#Maia goddess

[royal-wren]

While long overdue on my part by weeks, this post will serve as informative to the worship of Maia. I will try my best to make it cohesive but it might end up being a patchwork.

"I know the Dove best by night blue in the sky she remains diligently guiding us from the heavens so none may be lost even when alone when cared for by the herald of seasons"

-For the Night-Wandering, by me

Maia, daughter of the Titan Atlas, who shifts the heaven's axis, and Titanide sheep-nymph Pleione (Aithrê is her alt. name) who increases in number as a lady of plenty, is one of many stars making up the constellation Taurus. She is the oldest of the seven sisters and the leader of the Pleiades born in Arkadia on Mt. Kyllene where she would take up permanent residence in the caves. She is a sister to the Hyades as well. Maia is known both as a star-nymph (part of the Astrothesiai) and Oread. She has only one natural child, far-famed and widely-loved Hermes who helps her name stay relevant even now when knowledge about her is obscure.

Generally, the word maia means mother but for the goddess means Nursing Mother primarily but also Great Mother, Good Mother, Foster Mother, Female Doctor, or Dame. Her name also can be a way to address older women, grandmothers, and nurses/midwives. Maia's domain mentioned above is her most prominent aspect as a goddess of motherhood along with Leto. It led to her having a part in a myth otherwise separated from her as she became the foster mother of Kallisto's son Arkas, whom she named promptly after Zeus gave him to her.

Maia has many additional complexities with her important role to play noting her position as one of the main factors of all the seasons as the one to tell of the changes between each season (with the Pleiades). Her importance with humanity comes from this as the seven sisters tell when the earth will be renewed with life and when that renewal is at its end. She is a vegetation and earth goddess, from which she is renewal and rebirth to the earth as well as the barrenness of the earth. Maia is a maritime deity as well, without her showing up in the sky navigation by nighttime would become a challenge, something that anyone traveling in the dark would know. Through this connection she has a deep relationship with waters of oceans, springs, and rivers.

Fondly, the Seven Sisters are called Doves (Pigeons) by many writers and are the ones that attend Zeus with ambrosia. With the stars accompanying the moon, the Pleiades are called companions of Artemis. Under the epithets Atlantides, Dodonides, or Nysiades, they are nursemaids and teachers to the infant Bacchus.

The month of May earned its name from her as a 50/50 deal between her and Roman goddess Maia who's also a spring/fertility and earth goddess associated with mountains. While Rome started it first, the Greeks took it up for themselves near the end of the Hellenic era and the start of the Hellenistic era.

*On a more speculative mindset to the knowledge that Maia more than likely is a pre-Greek/older local mother goddess to the area in a similar way that Hermes is confirmed to be pre-Greek/an older local god. The older tradition and connection she has with caves in a similar manner to Hermes could speak to her being liminal and khthonic originally as they are/were seen as the point between the living and the dead and the entrance to the underworld. There is a possibility that she could of the Mycenaean goddess Preswa (dove deity), Manasa, or Diwija with Komawenteja: long-haired goddess as an epithet. Another fun little possibility is the indication that Maia is a bi-gendered deity, more than likely a part of her older iteration that survived on a largely diminished scale.

Epithets: With deep dark eyes  Honored mother The nurturer  She who nurtures   Great (Mighty) nurse  Of the lovely black eyes  Maia Prôtogonê - First-born Maia Kedná - Careful, diligent, trusty cherished, dear good, valued Maia Eratoplocamus - Lovely-haired Maia Euplokamos - Having lovely locks Maia Ioplokos/Ioplokamos - With violet hair / With dark locks Maia Kuanokhaitēs - Dark-haired Maia Hulaios - Belonging to the wood or forest Maia Aitherolampēs - Shining in ether Maia Himeronous - Lovely of soul Maia Earotrephḗs - Flourishing in Spring Maia Drymocharēs - Delighting in the woods Maia Philodendros/Philodendron - Fond of trees / Fond of the wood Maia Peleia - The Dove Maia Dôdônides - Of Dodona Maia Ekprepḗs - Distinguished out of all, pre-eminent, remarkable, surpassing Pôtnia Maia - Queenly Maia Maia Aeiphengēs - Ever-shining Maia Nyktaugḗs - Shining by night Maia Asteroommatos - Star-eyed Maia Kyanôpis- Dark-eyed Atlantis - Daughter of Atlas Atlagenes - Born of Atlas Pleias - Daughter of Pleione Maia Kyllḗnē/Kyllênê - Of Mt. Kyllene Maia Kourotróphos - Nurse of the Young, Good Nursing-Mother Eurysternos - Broad-bossomed Matêr Pantôn - Mother of All Maia Pleiôn - Lady of Plenty Maia Entropḗ - To turn away. In place of most shy (since I can't find those exact words) while also being a play on Hermes' epithet Polytropos: Many-turning. Maia Erēmophílēs - Loving solitude Maia Aidoîos - Modest, bashful, honored, respected, having a claim to regard, reverence Maia Gaia - The conflation of two goddesses tied to the earth and nurses/mothers making Mother Earth Maia Oureias or Maiados Oureias - Mountain Maia Mêtêr Oreiês - Mountain Mother Maia Oreiplanktos - Mountain-roaming Maia Kuanéā - Dark, Dark-Blue, To denote a dark shade of blue merging into black

Sacred Associations: Doves Pigeons Dodona Arkadia Mt. Kyllene Kingfishers Navigation Sailing June Thirteenth Caves Mountains Winnowing-baskets Night time The color Black Light Blue Dark Blue

Festivals: The month of May, Mounichia (Greek: Μουνιχιών) is important to the sisters as the Pleiades rise and it signifies the start of the navigational year and the time the earth can be sown with seeds again/the growing season is in full swing. The end of October or the month of November is also a festival when they set, the navigational year ends and the growing season ends. The cluster's conjunction with the sun in spring and opposition in fall marked the start and end of the summer sailing season in ancient Greece.

