Hermes - A Thief, Inventor, and Messenger God

By N.S. Gill, About.com Guide

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 50 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.

"For it was Hermes who first invented fire-sticks and fire. Next he took many dried sticks and piled them thick and plenty in a sunken trench: and flame began to glow, spreading afar the blast of fierce-burning fire."
Homeric Hymn to Hermes IV.114.

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.

Previous

• Hermes - Not Always a Messenger God
• The Family Tree of Hermes
• Hermes - The Infant Thief & the First Sacrifice to the Gods
• Hermes and Apollo
• Zeus Puts His Idle Son Hermes to Work
• Hermes - Messenger in the Odyssey
• The Associates and Offspring of Hermes Are Cunning, Too
• Hermes the Helpful . . .
• . . . And Not So Kind

Next