Hermes (Mercury)

About the God Hermes - A Thief, Inventor, and Messenger God

An article by N.S. Gill, Ancient/Classical History Guide

Hermes and the Messenger God
Hermes (Mercury to the Romans), the fleet-footed messenger with wings on his heels and cap symbolizes fast floral delivery. However, Hermes was originally neither winged nor a messenger -- that role was reserved for the rainbow goddess Iris*. Hermes was, instead, clever, tricky, a thief, and, with his awakening or sleep-conferring wand (rhabdos), the original sandman whose descendants include a major Greek hero and a noisy, fun-loving god.

Ouranos is the Sky; Gaia is the Earth; Pontos is the Sea Ouranos=Gaia Gaia=Pontos | | Oceanos=Tethys | | | Elektra = Thaumys | _________________ | | | Iris Aello Okypete Table 1

*Iris was Medusa's cousin and the daughter of Thaumys and Elektra [ See Table 1]

Parents of Hermes

Before Zeus married Hera, Maia (a daughter of the second generation Titan Atlas, who was a son of the Titan Iapetos and Okeanos' daughter Klymene) bore him a son, Hermes [ See Table 2 ].

Hermes - The Infant Thief & the First Sacrifice to the Gods

Like Hercules, Hermes showed remarkable prowess in infancy. He escaped his cradle, wandered outside, and walked from Mt. Cyllene to Pieria where he found Apollo's cattle. His natural instinct was to steal them. He even had a clever plan. First Hermes padded their feet to muffle the sound, and then he drove fifty of them backwards in order to confuse pursuit. He stopped at the Alpheios River to make the first sacrifice to the gods. To do so, Hermes had to invent fire, or at least how to kindle it. Then he selected two of Apollo's herd, and after killing them, divided each into six parts to correspond with the 12 Olympians. There were, at the time, only 11. The remaining portion was for himself.

Ouranos=Gaia | _____________________________________________________ | | | Okeanos=Tethys | | | | Kronos=Rheia | | | __________________ | | | | | | Aithra Klymene = Iapetos | = | | = | | = __________________________ | = | | | | | = Menoitos | Prometheus Epimetheus | =============Atlas | | | | | ___________________________ | | | | | | Pleiades Hyades Kalypso Maia = Zeus | | Hermes Table 2

Hermes Makes the First Lyre

After completing his new ritual, Hermes went back home. On his way, he found a tortoise which he took inside his house. Using leather strips from Apollo's herd as string, he created the first lyre. He was playing the new musical instrument when Apollo found him.

Hermes and His Brother Apollo Make a Trade

Noticing the material of the string, Apollo was furious with Hermes for stealing his cattle and smart enough not to believe Hermes when he protested his innocence. Reconciliation seemed impossible until the father of both gods stepped in. To make amends, Hermes gave his half-brother the tortoise shell lyre. At a later date, Hermes and Apollo made another exchange. Apollo gave his half-brother the Caduceus in exchange for a flute Hermes invented.

Zeus Puts His Idle Son Hermes to Work

Related Resources • Greek Mythology • Genealogy of Achilles • Homeric Hymn to Hermes • Hermes • Autolycus • House of Atreus • Genealogy of the Titans and First Gods • Eris Goddess of Discord • Hercules • Cannibalism in Greek Mythology

Elsewhere on the Web • Mythman's Hermes • Carlos Parada's Hermes

Zeus realized he had to keep his clever, cattle-rustling son out of mischief, so he put him to work as god of trade and commerce. He gave him power over birds of omen, dogs, boars, flocks of sheep, and lions. He provided him with golden sandals, and made him messenger (angelos) to Hades. In this role Hermes was sent to try to retrieve Persephone from her husband.

Hermes as a Messenger in the Odyssey

At the beginning of the Odyssey, Hermes is an effective liaison between the Olympians and the earth-bound deities. It is he whom Zeus sends to Calypso to remind her that she must give up Odysseus. In the end of the Odyssey, Hermes as psychopompos (lit. soul leader: Hermes leads souls from dead bodies to the banks of the River Styx) has the task of leading the suitors to the Underworld.

The Associates and Offspring of Hermes Are Cunning, Too

Hermes is a complex old god. Friendly, helpful, sneaky, and cunning. It should come as no surprise that the thief Autolycus and the cunning hero of the Odyssey are his descendants. Autolycus was Hermes' son. Autolycus' daughter Anticlea married Laertes and bore Odysseus. [See Names in the Odyssey.] Hermes' most famous offspring is the god Pan through his mating with an unnamed Dryops. (In the tradition of messy genealogies, other accounts make Pan's mother Penelope and Theocritus' Syrinx poem makes Odysseus Pan's father.)

Hermes the Helpful

According to Timothy Gantz, two of the epithets (eriounios and phoronis) by which Hermes is known may mean 'helpful' or 'kindly'. He taught his descendant Autolycus the art of thievery and enhanced Eumaios' wood-chopping skills. Hermes also helped heroes in their tasks: Hercules in his descent to the Underworld and Perseus in the beheading of the Gorgon Medusa.

Hermes the Mischievous or Vengeful

But Hermes isn't all aid to mortals and benign mischief. He provided a golden lamb to start a quarrel between Atreus and Thyestes in revenge for their father Pelops' killing Hermes' son Myrtilos, charioteer to Oinomaus. Whichever of the two brothers had possession of the lamb was the rightful king. Atreus promised Artemis the most beautiful lamb in his flock, but then reneged when he discovered he had possession of the golden one. His brother seduced his wife to get at the lamb. Thyestes acquired the throne, but then Atreus took revenge by serving up to Thyestes his own sons for dinner. [See Cannibalism in Greek Myth.] In another event with bloody repercussions, Hermes escorted the three goddesses to Paris, thereby precipitating the Trojan War.
Print Source: Timothy Gantz: Early Greek Myth, 1993.
Olympians Table of Contents
Hermes Quiz

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