*While not mandatory any donations for any posts I do like this would mean the world as this stuff takes literal months to do. Ways to donate outside of Tumblr tipping can be found here

Sources:

terpsikeraunos' tumblr page

Theoi's pages for Maia, the Pleiades, Kyllene, Persephone's epithets and Amphitrite's epithets

University of Penselvania's page on the Pleiades

The exile of Ovid, the Pleiades, Maia, and the secret name of Rome by Felice Vinci

Athenaeus: The Deipnosophists Book 11, Pages 484-496, Translated by C.B. Gulick

A Minoan deity from London Medicine Papyrus by Alexander Akulov

The Pleiades on holladaypaganism./com

Astereoasteroseismology by Gough, D. O.

Hymn 4 to Hermes

Mythology of the Seven Sisters

The Winter Stars are Coming by Dennis Mammana

Phaenomena by Aratus

Maia Goddess of Birth by Despena Dalmaris

[pagansprite]

Beloved Maia, I sing your praises. You are at once earthly and celestial, like your quicksilver son.

In mountain caves do you dwell, and with the graceful nymphs do you create beautiful laughter that rings through the hills.

Eldest of the seven Pleiades, shining in the night sky, your brilliant light is guide and comfort to the traveler.

Oh gentle blooming mother, how lovely you are, how kind. May you always look upon me with a friendly smile.

[spiralingemptyness]

why did Hermes have the most chill childhood. This is including the fact that he stole Apollo’s cattle and created a lyre when he was barely even a day old… I’m pretty sure he had his Olympian status as an infant.

Maia, kept out of Hera’s sight and Hera didn’t really do anything to Hermes…

Athena literally popped out of thunder and lighting bitch’s head as a full grown adult

Hephaestus got chucked off mt. Olympus by Hera because he looked weird

Artemis helped Leto bring Apollo into lively hood and was then harassed by Python till it chilled the fuck out enough to be killed by Apollo

Five out of the six original gods/olympians (Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon, Hades) got swollowed by Kronos.. I guess Zeus had a chill childhood as well, but fuck him (not like that), nobody likes him

Dionysus was driven mad by Hera, birthed from Zeus’s thigh, and (not entirely sure if this is true but) was also chopped to pieces and eaten by Titans

Zagreus (this one I’m more sure about) was killed by titans sent by Hera because he was able to fuck around with the lighting bolts, and he was became titan food…

so all in all, besides Zeus, Hermes had one of the more chillest childhoods.

[mask131]

The gods of Gaul: Rosmerta

After a god of abundance, a goddess of abundance !

Rosmerta is a purely Gallo-Roman goddess. Not that she did not start out as a Gallic goddess, mind you! For sure she was originally a goddess of Gaul – her very name is Gallic in origin. But, the fact is that all we know about her, be it her role, her functions, her attributes, come from her incarnation as a Gallo-Roman goddess, part of the syncretized pantheon of Roman and Gallic gods. As such, we can only conjecture and guess who she was before the Romans arrived, based on the way the Romans handled and incorporated her.

One thing that is certain of is that Rosmerta always was a goddess of abundance. As I said, her name is Gallic, and commonly identified as being formed of three parts, “Ro”, “Smert” and “A”. The -a suffix merely denotes a female name. The prefix “Ro-“ is for amplification (like “very” ; a “robili” is someone who is very kind ; a “rocabalus” is a great horse). As for “smert”, it is found in many Gallic names and means either “who takes care of” or “who offers”. As such, Rosmerta could be translated as “The Great Giver”, “The Very Generous”, “She who takes care of very well”, “The Great Gifter”… In Gallo-Roman iconography, Rosmerta is often depicted holding a cornucopia, highlighting her role as a goddess of abundance and maybe fecundity (sometimes it is even stressed further by her holding the cornucopia in one hand, a basket of fruits on the other).

In the Gallo-Roman religion, Rosmerta is the eternal companion, the paredra, the female equivalent of the god Mercury. On all the visual depictions we have of Rosmerta, very few depict her alone – she is usually always with Mercury by her side. This makes sense when you recall who Mercury was in Roman religion. Too many people consider that the Roman gods are just the Greek ones with a new name printed on them. Mercury might have been the equivalent of the Greek Hermes, but in terms of functions and symbolism he differed from him in many ways. Most notably, while the Greek Hermes was mainly a god of talent, cunning, cleverness and intelligence (which manifested in his various attributes as god of messengers and eloquence, science and athletics, merchants and thieves), the Romans focused much more on the idea of a god of travel and commerce: as such, Mercury is the god of merchants, markets, business travels and lucrative journeys first and foremost. He was an economic god, a money-deity, who embodied prosperity and riches in a material and financial form. As such, it makes sense for him, in the Gallo-Roman syncretism, to be paired with a goddess who herself seems to have embodied abundance and fertility.

