Fire worship fire of the hearth and fire of the forge. Hearth worship was maintained in Rome by the Vestal Virgins, who served the goddess Vesta, protector of the home, who had a sacred flame as the symbol of her presence in the city ("cf." Sacred fire of Vesta). The Greek equivalent of the goddess was Hestia, whose worship is less well attested. The fire of the forge was associated with the Greek god Hephaestus and the Roman equivalent Vulcan. These two seem to have served both as craft-guild patrons and as protectors against accidental fires in cities. Also associated with fire
The Cloister and the Hearth The Cloister and the Hearth The Cloister and the Hearth (1861) is a historical novel by the English author Charles Reade. Set in the 15th century, it relates the story revolving about the travels of a young scribe and illuminator, Gerard Eliassoen, through several European countries. "The Cloister and the Hearth" often describes the events, people and their practices in minute detail. Its main theme is the struggle between man's obligations to family and to Church. Based on a few lines by the humanist Erasmus about the life of his parents, the novel began as a serial in "Once a