The Roman name for the May Queen was "Maia", her name was thought to be derived from maius, maior , "larger, greater" signifying growth. She was explicitly identified with Terra (Earth) and the Bona Dea. Her identity became theologically intertwined also with the goddesses Fauna, Magna Mater, Ops, Juno, and Carna, probably under the influence of the 1st-century BCE scholar Varro, who tended to resolve a great number of goddesses into one original Mother Earth. In the late Imperial era, the neoplatonist author Macrobius identifies the universal earth-goddess as Maia, Terra, Magna Mater, Ops, Bona Dea, Fauna and Fatua. The Romans celebrated the earth-goddess as Bona Dea on the 1st of May at her Aventine temple. When the Romans converted to Christianity, May became the month the Virgin Mary, and she is called "Queen of the May". Invocation to the May Queen  May Queen, almighty and divine,  Come, blessed maiden, and to these rites incline, ...

The summer solstice is rapidly approaching and I have been wanting to make some midsummer inspired art. To help me get my creative juices flowing, I've been reading The Stations of the Sun by Ronald Hutton. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in learning about the ritual year in Britain, particularly the seasonal festivals that were celebrated during the Middle Ages. So, why is the summer solstice referred to as "midsummer" when most modern Brits regard June as the beginning of summer? Here we see there are several ways of reckoning the seasons: Traditionally, the seasons were reckoned according to the amount of daylight available, and for this reason the darkest months were referred to as winter whereas the lightest months were called summer. Today we measure the seasons according to the temperature, so that the hottest months are called summer and the coldest months are called winter. It may seem strange that the darkest time of year is not also ...