Interestingly, we can see how Rosmerta got more and more “fused” with Mercury over time. For example, in many depictions of the duo, Rosmerta is not holding her usual cornucopia, but a pouch full of coins or a bag of money – which was THE defining attribute of Mercury. The “Mercurification” of Rosmerta reached its paroxysm in a bronze depiction from Annecy, where the goddess appears alone… But with Mercury’s wings on both sides of her head, while holding a purse of coins. The transformation is complete: Rosmerta became simply the female version of Mercury, and lost her own identity. We have a lot of votive offerings and various prayer-inscriptions for Rosmerta, but they do not give us much information about her, and always made her one half of a duo with Mercury.

There is also this four-sided pillar which depicts Rosmerta holding Mercury's caduceus. You will notice with these pictures the very Roman aspect Rosmerta sports - with the Roman dress and veil and diadem.

If you are curious, the other sides of this pillar found behind Paris' Sainte-Chapelle in 1748, depict Mercury, Apollo and a "winged Genie".

Interestingly, the lack of romantic or sensual scenes between Mercury and Rosmerta have led many to theorize their couple was not a romantic or marital one. Many believe that Rosmerta was probably identified with Mercury's mother, Maia, who had her own cult by Roman times. For example, there is the fact we have votive inscriptions acting in parallels - some invoking "Mercury and Maia" together, others invoking "Mercury and Rosmerta", but the two goddesses never appearing side by side in the same inscription. Their cult-areas also carefully avoided any overlap geographically speaking (here is a map below from the Belgian website deomercurio) - and when you consider that Maia was a goddess of the season of spring associated with the rebirth/birth of nature ; that she was often seen holding a caduceus ; and that she had been before associated with various mother-goddesses of fertility (Ops, Fauna, Bona Dea)... In fact, the Mercurified statue of Rosmerta with wings on her head has been debated: because while many consider it is a Rosmerta statue, some rather see it as a Maia statue... The confusion is clear.

Some theorized Rosmerta might have been a goddess of the fertile earth and the natural abundance (hence the cornucopia, the basket of fruits), which would have made the “natural” reflection of Mercury’s man-made, artificial riches (coins, commerce, merchants and markets) – after all, Gaul was one of the food-providers of the Roman Empire, and where the Romans got a lot of their cereals and grapes. To have a goddess of fruits coupled with a god of commerce would have been the perfect representation of the Roman conquest of Gaul… Some even push the idea further by saying maybe Rosmerta was an equivalent of Proserpina, or a female Pluto, as a goddess of the riches of underworld – but I found no conclusive evidence or solid theory for this, so I’ll mention it, but I give this no credit. Let us stick simply to how she is an abundance and fertility goddess, more likely a Maia equivalent.

There are other theories linking her to other Roman deities. For example some consider in Rosmerta a Gallic equivalent of the Roman goddess Felicitas, due to a Roman inscription listing all the important gods of Gaul having Felicitas following immediately the name of Mercury, as if closely associated with him, despite Felicitas not being typically seen as Mercury-adjacent in Roman religion. Another theory mentions how the Roman goddess Abundantia, the personification of abundance, had a strong worship in some parts of Gaul (for example by the Eduens), and was depicted in a similar way to Rosmerta as a goddess with a cornucopia and a patera in her hands. However the theory falls quite short, because on one side Abundantia was always depicted alone, without a male companion like Mercury, and on the other, almost all of the goddesses of Gaul were depicted with a patera (or in a lesser way a cornucopia) in their hands. The patera notably was one of the recurring, typical attributes of the Gallic goddesses ; and given many of them had something to do with abundance or fertility, the cornucopia went from hand to hand... But there is no denying that Rosmerta definitively echoed the Roman Abundantia, and that in turn Abundantia found her place in Gaul, filling a shared religious archetype of a goddes of abundance, a spirit of prosperity. Maia, Abundantia, Rosmerta - they all formed a web around a central core partially missing today, and testify to Gaul's strong attachment to the idea of a fertility goddess, of a personification of a nature filled with riches.

Another interesting clue when it comes to Rosmerta is how, in an engraving found in Reims, she has by her side not Mercury, but rather Toutatis/Teutatès... Is it a clue that maybe Toutatis was her original companion before Mercury arrived? There is also a fascinating Gallo-Roman depiction, a stone statue currently at the Saint-Germain-en-Laye museum, of Mercury with an unnamed goddess by his side:

This statue is very, very important for several reasons. One: the goddess by Mercury's side is left unnamed, but if she is Rosmerta, then this statue might indicate not a mother-son relationship (as the Maia theory allowed to think) but a sexual one. Indeed, it would be one of the rare Rosmerta depictions with an accent on her body and a form of nudity - coupled with the suggestive gesture of touching Mercury's head. Two: Despite us knowing this was meant to be a Mercury, this Mercury is very unusual. He is not a youthful ephebe, but a mature, bearded man. No wings, no caduceus - only the pouch of coins typical of his charge... and a snake laying on his lap. Not just any snake: a ram-headed snake. If you read my previous post about the gods of Gaul you know what this means... This "Mercury" clearly sports the symbolism of Cernunnos. The bag of grains/food coins turned into a little purse, the antlers removed, but the beard and the ram-headed snake are still here, and the goddess still holds the god's head.

