Vesta, the goddess of the domestic hearth and preserver of the flame of immortality,was the daughter of primal god Saturn and Ops, the goddess of the harvest. Unlike her sister, Juno and Ceres , Vesta did not want to marry and remained a virgin. Once when she went to feast held by the goddess Cybele, she fell asleep.
Priapus, the god of fertility, saw her and was filled with desire. But as he approached her, a donkey belonging to the satyr Silenus brayed loudly in her ear. Vesta awoke at once and all the other guest came running to see what had made such a noise. Priapus was foiled and Vesta's honor was preserved.
Hence, during the feast held in honor of Vesta, donkeys were crowned with flowers. According to some accounts, the object sacred to the cult of Vesta were the hearth fire and pure water in a clay vase. Althought the goddess Hestia is Often considered to be the Greek counterpart of Vesta, the Romans accorded far more importance to the hearth goddess in their religion than the Greeks.
Vesta Temple in Rome
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Silenus
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Snub-nosed and thick-lipped, Selinus often got so drunk that he could not even ride his donkey without falling off.
goddess Cybele
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