Hestina
Goddess of the Sun Hestina
Hestina, Goddess of the Sun, is the radiant embodiment of life, light, and prosperity. Known as the Eternal Flame, her warmth nurtures the world of Valthor, bringing vitality and growth to all living beings. As a symbol of hope and renewal, Hestina’s presence ensures the balance of creation alongside her divine counterpart, Than, the Goddess of Death.
Divine Domains
Hestina’s domain, Solvalithar, is a realm of eternal light and renewal situated within Than’s Veil. It is the resting place for the most virtuous souls, where radiant meadows, golden orchards, and celestial libraries flourish under a perpetual sunrise. This haven represents the highest ideals of life and prosperity, offering peace to those who lived selflessly and honourably. While a full exploration of Solvalithar is available in its dedicated article, under 'The Veil', furhter exploring the sanctuary where souls bask in Hestina’s radiance.
Artifacts
Throughout history, countless artefacts have been dedicated to Hestina, particularly during her rise as a prominent goddess in the Blood Age (1 AS–6000 AS). Temples, adorned with sunburst motifs and carved from Luminith, a radiant white marble veined with crimson and gold, stand as symbols of her life-giving warmth and cycles of renewal. This marble, created by Than as a wedding gift, represents their union and the perfect balance of light and shadow.
Among the most revered artefacts is the Shield of the Eternal Sun, a ceremonial piece crafted from Luminith and imbued with divine blessings. This shield is said to reflect the harshest darkness and channel Hestina’s protective radiance. Temples often display replicas of this shield to inspire courage in her followers.
The Chronicles of Radiance, sacred illuminated manuscripts bound in gold and Luminith, recount the goddess’s journey and virtues. These texts include stories of her meeting Than and their union, as well as her brief, tumultuous affair with Menodora, marked by the heavens with the first solar eclipse. Such tales, though imperfect, serve as parables of love, passion, and redemption.
Holy Books & Codes
The Chronicles of Radiance, Hestina’s primary holy text, is a collection of hymns, parables, and teachings structured around the Seven Circles of Virtue. Each virtue is explored through allegorical tales, including the lives of mortal champions who embodied her ideals. The text also includes the Oath of the Red Knight, a sacred vow taken by her warriors to protect life and uphold justice in her name. The Red Knight’s tale is a central narrative, describing their divine trials and their role as Hestina’s hand in the mortal realm.
The Chronicles recount her love story with Than, symbolising the harmony of life and death. It also details her moment of weakness with Menodora, not as a scandal but as a lesson about imperfection and the pursuit of forgiveness. These texts evolved from hymns sung during the Blood Age to ornate illuminated manuscripts crafted during the Light Age.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Hestina’s symbols are the sun and the shield, representing her protective and life-giving nature. Her sigil, a blazing sun encircled by golden rays, is often inscribed on temple walls and shields of her devoted warriors. Her shields are frequently decorated with intricate sunbursts, serving as a physical representation of her light’s ability to guard and inspire.
Tenets of Faith
Hestina’s faith is deeply rooted in the Seven Virtues, encouraging her followers to lead lives of compassion, courage, and integrity. Her teachings emphasise the sanctity of life and the importance of nurturing it as a divine gift, fostering kindness and humility in all interactions. Loyalty to family and the bonds of kinship are held sacred, urging followers to protect and honour those closest to them. Courage is a cornerstone of her doctrine, inspiring individuals to face adversity with bravery and resilience. Selflessness and generosity are celebrated as the highest forms of virtue, guiding her faithful to offer aid to others and strengthen the sacred connection between mortals and dragons. The pursuit of wisdom and knowledge is encouraged, fostering personal growth and the guidance of others through life’s complexities. Justice and honour are paramount, demanding truthfulness and fairness in all actions. Finally, Hestina’s teachings call for the preservation of history and the creations of those who came before, respecting the legacies that shape the present and future. These tenets illuminate the path to a life of virtue, ensuring one’s place within the radiant embrace of Solvalithar.
Holidays
Hestina’s followers celebrate several holy days during her sacred seasons, Vernathar (spring) and Solithar (summer). The holiest hour is midday, when the sun stands at its zenith, representing her strength and clarity.