It had already been established that Mercury's popularity in Gaul was part due to replacing some aspects of Cernunnos - but if this goddess is Rosmerta (and indeed, some Cernunnos depictions did have a cornucopia-holding goddess near the god, usually identified as an unnamed mother-goddess), does this imply Rosmerta was initially a companion of Cernunnos?

As usual we are left with more questions than answers, and vague relationships we ultimately can never confirm...

[paganimagevault]

The Vision of Hermes Trismegistus by Johfra Bosschart (1972/1985). I'm not sure who the female at the bottom is, possibly Gaia, or Hermes' mother, Maia?

Suhrawardi was also referred to as the Murdered Master, in reference to his being executed for heresy against Islam:

"Suhrawardi presented a more concrete architectural description depicting Hermes Trismegistus as a pilgrim seeking light within the temple. In his depiction the experiences of the body and building are analogues of one another:

'Hermes was occupied praying before a sun of night (north star) in the temple of light. When the pillars of dawn were split, he saw a land whose villages had sunk beneath the anger of God. He fell down and called, 'Father, deliver me from the vicinity of evil.' He heard a voice, 'Cling to the cord of ray and ascend to the lofty reaches of the throne.' He went up until earth and heavens were beneath his feet.'

Walbridge proposes that Suhrawardi's views on Hermes Trismegistus were most likely informed by the Sabians of Harran in northern Syria. This ancient religious community was established in Mesopotamia around 2000 BCE, and is mentioned in the Quran, alongside the Jews and the Christians, as a community that preceeded Islam. According to pre-modern Muslim historians, including al-Mas'udi (d. 956), al-Shahrastani (d. 1153), and Ibn Kathir (d. 1373 CE), the Sabians worshipped the stars and built temples dedicated to them 'at each of the seven gates of Damascus'. They described the particular shape these temples took: 'Saturn, which was hexagonal; Jupiter, triangular; Mars, rectangular; the Sun, square; Venus, triangular in a square enclosure; Mercury, triangular in a rectangular enclosure; and the Moon, octagonal'. Suhrawardi seems most likely to have developed his use of the architectural metaphor of the human temple, therefore, through the Sabians' temple model. The division of the chapters in Suhrawardi's Temples of Light supports this notion. Just as the Sabians responded to their adoration of the planets and stars with the seven types, Suhrawardi, too, divides his text into seven parts, with each part aptly named as a temple."

-Faris Hajamaideen, Chapter 8 ʿIlm and the human body: Al-Suhrawardī’s concept of the illuminated temple

[kisskill-lingerie]

NEW IN 🤍 SHOP MAIA 

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[khaire-traveler]

Random Greek Deity Facts

- Artemis has been associated with horses in the past.

- Ares has associations with owls.

- There are ancient gravestones with reliefs on them that historians still cannot tell if the art is of Dionysus or Jesus.

- It is common for historians to struggle identifying if a statue is of Artemis or Apollo because they often look so much alike.

- Hephaestus is a god of fire.

- Maia, the Mother of Hermes, was thought to assist in raising both Dionysus and Hephaestus.

- Hypnos is said to live in a massive cave, sleeping with thousands of his sons.

- Rather than blood, Greek gods are said to have something called Ichor running through their veins; no one is quite sure what "Ichor" actually is.

- Both Apollo and Artemis are deities of light; it is not just Apollo. Along with this, it is believed Leto may also be a goddess of light.

- It is commonly believed that the hyacinth flower is not actually the flower Hyacinthus was infamously transformed into; most sources seem to agree that it was likely either an iris or a larkspur.

- At one point in the Dionysiaca, Dionysus wages a war against India. The goddess Rhea is said to have gathered troops for him, and Zeus was said to have been the one to task Dionysus with going to war in order to allow him to join the gods on Mount Olympus.

- Demeter's chariot is pulled by two giant winged serpents; she has literal dragons pulling her around, and no one is talking about it.

- The Python was a child of Gaia, and before Apollo took up the Oracle in Delphi, there was actually an Oracle with Gaia in that location.

- The twins Castor and Pollux, who made up the Gemini constellation, were commonly worshipped throughout ancient Greece under the title of the "Dioscuri" or "Dioskouroi".

- Also regarding the Dioskouroi, the name "Castor" ("Kastor") may translate to "Beaver".

- The famous epithet "Paean" of Apollo was also listed on an ancient Mycenaean tablet that listed the names of separate deities. It is, therefore, possible that Paean was once a separate god who later became associated/merged with both Apollo and his son Ascelpius.

- Besides being an epithet, a Paean was also a type of devotional chant/song that was sung in honor of Apollo. Some ancient sources claim that the event of singing a Paean could actually be quite loud, involving clouds of stomping/banging and movement.

- The masculine version of Hekate's name, "Hekatos", was an epithet for the god Apollo; both names can be translated to "worker from afar".

