When confronted by Apollo, Hermes denied the theft. He was born in Arcadia, near the mountain Cyllene.Ī precocious youth, a mere five minutes after he was born, Hermes stole a herd of cows from his brother, the sun god Apollo, obscuring their trail by making the herd walk backward. Hermes is the son of Zeus (the father and "chief" of the ancient Greek gods) and the nymph Maia, a goddess of clouds and one of the Plejades, the seven daughters of Atlas. The godly brothers Hermes (left) and Apollo (right). Because of his speed, he was sometimes considered a god of winds.Īs one of the "planets" known in antiquity, Mercury's name is at the origin of the name of "Wednesday" in French and other Romance languages: "mercredi" comes from the Latin "Mercurii dies", or "Mercury's day". Hermes/Mercury's relation to business and speed survives in words like "mercurial" and "mercantile". He brought the souls of the dead to the underworld, and was honoured as a god of sleep. As the deity of athletes, he protected gymnasiums and stadiums.ĭespite his virtuous characteristics, Hermes was also a dangerous foe, a trickster and a thief.
#HERMES GREEK GOD MANUAL#
He was also the god of manual arts and eloquence. He ruled over wealth, good fortune, commerce, fertility, and thievery.Īmong his personal favorite commercial activities was the corn trade. He was the most clever of the Olympian gods, and served as messenger for all the other gods. The Greek god Hermes (the Roman Mercury ) was the god of translators and interpreters. Mercury the swift messenger of the ancient gods. On this page, you will find some interesting information about the mythology related to Hermes/Mercury. However, recent research has cast some doubt on whether he really meant this. 388-315 BC) believed that Mercury and Venus orbit the Sun and not the Earth. It has often been stated that the Greek natural philosopher Heraclides of Heraclea Pontus (ca. However, they realised that the two names referred to the same celestial body. They also distinguished between Apollo in its apparition as a "morning star" (low above the eastern horizon, just before sunrise) and Hermes as an evening star (low above the western horizon, just after sunset). The ancient Greeks associated this celestial body with the swift messenger of the gods, Hermes. It takes Mercury 88 days to complete one revolution in its orbit and it is the speediest of all planets.Īs a comparatively bright object in the evening or morning sky, Mercury was well known to many of the ancient people.
Hermes' symbols include the Caduceus a leather pouch winged sandals, a rooster and a ram which is his hat.Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system and the one that is closest to the Sun. Hermes was cheerful, good humored, cunning, and because he was the messenger god he was the fastest of the Olympians. He is often dressed in a toga, but his winged hat and sandals make him easy to identify. Hermes is usually depicted as a handsome young man with an athletic build. Hermes also played the role of a psychopomp, and as such was tasked with guiding the souls of the dead to his uncle's realm, Hades.
In order to rescue Io, Hermes told a long and boring story, so boring that it literally bored Argus to death! Io was being guarded by Hera's servant, the hundred-eyed monster Argus. Hermes was once tasked by Zeus with rescuing Io from Hera. In order to make it up to him, Hermes gave Apollo the lyre he had invented. When Hermes was an infant, he stole some of Apollo's cattle.
Hermes was the Olympian God of travel, roads, thievery, merchants, athletics, and travelers.
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