Hestia, Hephaestus, and Me Essay Example

he is the patron of metal workers and weavers. His wife Aphrodite, cheated on him with his brother Ares, in the bed Hephaestus had made for her, but Hephaestus got revenge on them because, as they lay in the bed chains emerged and trapped them there, exposing them to the rest of the Olympians when Hephaestus called them all together to witness his adulterous wife and brother.

Being an artist I associate with Hephaestus’ particular desire to create beautiful items, whether they are functional or not. I can also relate to how introverted he was. Fearing how they will treat me, I also don’t enjoy being around lots of people. The one aspect of his personality I have trouble connecting to is his jealousy. He was jealous of how Hera treated him for being lame, and that his wife cheated on him. Personally, I am not really a jealous person. I feel that if a person feels jealousy it is more that they are insecure in themselves.

Hestia and Hephaestus mutually represent fire in their own ways, Hestia as the Goddess of the hearth, and Hephaestus and the God of the Forge. Just as you need fire to heat your home and cook your food, you also require it to soften metal to expedite its bending and shaping. These two also parallel each other by being known for their warmth, generosity and kindness. They are known to only venture from Mount Olympus on very rare occasions, preferring instead to stay home and tend to their familial obligations.

After discovering that my personality is so closely bond to Hestia and Hephaestus, and reading about their own traits, I was

not surprised because of how close they parallel the Keirsey Personality test we took at the beginning of the semester. As a guardian personality, I pride myself of being hard-working like Hephaestus, and dutiful like Hestia. Our traits of being dependable, helpful and focused on traditions also run deep. Guardians are the cornerstone of society and in the times of the Olympian Gods so was the hearth. Knowing that Hestia was appointed as ‘household manager’ of Mount Olympus it makes sense when you read that people with the guardian personality have a natural talent in managing goods and service, and tend to use these skills to keep things running smoothly in their families, communities and businesses.

Upon discovering the God and Goddess that my personality most resembles, I was at first a little disappointed because they did not seem to be strong independent figures. However, once I did some more investigation into Hestia and Hephaestus, I realized that they are stronger than the other Olympians in many ways. Hestia is strong in that she has a great deal of responsibility as she oversees the day to day functionality of Mount Olympus. Without her there to ‘make sure things get done’ the Olympian Palace would far into disorder and possibly even chaos. Hephaestus has had to find inner strength to deal with the ridicule over his personal appearance and the scorn over his disability. These are all things I have had to deal with my entire life. First it was mockery and teasing from my peers over my extreme weight and diminutive height, and later became total disregard of my skills, talents, and achievements. I realized that

due to each these experiences I have become a stronger person and am better for it.

I pray that in the future I will be able to look towards my strengths and resolve any weaknesses. Confidence and strength of purpose are going to be key in using what I have learned to assist me in improving each day. Using my latent abilities to be a stable leader and dependable member of society should aid me in becoming successful in any path I choose to go down. This knowledge can help me strengthen the bonds I have with my family, and hopefully help me add a few new members.