- The first record of the more "traditional" view of a werewolf comes from the Greek myth about King Lycaon, when Zeus transformed into a wolf for ten years as punishment for tricking the gods into consuming human flesh (yes, you read that right).

- In the myths, Zeus and Hermes have a lovely Father-Son bonding trip of destroying an entire village (except for one home) for not showing either of the disguised gods hospitality as poor travellers.

- Both Apollo and Zeus were seen as gods who purified "blood-guilt" - a condition which was caused by the killing of another person and required immense purification.

- Cerberus is described as a fully sentient being who can communicate as other immensely powerful children of Gaia could, meaning he is akin to the gods in terms of intelligence rather than being like an overgrown dog.

- Hermes is said to be the inventor of offerings, specifically animal sacrifices.

- One origin of the Pegasus was Poseidon and Medusa doing the devil's tango.

- There is a tale that claims Hermes to be the one who granted Aesop his knowledge of fables.

- According to some ancient sources, Cerberus has as many as fifty heads, a mane of snakes, the claws of a lion, and a snake tail.

- Iris was not only the goddess of rainbows but was also the personal messenger of Hera and was prominently featured in The Iliad delivering many messages on behalf of the Olympian gods.

- Eros has been depicted as the child of Aphrodite and Ares, the child of Ouranos and Aphrodite, the child of solely Aphrodite, the child of Poros and Penia, the child of Ouranos and Gaia, the child of Zephyrus and Iris, and a primordial being who simply came into being. So, where did Eros actually come from? Your guess is as good as any.

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That's all for now! Let me know if y'all enjoyed these and would like more. 🧡

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|| Sources ||

- Theoi.com (of course)

- The Iliad by Homer

- Theogony by Hesiod

- The Dionysiaca by Nonnus

- Information from various museum trips in Athens and Delphi, Greece (sorry, I don't remember the exact sources 💀)

[greenwitchcrafts]

May 2024 witch guide

Full moon: May 23rd

New moon: May 7th

Sabbats: Beltane-May1st

May Flower Moon

Known as: Bright Moon, Budding Moon, Dyad Moon, Egg Laying Moon, Frog Moon, Hare Moon, Leaf Budding Moon, Merry Moon, Moon of the Shedding Ponies, Planting Moon, Sproutkale, Thrimilcmonath & Winnemanoth

Element: Fire

Zodiac: Taurus & Gemini

Nature spirits: Elves & Faeries

Deities: Aphrodite, Artemis, Bast, Cernunnos, Diana, Frigga, Flora, Horned God, Kali, Maia, Pan, Priapus & Venus

Animals: Cat, leopard & lynx

Birds: Dove, Swallow & Swan

Trees: Hawthorne & rowan

Herbs: Cinnamon, dittany of Crete, Elder, mint, mugwort & thyme

Flowers: Foxglove, lily of the valley & rose

Scents: Rose & sandalwood

Stones: Amber, Apache tear, carnelian, emerald, garnet, malachite, rose quartz, ruby, tourmaline & tsavorite

Colors: Brown, green, orange, pink & yellow

Energy:  Abundance, creative energy, faerie & spirit contact, fertility, intuition, love, marriage, material gains, money, propagation, prosperity, real-estate dealings, relationships & tenacity

May’s Flower Moon name should be no surprise; flowers spring forth across North America in abundance this month!

• “Flower Moon” has been attributed to Algonquin peoples, as confirmed by Christina Ruddy of The Algonquin Way Cultural Centre in Pikwakanagan, Ontario.

May’s Moon was also referred to as the “Month of Flowers” by Jonathan Carver in his 1798 publication, Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America: 1766, 1767, 1768 (pp. 250-252), as a likely Dakota name. Carver stayed with the Naudowessie (Dakota) over a period of time; his expedition covered the Great Lakes region, including the Wisconsin and Minnesota areas.

Beltane

Known as: Beltaine, May day, Roodmas & Cethsamhain

Season: Spring

Symbols: Eggs, faeries, fire, flowers & maypoles

Colors: Blue, dark yellow, green, light pink, orange, red, white yellow & rainbow spectrum

Oils/Incense: Frankincense, lilac, passion flower, rose, tuberose & vanilla

Animals: Bee, cattle, goat & rabbit

Mythical: Faeries

Stones: Bloodstone, emerald, lapis lazuli, orange carnelian, rose quartz & sapphire

Food: Beltane cakes, cherries, dairy foods, farls, green herbal salads, honey, meade, nuts, oat cakes, oats, strawberries & sweets

Herbs/Plants: Almond, ash tree, birch, bramble, cinquefoil, damiana, frankincense, hawthorn, ivy, meadowsweet, mushroom, rosemary, saffron, satyrion root, St.John's wort & woodruff

Flowers: Angelica, bluebell, daisy, hibiscus, honeysuckle, lilac, marigold, primrose, rose, rose hips & yellow cowslips

Trees: Ash, cedar, elder, fir, hawthorn, juniper, linden, mesquite, oak, pine, poplar, rowan & willow

Goddesses: Aphrodite, Areil, Artemis, Cybele, Danu, Diana, Dôn, Eiru, Elen, Eostre, Fand, Flidais, Flora, Freya, Frigga, Maia, Niwalen, Rhea, Rhiannon, Var, Venus & Xochiquetzal

