Maia was the eldest of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. She and her sisters were born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia, and are sometimes called the mountain goddesses. She was a lover of Zeus and the mother of Hermes.
History
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 his half-brother Apollo's sacred cattle and invented the lyre. Maia refused to believe Apollo when he claimed Hermes was the thief but Zeus then sided with Apollo. Finally, Apollo, enchanted by the newly invented lyre, agreed to exchange the cattle for the instrument. Maia also raised the infant Arcas to protect him from Hera, who had turned his mother, Callisto, into a bear. Maia and her sisters were pursued by Orion and turned into either doves or stars to preserve their own safety.
Appearance
Maia was the oldest, most beautiful, and the shyest of her sisters. She was sometimes called "Mountain Maia of the Lovely Black Eyes."
Abilities
- Geokinesis: As the Goddess of Mountains, she can control them,
- Enhanced Strength: As a daughter of Atlas, she is very powerful on her own.
- Nymph Control: As the Goddess of Nymphs, she holds sway over Nymphs and can command them to do as she asks.
Trivia
- Maia is a star in the constellation Taurus. Named after this female deity, it is the fourth-largest star in the Pleiades star cluster.
- Some scholars think that the month May is named after her.
- Maia is the activation word that used to make the flying shoes of Hermes sprout wings and fly; inspired by his mother's name.
- In Latin, Maia means "Great Mother".