May

Mother Earth and Mother’s Day

Gaia (Gaea) is “Mother Earth” and “Mother Nature”. In the Graeco-Roman myths all life came from her, including her grandchildren, the six original Olympians. She is the archetype of the perfect mother: nurturing, but also fierce, and above all the force that preserves the natural order and balance of things.

The month itself is named for a different goddess, Maia, a goddess of nurturing, fertility and growth, the healthy growth of spring. The two are often confused: Maia was the mother of Hermes/Mercury, while Gaia would have been his great-grandmother.