Gods: Baal, Bacchnalia, Balder, Belanos, Belenus, Beli, Beltene, Cernunnos, Cupid, Faunus, Freyr, Grannus, The Green Man, Lares, Lugh, Manawyddan, Odin, Pan, Puck & Taranis

Issues, Intentions & Powers: Agriculture, creativity, fertility, lust, marriage, the otherworld/Underworld, pleasure, psychic ability, purification, sensuality, sex/uality, visions, warmth & youth

Spellwork: Birth, Earth magick, healing, health & pregnancy

Activities:

• Create a daisy chain or floral decorations

• Decorate & dance around a Maypole

• Set up an outdoor altar & leave offerings to faeries

• Prepare a ritual bath with fresh flowers

• Light a bonfire or candles & dance around them

• Set aside time for self care

• Gather flowers & use them to decorate your home or altar

• Prepare a feast to celebrate with friends/family

• Make flower crowns

• Bake bannocks, oat cakes or cookies

• Hang wreaths decorated with ribbons & flowers

• Plant flowers in your garden

• Start a wish book/box/journal

• Go on a walk & gice thanks to nature⁸

• Cast fertility or a bunch spells

• Fill small baskets of flowers & small goodies, then leave them on your friends/neighbors doorstep as a gesture of goodwill & friendship

Beltane is mentioned in the earliest Irish literature and is associated with important events in Irish mythology. Also known as Cétshamhain ('first of summer'), it marked the beginning of summer & was when cattle were driven out to the summer pastures. Rituals were performed to protect cattle, people & crops, and to encourage growth. (Today, Witches who observe the Wheel of the Year celebrate Beltane as the height of Spring.)

Special bonfires were kindled, whose flames, smoke & ashes were deemed to have protective powers. The people and their cattle would walk around or between bonfires & sometimes leap over the flames or embers. All household fires would be doused & then re-lit from the Beltane bonfire.

These gatherings would be accompanied by a feast, and some of the food and drink would be offered to the aos sí. Doors, windows, byres and livestock would be decorated with yellow May flowers, perhaps because they evoked fire.

In parts of Ireland, people would make a May Bush: typically a thorn bush or branch decorated with flowers, ribbons, bright shells & rushlights. Holy wells were also visited, while Beltane dew was thought to bring beauty & maintain youthfulness.

• The aos sí (often referred to as spirits or fairies) were thought to be especially active at Beltane. Like Samhain, which lies directly opposite from Beltane on the Wheel of the Year, this was seen as a time when the veil between worlds was at its thinnest. At Samhain the veil between the worlds of the living & the dead is thin enough that we can connect & convene with our beloved dead, here at Beltane it’s the veil between the human world, and the world of faeries & nature spirits that has grown thin. Offerings would be left at the ancient faerie forts, the wells and in other sacred places in an effort to appease these nature spirits to ensure a successful growing season.

Some believe this is when The Goddess is now the Mother & the God is seen as the Green Man or the wild stag. It celebrates the symbolic union, mating or marriage of the Goddess & God & heralds in the coming summer months. It represents life rather than Samhain on the opposite side of the Wheel of the Year.

Other Celebrations:

• Rosealia- May 23rd

Rosalia or Rosaria was a festival of roses celebrated on various dates, primarily in May, but scattered through mid-July. The observance is sometimes called a rosatio ("rose-adornment") or the dies rosationis, "day of rose-adornment," & could be celebrated also with violets. As a commemoration of the dead, the rosatio developed from the custom of placing flowers at burial sites. It was among the extensive private religious practices by means of which the Romans cared for their dead, reflecting the value placed on tradition (mos maiorum, "the way of the ancestors"), family lineage & memorials ranging from simple inscriptions to grand public works. Several dates on the Roman calendar were set aside as public holidays or memorial days devoted to the dead.

Roses had funerary significance in Greece, but were particularly associated with death & entombment among the Romans. In Greece, roses appear on funerary steles  & in epitaphs most often of girls. Flowers were traditional symbols of rejuvenation, rebirth &memory, with the red & purple of roses & violets felt to evoke the color of blood as a form of propitiation

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Encyclopedia britannica

Llewellyn 2024 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

[nyancrimew]

how do you cope with the fact that you probably have many people following you who have severely wrong and stupid beliefs that they hold obnoxiously while refusing to learn and probably assume you agree with them on these because that's how parasocial relationships work ?

i honestly mostly just ignore all the parasocial stuff and i dont really care about breaking the maia people imagine i am in their head (That One Bi Lesbian Tweet lead to people posting about how their "entire world just shattered") cause like idk, it's not healthy and i do not owe you anything with regards to who you think i am. it's also why i try my best to be a grounded and approachable person without feeding into parasocial stuff, like if i do public hangouts (online or in person) i try to actually just have friendly chats with people and ideally not have it just be a onesided thing where i am just lifted even more onto a pedestal. this doesn't always work of course, and is also why for the longest time i was kinda against running a discord server that's essentially about me.

i enjoy having an audience and playing with that, but i try to somewhat minimize the fandomization of it as far as i can do that myself. this isn't like a callout or anything, but yea try to just stay grounded, im just a silly lil girl and not a goddess who's literally perfect in every way, i will fuck up and it probably won't be the end of the world as long as you don't expect me to never fail.

