Maia (do grego dórico Μαία), na mitologia grega era uma das sete irmãs que, fugindo do gigante Órion, se transformaram na constelação das Plêiades. Era uma ninfa. Com Zeus teve Hermes, o belo mensageiro dos Deuses. Maia e Hermes temiam a fúria de Hera, por ciúmes de Zeus. Porém, em vez de serem odiados, os dois conseguiram a simpatia de Hera. A Maia era consagrado o dia 15 de maio. Na tradição romana, Maia talvez seja outra, diferente dessa ninfa da Arcádia, a que personificava o despertar da natureza na primavera e que viria a se transformar na mentora de Mercúrio.Ela é deusa da fecundidade, e da projeção da energia vital. Maia era à ninfa que personificava os lugares frios. Maia também é filha de Atlas e Plêione.
Na mitologia romana, Maia era identificada como Maia Maiestas (também chamada de Fauna, Bona Dea - a "Boa Deusa" - e Ops), uma deusa, que pode ser equivalente à uma velha deusa da Primavera dos primeiros povos itálicos. O mês de maio foi nomeado em sua honra; o primeiro e o décimo quinto dias de maio eram sagrados para ela. No primeiro de maio, o flamen de Vulcano sacrificava-se uma porca grávida, um sacrifício adequado também para uma deusa da terra como a Bona Dea: a porca podia ser substituída por uma em forma de bolacha.
Referências: Harry Thurston Peck, Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, 1898 / Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911 / Wikipedia
MAIA was the eldest of the Pleiades, the seven nymphs of the constellation Pleiades. She was a shy goddess who dwelt alone in a cave near the peaks of Mount Kyllene in Arkadia where she secretly gave birth to a son by Zeus, the god Hermes. She also raised the boy Arkas in her cave, whose mother Kallisto had been transformed into a bear.
Aiskhylos apparently idenifies Maia "the nursing mother" with Gaia "the Earth." On several occassions he calls the earth-goddess Gaia Maia (Mother Earth) and pairs her with Hermes Khthonios ("of the Earth").
Maia
by Daphne Elliott
"The Pleiades" was the name given to the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Maia was the eldest of the daughters, and said to be the most beautiful. 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.
When still an infant, Hermes stole some cattle from the god Apollo, and hid them in his mother's cave. 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.
Some time later, Maia helped Zeus when Hera had caused the death of one of his other mistresses, Callisto, who had borne him a son, named Arcas. Zeus ordered Hermes to give Arcas to Maia to raise as her own, which she did. Arcas and Callisto were eventually placed in the sky, becoming the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (Big and Little Bear) to escape the wrath of the ever-jealous Hera.
Maia (wikipedia)
Vulcan and Maia, by Bartholomäus SprangerMaia[1] (pronounced /ˈmeɪ.ə/ or /ˈmaɪ.ə/; Greek: Μαῖα; Latin: Maia, "great") in Greek mythology, was the eldest of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas[2] and Pleione[3]. She and her sisters, born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia, are sometimes called mountain goddesses, oreads, for Simonides of Ceos sang of "mountain Maia" (Maia oureias) "of the lively black eyes".[4] Maia was the oldest, most beautiful and shyest. Aeschylus repeatedly identified her with Gaia.
She and her sisters were pursued by Orion, and turned into doves to preserve their safety.[5] According to the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, Zeus in the dead of night secretly begot Hermes upon Maia, who avoided the company of the gods, in a cave of Cyllene. 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. Maia refused to believe Apollo when he claimed Hermes was the thief and Zeus then sided with Apollo. Finally, Apollo exchanged the cattle for the lyre.
Maia also raised the infant Arcas[6] to protect him from Hera, who had turned his mother, Callisto, into a bear. Arcas is the eponym of Arcadia.
In Roman mythology, Maia was identified with Maia Maiestas (also called Fauna, Bona Dea (the 'Good Goddess') and Ops), a goddess who may be equivalent to an old Italic goddess of spring. The month of May was named for her;[7] the first and fifteenth of May were sacred to her. On the first of May the flamen of Vulcan sacrificed to her a pregnant sow,[8] an appropriate sacrifice also for an earth goddess such as Bona Dea: a sow-shaped wafer might be substituted. The goddess was accessible only to women; men were excluded from her precincts.
Notes:
1. The alternate spelling Maja uses long i between two vowels, similar to Pompeji or Sequoja.
2. Hesiod, Theogony 938; Hymn to Hermes
3. Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheke 3.110.
4. Simonides, Fragment 555.
5. Hesiod, Works and Days 619ff.
6. Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheke 3.101.
7. Ovid, Fasti v.73, makes it the month of the maiores, the "ancients": "The proof that May was the month of the maiores ('ancients' or 'old') lies in the fact that on the first day the Lares were honoured for the anniversary of their altar in their role of Praestites, 'protectors' of the city" observes Robert Turcan, The Gods of ancient Rome: religion in everyday life from archaic to imperial times 2000, p. 70.
8. See Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius, Saturnalia I.12; Juvenal, Satires ii.86; Festus 68
References: Harry Thurston Peck, Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, 1898
Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911
Imagem/Image: Vulkan und Maia Artist: Spranger, Bartholomäus: Deutsch 1585 Current location Deutsch: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
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