She and her sisters are often credited for fostering Dionysus, but she alone was entrusted with the care of Arcas. 219; Horat. This title was given to both her and other deities, including Terra, bringing them all under the umbrella of the archetypal female goddess of fertility, motherhood, and the earth. She is very calm, just like the flowers in spring blowing in the breeze. As the mother of his son, Hermes, she was elevated to the status of the revered mother of one of the great gods of Mount Olympus. He punished Lycaon harshly for his wickedness. As such, she was remembered in many symbolic ways in the ancient world. Greek all Greek to me completely unintelligible. If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content. Mnemosyne - The personification of memory in Greek mythology. Hermes made his way to Thessaly, where his half-brother Apollo kept a herd of prized cattle. He had sacrificed a human, his own grandson no less, and questioned Zeus’s power besides. The Month of March – a Month of War – Ares the Greek God of War versus Mars the Roman God of War. Maia was one of the seven Pleiades, sister nymphs of the mountains. (Roman mythology) The goddess of growth after whom the month May (Latin maius) was named. He burned the meat so that the other gods could enjoy the pleasant smell of cooked meat, and in doing so became the inventor of sacrifices. Maia was the eldest of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. She had been a companion of Artemis as well, and enjoyed hunting. The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. The Return of Persephone – Sir Frederic Lord Leighton (1830-1896). No one suspected that Maia, the most beautiful of all the Pleiades, had become the god’s lover. As one of the Pleiades and the mother of an Olympian god, Maia was widely revered throughout the ancient world. She lived in an isolated cave on Mount Cyllene in Attica. Finally, Apollo exchanged the cattle for the lyre, which became one of his identifying attributes. While her nephews became kings, Maia would give birth to a god. Hermes was the son she had following an affair with Zeus. Anthesteria, an ancient Greek flower festival – Mary Evans Picture Library. While they are still disputing with one another Hermes takes his stand behind Apollon, and leaping lightly on his back, he quietly unfastens Apollon’s bow and pilfers it unnoticed. In a later period, Maia was confused with a Greek Goddess of the same name. They marked the end of winter when they disappeared below the horizon. They were supported in details from Maia’s story, such as the way in which Hermes grew physically and mentally at an extraordinary rate. There is far more to the story of Maia than just her famous son’s birth. The Vlachs, an ethnic group native to the Balkans, traditionally living in northern and central Greece, believe that on the first of May, all magic spells come true, and the only way to prevent being cursed by a spell, is to carry with you, the head of a viper, this custom is doubly effective if the viper has been killed on the first of May. Aurora In Roman mythology, the goddess of dawn, equivalent to the Greek goddess Eos. She and her sisters were born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia, and are sometimes called the mountain goddesses. When he reached the cave, he found only Maia and the infant, back in his crib and feigning helplessness. Beyond the fact that she lived in a cave and raised both Hermes and Kallisto’s son, not much is known about the life of this reclusive goddess. Greek Baby Names Meaning: In Greek Baby Names the meaning of the name Maia is: Mother of Hermes. Her discovery by Zeus, however, led to Maia becoming one of the most prominent nymphs in Greek mythology. Archangels Michael - Gabriel - Raphael - Fallen Angels - Lucifer, Mammon, Asmodeus - A celebration of Angels, 20 Amazing Ancient Greek Inventions Still in Use Today - The Greeks Did it First, 20 Ancient Greek Myths About 20 Ancient Greek Flowers, Meraki - Greek Word of the day - Doing it with love, passion and a lot of soul, 21 Weird Greek Superstitions - Customs and Traditions, 26 Famous Movies Filmed in Greece and the Greek Islands. Zeus knew his angry wife would come for the newborn child as well, having seen her rage play out too many times against other lovers and children. According to the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, Zeus in the dead of night secretly raped Maia, who avoided the company of the gods, in a cave of Cyllene. The Pleiades constellation was visible during the winter months, so Roman writers used it to judge the proper time to begin planting their fields. Her name is related to μαῖα (maia), an honorific term for older women related to μήτηρ (mētēr) 'mother',[citation needed] also meaning "midwife" in Greek. In another tale, the giant Orion pursued the sisters. In Roman culture, Maia was honored beyond her role as the mother of Mercury. Carm.i. The rapidly maturing infant Hermes crawled away to Thessaly, where by nightfall of his first day he stole some of his half-brother Apollo's cattle and invented the lyre from a tortoise shell. The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. When the Goddess Calistro was transformed into a bear, Maia took on the task of raising Calistro’s son Arcas. Maia also raised the infant Arcas, the child of Callisto with Zeus. However, she was also the most timid and reclusive. She was the mother of the infamous thief god Hermes, but there’s a lot more to the story of Maia than just her trickster son! Much fun and bawdiness is to be had at Greek May Day celebrations, where women ‘pianoun to Mai’ – ‘grab May’, or are asked if they have ‘έπιασε το μαγιόξυλο?’- epiases to mayioxylo?