[thesummerestsolstice]

Silmarillion AU Where all the Elves are Hobbits and the Stakes are Significantly Lower:

Finwe is mayor of his part of the Shire, happily married to both Miriel and Indis because they all have two hands

Miriel doesn't die after childbirth she just goes off on a trip to find new artistic inspiration and doesn't come back

Don't worry she eventually shows back up again– turns out she got lost and a kind elvish warrior named Vaire helped her find her way back

Feanor has a good relationship with his siblings, although he and Nolofinwe have engaged in several bouts of passive-aggressive one-upsmanship

The most famous of these ended with Nolofinwe swimming several miles across a lake in winter to prove that he was the more dedicated brother. Feanor agreed after telling him off for being reckless.

The Silmarils aren't pseudo-holy gemstones here, they're a set of three really intricately carved pipe-weed pipes that the Finweans pull out on ceremonial occasions

Morgoth isn't a fallen god he's just an asshole elf who regularly breaks into the Shire to steal things

One day he steals the Silmarils; he doesn't kill Finwe though he just knocks him out

The rest of the First Age is mostly just increasingly convoluted plots by various Finweans to break into his fortress and steal back the pipes (and all the other stuff Morgoth has stolen)

The first of these attempts involves Feanor stealing one (1) boat from Mayor Olwe. No one dies though and he puts it back afterwards. It still results in a lot of petty gossip.

After one of the attempts Morgoth catches Maedhros and hangs him up in a really tall tree

He's stuck there for three weeks before Findekano finds him and gets him down with the help of a homemade hang-glider called "Thorondor"

One of the other hobbit mayors is Thingol, a dear friend (and possible ex boyfriend?) of Finwe

Most of the Ainur are elves here but the concept of hobbit Thingol marrying an eldritch goddess is too funny to pass up so Melian is still a Maia here

She and her descendants look pretty hobbit-ish but they have fairy wings and little antennae

It causes a huge scandal when their daughter, Luthien, runs off with a dwarf prince named Beren

Thingol even writes a very strongly worded letter telling her not to marry him, which is a very extreme measure by hobbit standards, but she doesn't listen

Eventually Beren decides to steal some hobbit stuff back from Morgoth to prove his worthiness

He ends up stealing back one of the pipes and giving it to Thingol

Thingol grudgingly accepts him and Bluthien settle into a nice, quiet life in the Shire

There's no Doriath kinslaying either there's just a long, very passive-aggressive series of letters between Thingol and Feanor until Finwe eventually steps in and Thingol returns the pipe

[tylermileslockett]

HERMES

“I sing of Cyllenian Hermes, the Slayer of Argus, lord of Cyllene and Arcadia rich in flocks, luck-bringing messenger of the deathless gods. He was born of Maia, the daughter of Atlas, when she had made with Zeus, -- a shy goddess she…. And so hail to you, Son of Zeus and Maia; with you I have begun: now I will turn to another song! Hail, Hermes, giver of grace, guide, and giver of good things! (-Homeric Hymn, translated by H.G. Evelyn white)

HERMES (HUR-meez), is the trickster herald and messenger of the gods, as well as god of diplomacy, commerce, travelers, and trade. He is one of the few deities with the power to move between the earthly and underworld realms. Initially he was portrayed as middle aged with dark beard and long locks, but later he was portrayed as a beardless youth. He created the first musical instruments, the lyre and flute, and, interestingly, was the father of goat legged Pan. 

Hermes is a psychopomp; (a leader of spirits into the Underworld.)  He also appears as an ally to mortals in a number in myths:. Hermes assists Perseus by providing an adamantine sickle sword to behead Medusa, and in the Odyssey, Hermes assists Odysseus by providing a magic herb to protect the hero against the witchcraft of Circe. 

Hermes mother is Maia, one of the PleiadesPleaides, who eventually became constellations. With this ancestry, Hermes has associations with both Astronomy (sky constellations) and astrology (zodiac signs surrounding his herald’s wand). He was also the god of sleep, and could put mortals to sleep or wake them up with his wand. Being the god of travelers and herds, at the bottom we can see stone markers called Herma, and a herd of sheep.

Want to own my Illustrated Greek myth book jam packed with over 130 illustrations like this? Support my book kickstarter "Lockett Illustrated: Greek Gods and Heroes" coming in early 2024. check my bio LINKTREE

[royal-wren]

Small ways to honor or devote to Maia

- Foster care (in any way you can support/help out) - Childcare/Babysitting/Petsitting - Nursing and Midwifery (either by doing it or learning about it) - Taking note and giving her thanks on the first day of the 4 seasons - Learning anything about her family (Atlas & Pleione/Aithra, the Pleiades & Hyades, Hermes, Dionysos) or honoring them in general - Learn about or honor Artemis and Selene - Supporting charities/assistance programs (in regards to the public/anyone in need) in any way you can (again either with time or donations) - Stargaze or study astrology - Storm watching - Enjoying the rain - Learn about mountains or spend time on a mountain - Learn about the sea - Learn about maritime navigation and navigation through the stars - Bird watching - Wear any shade of blue - Honor the Nymphai in general - Explore caves (safely, mostly with guides) - Spend time outside in nature among the trees/enjoying the open air

[pagansprite]

Star-eyed Maia walks the horizon, her steps as soft as falling snow 

Herald of winter, hidden behind a mantle of clouds, yet still her elusive smile guides us on

In the deep darkness of the season, we would be lost without her

[aragornsrockcollection]

The silly post about Elrond’s healing just being very strong Dad Energy™️ made me want to put forth a theory I’ve had for a while about what Melian is the Maia of, and how that affects the powers of her descendants.

