Lately, I've been very curious about the origins and other stuff related to my name,
and oh, boy have I found the new material for my Cabinet.
First, these are just few basic relations to the name itself, and second, I decided
to start with the Maia the mother of Hermes
I hope you'll enjoy, even if your name isn't Maia.
Maia (mythology), the eldest of the Pleiades in Greek mythology, also identified with an Ancient Italic goddess of spring
Queen Maya, the mother of the historical Buddha
Mayasura, a Hindu demon often known by the name Maya
Maya (illusion), the word for "illusion" in Sanskrit and a concept in Hindu and Dharmic philosophy
maja (fem.) or majo was a member of the Madrid artistic scene of the early nineteenth century
Maja can also be a Estonian word for house
When we look into the night sky, we can recognize the seven stars which make up the constellation called the Pleiades.
According to ancient Greeks these stars were once the seven daughters of Atlas.When he took part in a revolt led by the
giants against the gods of Olympus, Atlas was made to bear the world on his shoulders as punishment. Maia and her sisters
mourned their father's humiliation so much that the gods turned them into doves to spare them any more pain. Then they
flew to the highest heaven and became brightly shining stars - the seven stars we call the Pleiades.
She is also praised as "the grandmother of magic" because her son [by Zeus], the god Hermes, was the first to discover
that mysterious art.According to the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, being shy, she lived quietly and alone in a cave on Mount Cyllene, in Arcadia. Zeus, however, discovered the beautiful young woman, and fell in love with her. He came to her cave at night, to make love to her away from the jealous eyes of his wife, Hera. As a result, Maia bore Zeus a son, Hermes.
After giving birth to the baby, Maia wrapped him in blankets and went to sleep. The rapidly-maturing infant Hermes crawled away to Thessaly, where by nightfall of his first day he stole some of Apollo's cattle and invented a lyre. When Apollo stormed into Maia's cave, she showed him the tiny baby to prove he could not have been the cattle thief. Apollo was not fooled, however, and angrily appealed to Zeus to punish Hermes. Zeus arbitrated by requiring Hermes to give back the cattle. During the feud, baby Hermes played the lyre, and Apollo was so enchanted by the music that he dropped the charges, and even gave some of the cattle to Hermes, as well as other gifts. (There is a nice detailed story about this relationship between Hermes and Apollo on ArtemisToxia blog taken from Homeric hymns.)Besides being the first magician, Hermes is credited with the invention of medicine, astrology, and letters. Part of his duties as messenger to the gods and goddesses was the responsibility of bringing souls of the dead to the underworld. It is interesting to see how through this function Maia's son became the god of death, which contrasts to Maia's role as bringer of life each spring.People still celebrate Maia every year on the first of May, which is called May Day in honor of the goddess. Men and women rejoice over the rebirth of spring by dancing circles around the maypole and by wearing vibrant green - the color of the earth itself.
I am wandering, was Maia the youngest or the oldest doughter of Atlas? I am finding different informations on different locations.