Key celebrations include:
The Zenith Festival:
Held on the summer solstice, this festival honours her at the height of her power. Rituals of renewal, sunlit dances, and shield blessings feature prominently.Vernathar’s Awakening:
Marking the start of spring, this day celebrates life’s renewal with planting ceremonies and fertility rites.The Day of Radiance:
Commemorating her union with Than, this day celebrates harmony through shared feasts and storytelling.Divine Goals & Aspirations
Hestina’s divine goals are rooted in her unwavering commitment to nurturing life, fostering harmony, and guiding souls toward virtue. She seeks to illuminate the mortal realm with the light of compassion and understanding, inspiring individuals to uphold the values of kindness, courage, and selflessness. Her mission extends to the preservation of the sacred bonds between mortals and dragons, recognising their connection as a cornerstone of balance and strength in Valthor. Hestina also strives to protect the natural cycles of life, ensuring the world remains vibrant and fertile through her seasons of Vernathar and Solithar. In the Veil, she aims to reward virtuous souls in Solvalithar, offering them eternal peace and the chance for reincarnation when it serves a higher purpose. As a symbol of justice and honour, Hestina works to restore balance wherever it is threatened, championing fairness and the protection of the innocent. Above all, she seeks to cultivate a world where love, integrity, and courage shine brightly, empowering mortals to leave behind a legacy of goodness and resilience.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Hestina is a figure of radiant beauty, her flowing red hair likened to the flames of the Sun, and her golden eyes shining with celestial wisdom. Her presence is often accompanied by an aura of light and warmth, inspiring awe and comfort in those who behold her.
Body Features
Hestina is an imposing figure, her presence radiant and commanding. Her skin glows with a soft, golden hue, interwoven with fiery veins that pulse with the sun’s radiance as though molten light courses through her. Her tall, athletic physique exudes strength and grace, symbolising both the nurturing warmth of the sun and its devastating power. Her arms and shoulders often appear marbled with cracks of glowing magma, especially when her divine power is fully unleashed.
Facial Features
Hestina’s face is regal, framed by long, flowing red hair reminiscent of a burning sunset. Her golden eyes shimmer with warmth and intensity, reflecting her divine wisdom and unyielding power. Her high cheekbones and strong jawline emphasise her status as a goddess, while her full lips curve in expressions ranging from gentle kindness to fierce determination.
Identifying Characteristics
Her attire is adorned with intricate gold patterns that shimmer like sunlight, and she is often depicted with a crown of golden rays symbolising her divine connection to the Sun.
Physical quirks
The glowing veins that streak across her body intensify during moments of emotional intensity or battle, almost as if her internal light cannot be contained. When she is particularly wrathful or inspired, the air around her shimmers with heat, and faint embers swirl at her feet. Her presence is accompanied by a subtle, comforting warmth that mortals feel in her proximity, though it can become scorching if she wills it.
Special abilities
Hestina’s abilities are rooted in her dominion over the sun and its life-giving energy:
Solar Radiance: Her body emits an aura of light that inspires courage in allies and instils fear in enemies. The intensity of the light can be adjusted, from a gentle glow to a blinding burst.
Phoenix’s Wrath: Hestina can summon searing waves of fire, leaving the land fertile in their aftermath—a testament to her duality as a creator and destroyer.
Sunlit Vitality: Her presence heals wounds, rejuvenates the spirit, and purifies corruption. Her radiance can revive those on the brink of death and cleanse dark magic.
Shield of the Sun: Solguard can project a barrier of light, capable of deflecting even the most potent attacks.
Apparel & Accessories
Hestina is adorned in flowing garments of radiant gold and white, intricately embroidered with sun motifs. Her armour, when worn, is an elegant fusion of functionality and divine artistry—gleaming golden plates that seem to capture and refract sunlight. She wears jewellery made of celestial metals, including a sun-shaped diadem that sits upon her brow and earrings that resemble solar flares. Gold rings with fire-like engravings adorn her fingers, each carrying divine significance.
Specialized Equipment
Hestina wields a large, ornate shield called Solguard, which is crafted from a fragment of a fallen star. The shield’s surface reflects her light in dazzling patterns, blinding enemies and inspiring allies. It bears the engraved symbol of a radiant sun, which glows with intense heat when used in battle. Solguard is not only a tool of protection but also a weapon capable of channelling solar energy into devastating blasts.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Hestina was born of the cosmos during the First Dawn, a time when light first pierced the primordial void. As a young goddess, her initial years were marked by boundless curiosity and a desire to fill the world with beauty and life. Her first creations were humble—fields of sunflowers, radiant rivers, and golden meadows—but they would become iconic symbols of her influence.
Hestina’s meeting with Than remains one of the most celebrated tales among gods and mortals alike. During her youthful wanderings, she encountered the Goddess of Death, serene and enigmatic, tending to a newly departed soul. Despite their contrasting domains, Hestina was drawn to Than’s quiet wisdom and unwavering resolve. Than, in turn, was captivated by Hestina’s radiant optimism. Their bond grew, and over centuries of shared trials, they became not only companions but also the embodiment of balance—life and death, light and shadow, forever intertwined.
One of Hestina’s defining moments was her decision to support Than during the creation of the Unliving. Although reluctant at first, fearing the corruption of the natural cycle, she ultimately stood by her wife, understanding the depth of Than’s grief and love for mortals. This act solidified their divine partnership and proved Hestina’s capacity for empathy and understanding.
