December 30th- Hestia

There's a bit of dispute over Hestia as one of the 12 Olympians, but she is one of the children of Cronus and Rhea, and the other possibility to include is Dionysius. I went with the goddess of the hearth, home and family rather than the god of wine, festivity, ritual madness and religious ecstasy. 
Her role as goddess of the hearth placed at the centre of every household, and because fire was often used to burn offerings she technically received the first offering in any religious sacrifice. 
Hestia was primarily a goddess of the women of the household. The hearth was the centre of the home, and extinction of the domestic fire represented a failure of domestic and religious duties. It could be ritually extinguished, but re-lightning was also accompanied by rituals to ensure the continued protection of the goddess. 

This is a 6th century tapestry depicting Hestia and attendants. It's made from wool, and was crated in northern Egypt. It's currently held in a collection in Washington DC. 

Unlike most of the other Olympians Hestia is a remarkably straightforward goddess. She was one of the virgin goddesses and as guardian of the hearth fire was unable to move around like the other Olympians getting up to trouble!

This is the limited edition shade of Superfine Merino & Silk for today. You can find it in the online shop until stocks run out, and as always it forms part of the Buy 2 Get a third half price offer available on this fibre blend. I am happy to combine orders, but will need you to add a note when you purchase each day. I usually have a lot of orders to process on the first day back and without a note it's highly likely I will miss that you have multiple orders.