In another of my ‘when fandoms collide’ moments – author, radio presenter, stand up and classicist Natalie Haynes has just created a thread pairing Taylor Swift songs with goddesses from the pantheon!
Hooray! And ht to @ StefArchivist who sent me this first thing, knowing I’d be in awe!
Next up is the wild winter child of the hill and the road – Evermore!
Who else but Hestia could be Evermore? Overlooked in recent times, she was once the heart of every household. Hestia is the goddess of hearth – and the fire that burns within. She is older sister to the biggest names in Greek gods: Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus, just as
Evermore is a sister album to Folklore. Hestia never pushes her way into the spotlight like her siblings might. Her slow burning power feeds into every track on this album, she just radiates warmth so we always come back to her. When ancient Greeks wanted to say
‘let’s start at the beginning’, they said ‘let’s start with Hestia.’ So why not begin your day by listening to Evermore?
Hestia never marries, turning down a couple of unsuitable batchelors before settling on a flatshare. So she knows all about Champagne Problems, though for her
they’d be Nectar Problems. And Hestia’s values of familial love and friendship are right there in Marjorie and Dorothea. And if Hestia were in a murderous mood, she would definitely ask Haim to help her out.
Taylor told us in lockdown that ‘this pain wouldn’t be for / evermore’. So remember this: if you have ever come home and found warmth – literal or metaphorical – you have had an encounter with the goddess Hestia.
To learn more about her, pick up a copy of Divine Might, out now ⚡️
(The fresco of Vesta from Pompeii pictured here was first sent to me by @pompei79 ❤️🏛️)
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