Hermes - A Thief, Inventor, and Messenger God

By N.S. Gill, About.com Guide

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 Kalypso. Remember from the genealogy that Kalypso (Calypso) is Hermes's aunt. She may possibly also be Odysseus' great-grandmother. At any rate, Hermes reminds her that she must give up Odysseus. [See Odyssey Book V notes.] In the end of the Odyssey, as psychopompos or psychagogos (lit. soul leader: Hermes leads souls from dead bodies to the banks of the River Styx) Hermes leads the suitors to the Underworld.

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