was not a priestesshood contemporary women would necessarily want to aspire to. Time allowing, I'll explore some of these questions here in the next few days. If not; next year!

The importance to Rome and Romans of Vesta's sacred flame and of the Vestal Virgins who guarded and tended it, however, cannot be questioned. Consider this excerpt from the Roman historian Livy (BCE 178), quoted in Norma Lorre Goodrich's compelling book, Priestesses:

A Vestal Scourged (206 B.C.)

It was a frightful year. Two snakes slithered around Jupiter's temple. Reapers discovered ears of grass that appeared to be stained with blood. A pig was born with two heads. A lamb was born hermaphrodite. Two suns shone over Alba. A strange light appeared in the nighttime sky. Out in the country an ox spoke some words about Rome.

In the city Neptune's altar dripped sweat. The temples of Ceres and Romulus were struck by lightning.

The Consuls ordered the necessary worship and prayers, which were performed.

Then a worse calamity struck at night. It caused more terror than all these other dire prodigies moving from the country into Rome itself: the eternal fire in the temple of Vesta was allowed to go out.

The Pontifex Maximus ... took prompt action, ordering the Vestal who had been on duty that night to be scourged, sacrifices offered, and a day of prayer observed at Vesta's temple.