Mythic Monday: Hopping Hermes
June 12, 2017
Hermes was one of the busiest ancient Greek gods who lived on Mount Olympus. Hermes was the messenger of the gods, the god of roads and doorways, and the protector of travelers. He was also the god of shepherds and literature, specifically poetry. In addition, he was honored among some believers as the inventor of music. Hermes served as the guide for dead souls on their way to the underworld. He protected boundaries and assisted public speakers and merchants. Hermes was also a god of fertility and found time to conduct numerous love affairs with mortals, goddesses, and nature sprites called nymphs. The Greeks believed Hermes brought good or unexpected luck. He had a clever and cunning personality and a reputation as a trickster, which accounted for his being a patron of vagabonds, criminals, and thieves. Hermes is similar to Rome’s Mercury, a god with his own lively list of responsibilities.
Mercury (a.k.a. Hermes) rides the mythical winged horse Pegasus in the Jardin des Tuilieries in Paris, France. Credit: © Zoran Karapancev, Shutterstock
Hermes was born in a cave on a mountain in Arcadia, a region in southern Greece. There he was associated with the protection of sheep and cattle. He was conceived and born in a single day. On that first day of his existence, Hermes invented a stringed instrument called the lyre, stole the cattle of the god Apollo, and may have invented fire as well. Hermes inherited his vast capacity for industry from his parents—Zeus, the king of the gods, and Maia, a minor goddess. Hermes had several children himself, including Pan, the half man-half goat god of woods and pastures.
Hermes is generally portrayed as a handsome young man wearing a winged hat and winged sandals (adding to his fleetness of foot while delivering messages). He carried a caduceus «kuh DOO see uhs», a staff with snakes wrapped around it. Snakes were a symbol of fertility.
