Mother Nature is a generic term for the personification of the natural world. Sometimes Mother Earth or Earth Mother are used instead, but the idea is the same. Such embodiment of the natural environment has been going on since Roman times, and it is largely associated with pagan traditions that continued throughout the Middle Ages. In Greek mythology, Gaia was the goddess who most closely resembled Mother Earth. Similar concepts were in use by native Americans, including Mama Pacha, an Inca term.