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Roman

Maia

Goddess of Growth · Mother of Mercury · Wife of Vulcan

01Identity

Maia in Roman tradition

In a cave in Arcadia, hidden from gods and humans, Maia spent her days. Her shyness kept her apart from others. She was a nymph of Mount Cyllene and one of the Pleiades.

Maia was a daughter of the second-generation Titan Atlas and Pleione, a daughter of Oceanus. Her main place in myth is as the mother of Hermes. Zeus sired Hermes during his nocturnal visits to her. Hermes was precocious from birth, becoming shifty, cunning and thieving, as well as musically gifted and the inventor of the lyre. Maia belongs to the myths surrounding Hermes rather than to a separate story of her own.

Top questions

The quick answers

  • Who is Maia?

    Maia is a Roman deity associated with growth, fertility, the earth, agriculture.
    Source

    Source

    • Classical Mythology a to Z
    • Greek Myths & Tales
    • Dictionary of northern mythology
    • Dictionary of Mythology

  • What is Maia the god of?

    growth, fertility, the earth, agriculture
    Source

    Source

    • Classical Mythology a to Z
    • Greek Myths & Tales

  • What family links are recorded for Maia?

    Spouse: Vulcan.
02Family

Maia’s family, at a glance

Parents above, children below, and the figure’s consorts named in between, the same family data as the fact box, laid out as a chart instead of a field list.

Maia

with Vulcan

03The names

The names Maia answers to

Maia Maiestas

Maia in her exalted or majestic aspect

SourceClassical Mythology a to Z

Maia Mater

Mother Maia

SourceClassical Mythology a to Z

Bona Dea

The Good Goddess, a title sometimes identified with Maia

SourceDictionary of northern mythology

Fauna

A prophetic goddess associated with Bona Dea and Maia

SourceDictionary of Mythology

04Who it is

Maia, and where the myths place it

Appears in

The myths across MythSource where Maia features, each on that figure’s page.

The film

The Underdrawing video on Maia embeds here once it publishes.