Sexuality
Hestina’s sexuality is fluid and open, guided by her deep emotional connections rather than strict labels. Her relationships are rooted in the bonds of the soul, rather than physicality alone. Her most notable romance, beyond her eternal marriage to Than, was her affair with Menodora, Goddess of Dreams. Menodora’s quiet allure and shared connection with the night captivated Hestina during a time of inner turmoil.
Although brief, their affair became a source of embarrassment for Hestina, as it revealed her vulnerability and her fear of being with anyone lesser than Than. When Than forgave her without hesitation, it deepened Hestina’s understanding of herself and her own flaws, reinforcing the unshakable strength of their bond.
Failures & Embarrassments
Hestina’s affair with Menodora is her greatest embarrassment, though not because of guilt or regret. Rather, it stems from her own realisation that she could never truly see anyone as her equal beside Than. While Menodora was a divine figure in her own right, Hestina came to understand that her heart would always belong to her wife, whose wisdom and strength complemented her own.
This self-reflection humbled Hestina and taught her to embrace vulnerability, a lesson she would later pass on to her followers through the Seven Virtues. Her forgiveness from Than stands as a testament to the power of understanding and compassion, virtues Hestina strives to embody in all her actions.
Intellectual Characteristics
Hestina is a deeply introspective and philosophical goddess, her wisdom stemming not only from her role as the life-bringer but also from her constant balancing act between passion and discipline. She has a sharp mind and a strategic approach to problem-solving, often seeking long-term solutions rather than immediate gains.
Her creativity is boundless, and she channels it into both the natural world and her teachings. Hestina is also an exceptional orator, inspiring mortals and gods alike with her words. However, her intellect is tempered by an emotional core that ensures her decisions are not purely logical but also compassionate.
While she values order and discipline, she does not shy away from chaos or challenge. Her creation of the Seven Circles of Virtue is a prime example of her intellectual depth, as each circle represents a complex moral and philosophical concept designed to guide mortals and immortal souls alike.
Morality & Philosophy
Hestina’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that light is both a nurturer and a guide. She teaches her followers that life is a journey of self-discovery and growth, illuminated by the virtues of kindness, loyalty, courage, generosity, wisdom, honour, and selflessness. These values are immortalised in the Seven Circles of Virtue, each representing a critical aspect of a virtuous life.
Her philosophy also acknowledges the necessity of sacrifice and trials. The legend of the Red Knight, a mortal who became a champion of her light after enduring great suffering and proving themselves through her divine trials, epitomises her belief that greatness often requires hardship. Those who die for her name, achieving the ideals of the Seven Circles, become eternal beacons of light in her service.
Hestina also believes that no soul is beyond redemption. Even those who stray from the path can find their way back through reflection and selfless acts, aligning her philosophy closely with Than’s.
Taboos
Hestina’s taboos reflect her unwavering commitment to courage, loyalty, and the bonds of trust that sustain both mortals and immortals. These taboos guide her followers and embody her disdain for actions that undermine her values.
Cowardice: Hestina holds courage as a sacred virtue. To act with cowardice, especially in the face of trials or challenges, is to betray the strength and fortitude she teaches. Her followers are expected to face their fears, even when the odds seem insurmountable, as bravery is the path to growth and enlightenment.
Faithlessness: Betrayal of trust or lack of loyalty to one’s word, kin, or cause is an unforgivable offense in Hestina’s eyes. Faithlessness destroys the bonds that tie individuals to each other and to their purpose, eroding the very foundation of honour and light. Her followers must remain steadfast in their commitments, reflecting the loyalty she herself displays to Than and her creations.
By rejecting cowardice and faithlessness, Hestina’s followers demonstrate their adherence to her values, embodying the courage and loyalty that define her divine legacy.
Relationships
Profile Picture Credit
The profile picture of Hestina, Goddess of the Sun, was created by the incredibly talented artist badasserywomen on Tumblr. Their work served as both the visual representation and inspiration for Hestina’s design in this article. All rights to the artwork belong to the original creator.
Titles and Epithets
The Eternal Sun
Radiance of Life
Keeper of the Seven Circles
The Golden Mother
Divine Domains
Sunlight
Life and Vitality
Justice and Virtue
Fertility and Prosperity
Symbols
A blazing sun encircled by seven rings
A sun
A sheild
Virtues of Hestina
Kindness
Loyalty
Fortitude
Generosity
Wisdom
Honour
Selflessness
Divine Classification
Goddess
Species
Realm
Church/Cult
Age
Everlasting
Family
Siblings
Children
Pronouns
She/her
Sex
Female
Gender
Woman
Eyes
Golden
Hair
Long red
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale gold with veins of glowing radiance
Height
6'11'
Ruled Locations
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