- did you grab the May stick? However, the date of retrieval is often important. Heracles saved them and returned them to their father, earning his assistance in one of the hero’s labors. She was a lover of Zeus and the mother of Hermes. Their father was Atlas, the Titan who was condemned to hold the dome of the heavens aloft on his shoulders. To save them Zeus transformed them into doves. None of the sisters, however, would have sons who were as renowned and famous as Maia’s. In her anger, the goddess turned the nymph into a bear. in Merc. Lycaon was transformed into the first werewolf, doomed to live a painful and solitary existence as an inhuman monster. He did so and made up for the one that was butchered by giving Apollo the lyre he had invented. After giving birth to the baby, Maia wrapped him in blankets and went to sleep. Hera (Juno) Greek Goddess of the Month of June, Goddess of Women, Marriage, Childbirth, Children and Family. ELIZABETH KNOWLES "Maia 10. Maia is the goddess of plains and valleys. One by one, though, the sisters became the lovers of various gods. She can control flowers like the other nature goddesses, Antheia, Persephone and Demeter. Alternate Names Maia loves nature, even the down sides of it. Maia is a major agricultural god. Hermes and Maia, detail from an Attic red-figure amphora (c. 500 BC) Photo Bibi Saint-Pol. Updated. Her gentle heat causes growth. Maia in Greek mythology, the daughter of Atlas and mother of Hermes. The children mourn Zafiris by singing and dancing around him, until, by the powers of spring, Zafiris is brought back to life. Arcas is the eponym of Arcadia, where Maia was born. While she gave birth to Hermes, Maia also cared for other children of Zeus. Nationality/Culture Hermes slaughtered one of the cows but as a god was unable to eat it. In Roman myth, Mercury (Hermes), the son of Maia, was the father of the twin Lares, a genealogy that sheds light on the collocation of ceremonies on the Kalends of May. In fact, Maia was a reclusive nymph. This was in large part because of her relationship with Zeus. Single girls of the village gather together and go to the well, from which they bring back, without uttering a word, ‘silent water’, this is poured into clay pots, into which each girl throws a personal object, as a luck charm, this object is known as a ‘rizikari’, from the word ‘riziko, meaning destiny. Their beauty attracted attention, however, and like most nymphs they were often pursued by men and gods alike. Despite their immortality and similarities to modern day superheroes, they are still plagued with personal flaws and negative emotions which caused destruction in their lives and the lives of other gods and mortals. i-NEE-uhs There Mercury was associated with Maia, who became identified as his mother through her association with the Greek Maia, one of the Pleiades, who was the mother of Hermes by Zeus; likewise, because of that Greek connection, Mercury was considered the son of … In ancient Roman religion and myth, Maia embodied the concept of growth, as Her name was thought to be related to the comparative adjective maius, maior , ‘larger, greater’. Some stories of Hermes’s birth said that he continued to feign helplessness even as Apollo took him to Olympus. The Greek name Maia resembled the Latin adjective maius, or “larger.”. It is the fourth brightest star in the Pleiades cluster. They were named for their mother, the Oceanid Pleione. She dwells in fields and lies down onto the grass, thinking when spring will come again. § 2, 8. In fact, Maia was a reclusive nymph. Maia is the goddess of plains and valleys. Pronunciation Maia, the eldest, was the most beautiful of them all. The ‘silent water’, said to bring luck and prosperity,  is saved from the pots and used to wash with. Gaia - Ancient Earth Mother Goddess. (October 17, 2020). Along with goddess Maia, according to Greek mythology, the month of May was also a celebration of the reunion of Demeter, goddess of harvest, fertility and agriculture, with her virgin daughter, Persephone, who returned to Earth, after being kidnapped, and held prisoner by … The Pleiades is most commonly known as a cluster of stars, also referred to as the Seven Sisters. https://greekgoddesses.fandom.com/wiki/Maia?oldid=7967. In Greek mythology, Maia is one of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes. Leto in Greek mythology, the daughter of a Titan, mother (by Zeus) of Artemis and Apollo. Without anyone’s knowledge, she gave birth to a son she called Hermes. The instrument became a hallmark of Greek culture. She was seen as a personification of growth and came to be worshiped in her own right. Any youthful man, touched by the May stick, was blessed with fertility and guaranteed many offspring. Maia was more than just one of the many nymphs of Greek mythology who were seduced by a powerful god. 26 (trans. The Greek goddess Maia was one of the Pleiades, the companions of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. 10. Maia was more widely revered than most other nymphs because of her role as the mother of one of the major gods of Olympus. Like most nymphs, the Pleiades were said to be exceptionally beautiful. [14] Her identity became theologically intertwined also with the goddesses Fauna, Ops, Juno, Carna, and the Magna Mater ("Great Goddess", referring to the Roman form of Cybele but also a cult title for Maia), as discussed at some length by the late antiquarian writer Macrobius. A star in the constellation Taurus. [17], The month of May (Latin Maius) was supposedly named for Maia, though ancient etymologists also connected it to the maiores "ancestors", again from the adjective maius, maior, meaning those who are "greater" in terms of generational precedence. Maia came to be worshipped under the epithet of Magna Mater, the great mother goddess. According to legend, Zeus placed them in the heavens to keep them safe and honor their contributions to the world. Zeus saw what was happening and intervened in time to prevent Arcas from killing his own mother. [10], In ancient Roman religion and myth, Maia embodied the concept of growth,[11] as her name was thought to be related to the comparative adjective maius, maior "larger, greater". She can control flowers like the other nature goddesses, Antheia, Persephone and Demeter. Encyclopedia.com. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. Maia[1] /ˈmeɪ.ə/ (Greek: Μαῖα; Latin: Maia), in ancient Greek religion, is one of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes. He turned the king into a bear as well, then put mother and son into the sky together. 25 of the Most Famous Ancient Greek Statues and Sculptures - Where Are They Now? The following day, each lucky charm is taken from the pots, and prophecies made.