So it’s no secret that the Valar are a pantheon in the style of the Pre-Christian Europe, like the Greek and Norse pantheons; head-honcho god has bird/sky themes, and all the big archetypes are filled: war, nature, forge, spring, death/doom, chaos, sea, weaving/history, hunting, dancing, dreams, healing/medicine, stars, and pity, the last one being Nienna and a bit of an outlier who makes a lot of sense filling the role that Mary fills in Catholicism, which makes the whole group align better with Tolkien’s Catholic worldview of compassionate deities, a concept that was NOT prevalent in those pre-Christian gods.

A few main members of the archetypal pantheon are missing, One is a god of music, which makes sense because ALL the Ainur are gods of music due to the nature of the universe. Others are taken up by maiar, such as Arien and Tillion being the sun and the moon, Tillion being a Maia of Orome the hunter, which draws Artemis connections, and Arien being a Maia of Vana the ever young. Eonwe is the messenger and

Melian’s role is never expressly defined unlike Arien and Tillion and others. She’s associated with both spring and healing through Vana and Este, and her contribution to the song pre-children seems to be songbirds-more specifically teaching the nightingales to sing songs, since birds should fall under Manwe or Yavanna’s purview (she is said to be akin to Yavanna, but that’s vague and not fleshed out).

But she’s also seen as one of the more powerful Maia, and I don’t see that justified by being the Maia of songbirds. Again, music is ALL of the Ainur’s thing, and what do songbirds have to do with healing, the main power her descendants inherit?

Well, what do songbirds have to do with spring? What is the point of their songs?

It’s attracting a mate. Birds in spring is euphemistically associated with love and sex.

Melian is the only Maia we know of to marry one of the children, and this pantheon is MISSING a goddess of love and marriage and motherhood. Her daughter then goes on to have THE romance of legend, and while Luthien is acting out of love for Beren she is basically unstoppable.

We never see Luthien use her power any other way, outside of her love story, and the idea that she would NOT be as powerful when her songs were not in service of saving her love is actually pretty compelling to me. And also solves the problem of “Why did Luthien, who can put a spell on MORGOTH, let Celegorm and Curufin keep her hostage for a bit.”

The idea of Melian being the Maia of Love and Motherhood also makes sense in context of her abandoning Doriath. If her power comes from love of her husband and daughter, then the girdle was doomed once Thingol died whether she stuck around or not, so her leaving is more forgivable.

Love being such a huge theme in Tolkien’s work, it makes sense why Melian and her descendants are SO powerful. And why they are canonically the most beautiful creatures to walk the earth, as beauty and love are usually intertwined in these figures of mythology.

And Tolkien connects love and healing many times in his work. Aragorn working in the halls of Healing specifically orders Eomer to be the first person Eowyn sees, because her love for her brother is more true than her toxic obsession with him. Also as noted in the other post, his magic healing includes giving them a kiss on the forehead.

Faramir and Eowyn’s whole relationship plays out in the halls of healing, and Eowyn’s arc in this time is seeing no value in healing, either herself or others, until she finds love and hope in Faramir and basically in the same breath vows to become a healer.

Elrond’s compassion and Big Dad Energy and love for everyone is indeed what makes him the best healer in middle earth. And I’m going to argue there is a legit reason for that, with the source of his family’s healing talent being this world’s goddess of love. And of motherhood, which I think translates well to Elrond being everyone’s dad. Perhaps I should say “parenthood” since that is so obviously passed down.

Tl.Dr. Melian is the Maia of love, romantic and familial, which is the source of the Peredhil’s healing powers (and extreme attractiveness).

[lukecastellanshandholder]

Just read about how the name May is derived from the name of the month (duh), but how that is also derived from the goddess Maia… as in the word that activates the flying shoes that Hermes gave to Luke, and then Luke gave them to Percy…

[average-vibe]

*screaming from the rooftop* HEY. CAN WE APPRECIATE HOW PRETTY MAIA MITCHELL/LADY FOX IS FOR A SEC? SHE IS GORGEOUS AND I DO NOT SEE ENOUGH POSTS. LIKE IM GAY FOR HER. SHE COULD ABSOLUTELY FUCK ME UP AND ID SAY PLS AND THANK U. OMG SHES SO PRETTY NO FUCKIN WONDER SNEED WANTED HER. AND SHES A BAD BITCH? OMG SIISOAOWHEBD GOD HAS FAVORITES AND MAIA MITCHELL IS ONE OF THEM. LADY FOX HAS A GOOD PERSONALITY, LOOKS LIKE A GODDESS, COULD LITERALLY CHANGE THE WORLD OF MEDICINE, AAAAND KNOWS WHAT SHE WANTS.

IN CONCLUSION: LADY FOX/MAIA MITCHELL IS DROP DEAD GORGEOUS AND I AM GAY FOR HER