temptation to be unfaithful—as long as she is unaffected by Aphrod-
ite.
A Hestia wife may look like a dependent wife, comfortably living
out the traditional role. Her appearance may be misleading however,
for she maintains an inner autonomy. Part of her quietly remains a
one-in-herself virgin goddess. She does not need a man to feel
emotionally fulfilled. Without him, life for her would be different
but would not lose its meaning or purpose.
The “job description” of traditional married women seems to dif-
fer, depending on which goddess is the most active. Hera’s emphasis
is on “wife,” Demeter’s is on “mother,” Athena’s on maintaining an
efficient and smooth-running household, which makes “housewife”
her designation. Hestia would list her own occupation as “home-
maker.”
RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEN
Hestia women attract men who are drawn toward quiet, unassert-
ive, self-sufficient women who will be good wives. Such men see
themselves in the traditional role of head of household and bread-
winner. Men who want sexy women, women who will mother or
inspire them, or be their upwardly mobile partners look elsewhere.
Often a Hestia woman attracts men who view women as either
madonnas or whores. These men classify women as “good” if they
are sexually inexperienced, uninterested in sex, and thus “saintly.”
They classify women as “bad” or “loose” if they are attracted to men
and sexually responsive. This kind of man marries the former and
has affairs with the latter. Married to this kind of man, a Hestia
woman could stay unenlightened about the pleasures of sexuality
because her husband doesn’t want a sexually responsive wife with
desires of her own.
Many contented traditional marriages are unions of a Hermes
husband, who is a businessman-traveler-communicator-entrepreneur
agilely negotiating the outside world, and a Hestia wife, who keeps
the home fires burning. Often this arrangement works very well for
both. Each finds great personal satisfaction in what he and she are
doing as individuals,
Hestia: I Goddess of the Hearth and Temple, Wise Woman and