One of the things that I love about teaching 6th grade, is that I get to learn about all of the ancient civilizations. We talk about Rome, Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The best part about it has been learning how the gospel correlates with each of these different civilizations. I have seen how Mesopotamia flourished and fell because of their dealings with Jerusalem. I have also gotten a deeper understanding of why it was so important to find a Roman citizen (Paul) to help spread the gospel after the death of Jesus Christ. I have also seen how Egypt went from being a polytheistic nation (believing in many gods and goddesses) to believing in one true God during one Pharaoh's rule (Joseph's influence?). My newest insight came to me today as I was visiting teaching both of the sisters I teach today.
The title of the Visiting Teaching Message this month is "Guardian of the Hearth." (My thoughts: I have never used the word "hearth" except for when teaching about Greek Mythology, so it piqued my interest.) In 1995, when President Gordon B. Hinckley introduced "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" in the general Relief Society meeting, he said the following to the women of the church, "You are the guardians of the hearth, You are the bearers of the children. You are they who nurture them and establish within them the habits of their lives. No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God."
First of all, how cool is that to be called a guardian? I really did imagine a warrior princess defending her homeland and her home. Someone that is at the front of the gate, keeping evil out. It was so cool to think that we as women have that role of keeping out evil from our homes and protecting our family. Of course, the first warrior princess I looked up to was, She-Ra. :) Then maybe a Xena type warrior.
Now as I had said, the only time I had really used the word hearth, was in Greek mythology, but I know it has to do with the fireplace as well. When I think of a fireplace, I think of good things, I imagine warmth, good memories, family gathered around telling stories. The hearth is to be the symbol of what home is supposed to be like. It is supposed to remind us of good times and warm feelings of love towards one another.
Now, how does Greek mythology play a role into my thinking? One of my favorite juvenile book series is: Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It is written by Rick Riordan and is so great for my students because it teaches about Greek mythology in a fun action-packed book. In the last book, "The Last Olympian", Percy and his friends are trying to save Mt. Olympus from falling to the Titans and their leader Kronos. As all of the Olympians are out trying to fight the Titans, Percy travels to Mt. Olympus, the home of the gods, and finds that one goddess is left behind. It is Hestia, goddess of the hearth and home. She explains that she does not have any great powers and is the least of all of the gods. (Isn't that how the world would like us to think, taking care of the home is the least important of all the jobs?)
She then goes on to tell Percy that it is harder and harder to keep the flames of the fire going because of the weakening of the gods as they are away from their home. Long story short, Percy knows that in the prophecy about him, he will make a decision that will either bring the destruction or victory of the gods. It isn't until Prometheus gives him Pandora's box (if you know the history of Pandora, she was told to never open the box because of what would happen, but curiosity got the best of her, she opened it and all of the bad things such as death, hunger, sickness, fear, etc. came out into the world. The only thing left in the box is hope which means that there is still hope in the world. If she is ever let out of the box by mankind, then that means they have given up hope as well.) and tells him if he changes his mind on fighting the Titans to let hope escape to show they surrender.
Now, back to Hestia and why she is so important. :) As things are getting worse, Percy travels back to Mt. Olympus and finds Hestia still tending the fire, trying to get it to be bigger. As Percy comes closer to the fire he begins to learn Hestia's true role in the world. He sees in the hearth his mother, Paul (step-dad) and him at Thanksgiving dinner, his friends and him around the campfire at Camp Half-Blood, singing songs and roasting marshmallows, Rachel and him driving along the beach in Paul's Prius; all warm, loving, tender memories. Hestia then asks Percy if he is ready to make his decision. He looks at Pandora's box and realizes that hope is pretty useless to him with so many of his friends dead, Olympus is on the verge of falling and he had seen so many cruel things happen by the hands of the gods. In his mind Prometheus whispers
Surrender, Otherwise your home will be destroyed. Your precious camp will burn. He looks at Hestia and remembers the images he'd seen in the hearth - friends, family, everyone he cared about. Then he remembered a fellow camper (friend/demi-god) saying:
There's no point in defending camp if you guys die. All our friends are here. And then another demi-god, Nico, standing up to his father Hades saying:
If Olympus falls, your own palace's safety doesn't matter. He then realizes that if the home is invaded and overtaken, then everything is lost. He gives Pandora's Jar to Hestia as an offering.
She is confused at first and says, "I am the least of the gods. Why would you trust me with this?"
"You're the last Olympian. [Percy] said. "And the most important."
"And why is that, Percy Jackson?"
"Because Hope survives best at the hearth," [Percy] said. "Guard it for me, and I won't be tempted to give up again."
The goddess smiled. She took the jar in her hands and it began to glow. The hearth fire burned a little brighter.
"Well done, Percy Jackson," she said. "May the gods bless you."
I hope this makes sense, but Percy realized that home was the most important because that is where you learn to trust and love others. He knew it needed to be kept the strongest in order to win the war. He realized that it was the protection of the home (Mt. Olympus) that would help to keep the evil out. The other gods had "abandoned the home" and left it vulnerable to attack, but because he gave hope to Hestia and called her the most important of the gods, their strength was renewed and hope burned brighter.
Now I know Rick Riordan is not a latter-day saint, but it is so cool to see that even in Children's literature, we can find simple truths of the gospel. The home is what is important and the most crucial to protect from the buffetings of Satan. We are the guardians of the home. We are the ones in control of what is allowed into our homes. We are daughters of our Heavenly Father and he trusts us to bring up the next generation with love, hope, and strivings to do what is right and trust in the Lord. I have a new soft spot for Hestia, the least of the Greek gods, because she is in charge of the most important spot of all: The Home.
(P.S. The picture I chose of Hestia was on purpose. It reminds me of the 10 virgins -one of the 5 wise- with their lamps. It is also a symbol of keeping enough oil in our lamp so that we can have a fire like hearth near us always - to remind us of Home.)
