VESTA. The name Vesta, with the archaic suffix-ta, is derived from the root *a1eu, "to burn." It encompasses two stems: stem 1, *a1eu-s, is found in the Greek heuo and the Latin uro, "I burn"; stem 2, *a1u-es, lies at the base of the Latin Vesta and most probably also of the Greek Hestia. The intrinsic bond between the goddess and fire, ignis Vestae ("fire of Vesta"; Paulus-Festus, ed. W. M. Lindsay, 1913, p. 94 L.), was understood perfectly by the ancients, even though they were sometimes tempted to propose fanciful etymologies; Festus, for example, in order to explain Vesta's round sanctuary identifies her with the round earth (Paulus-Festus, ed. W. M. Lindsay, 1913, p. 320 L.). The semantic connection between the Latin goddess and the Greek goddess was conceded by Cicero (De natura deorum 2.67), who also believed that Vesta had been borrowed from the Greeks.

Although the cult of...