Like Mother, Like Son?

The chapter explores the relationship between Hermes and his mother Maia in literary texts, primarily the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, and in Attic vase-painting of the sixth century BCE. It is suggested that some puzzling aspects of the vases, such as the prevalence of various animals, can be understood with reference to elements of the Hymn, and that at least one much-discussed vase can be reinterpreted in the light of this relationship. The unique depiction of Hermes and Maia on the François Vase of c.570 anticipates some of what is found later in both poetry and painting.