Mercury (Hermes)
Hermes is the messenger
of the gods, and is also
the patron of boundaries,
travelers, shepherds,
thieves, wit, athletics and
sports, invention, and
commerce in general.
Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia (one of the
Pleiades, the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas and
the sea-nymph Pleione)
Hermes with Maia. Attic
red-figure amphora, ca.
500 BCE
The Pleiades, Elihu Vedder, 1885
As the divine
messenger, he wears a
traveler’s hat (petasus)
and sandals (talaria)
and carries a herald’s
wand (Caduceus),
which often bears two
snakes entwined. The
entwined snakes are a
symbol for Hermes as
a fertility god,
connected with the
Underworld.
His symbols
include the
tortoise, the
rooster, the
ram/goat the
winged sandals,
the winged hat,
and the caduceus.
The Birth and Childhood of Hermes
Maia avoided the
company of the gods in
a cave. She was secretly
impregnated by Zeus
who had been visiting
her nightly. After giving
birth to the baby, Maia
wrapped him in
blankets and went to
sleep.
The Birth and Childhood of Hermes
Only hours old,
Hermes snuck
out to a cave
and found a
tortoise. He
fashioned a
lyre out of the
tortoise shell
The Birth and Childhood of Hermes
Hermes left
the cave and
found Apollo’s
sacred cattle.
Hermes stole
the cattle and
hid them,
walking them
backwards to
hide where he
took them
Hermes and Apollo’s Cattle, Caeretan Black Figure, ca. 520 BCE
The Birth and Childhood of Hermes
When Apollo accused Hermes
of the theft, Hermes
attempted to deny it, but Zeus
intervened and agreed with
Apollo. During the argument
Hermes began to play his lyre,
which enchanted Apollo, and
he agreed to let Hermes keep
the cattle in exchange for the
lyre.
Apollo and his Lyre
Statues of Hermes, called herms,
were common in the ancient
world and symbols of fertility.
They were intended to bring
prosperity and luck. A herm
might be found outside any
house; and these herms could
be taken very seriously. They
were square pillars equipped
with male genitals; on top of
each was the head of Hermes.
They marked areas as sacred or
designated the bounds of one’s
home.
The functions of
Hermes are
characterized by his
role as a creator and
crosser of boundaries
and an intermediary
between two different
worlds. His herms
marked the boundaries
between property
lines. As a messenger
of the gods, Hermes
joins the human with
the divine realm of the
Olympians.
Hermes with Orpheus and
Eurydice
As psychopompos
(Leader of the Soul), he
brings mortals across
the barriers of the
Underworld. As a god
of young men, Hermes
stands between youth
and adulthood. Finally,
he is associated with
Hermaphroditus, who
united the attributes of
both sexes and
transgresses the
limitations of gender.
Hermes helps reunite
Ceres and Proserpina
Hermaphroditus
was the child of
Aphrodite and
Hermes. At the age
of fifteen, he grew
bored with his
surroundings and
left home. He
encountered the
nymph, Salmacis, in
her pool. She was
overcome by lust
for the boy and
tried to seduce
him, but was
rejected.
Hermaphroditus
Venus and Mercury
Hermaphroditus
When he thought her to be
gone, Hermaphroditus
undressed and entered the
pool. Salmacis sprang out from
behind a tree and jumped into
the pool. She wrapped herself
around the him and she called
out to the gods that they
should never part. Her wish
was granted, and their bodies
blended into one form, "a
creature of both sexes"
Borghese Hermaphroditus, Roman copy 2nd century CE
Hermaphroditus
Hermaphroditus
prayed to Hermes and
Aphrodite that anyone
else who bathed in the
pool would be similarly
transformed, and his
wish was granted
Hermaphroditus statue from Pergamum, 3rd
century BCE
Hermes and Argus
After Zeus seduced Io, he
changed her into a white
cow to hider her from Hera.
Then Hera had the cunning
to ask Zeus to give her the
cow as a present,
something Zeus could not
deny her. Then she had the
cow guarded by the giant
Argus who had 100 eyes.
Zeus sent Hermes to rescue
Io; Hermes lulled Argus to
sleep by telling him stories,
and then cut off his head
Io, Argus, and Mercury, Pinturicchio (1454-1513)
Mercury and Argus, Diego Velazquez, 1659
Mercurius
In early Rome,
Mercurius was
worshipped as a god of
trading and profit (Latin
Merces – merchandise).
He became associated
with the Greek Hermes
and acquired Hermes’
other functions
Roman silver statuette of Mercury
Mercury in the
Aeneid
After Dido fell deeply
in love with Aeneas,
he would have been
content to stay with
her had Mercury not
appeared to him and
delivered Jupiter’s
message to sail away
to fulfill his destiny in
Italy.
Mercury Appearing to Aeneas, Giambattista Tiepolo, 1757
Mercury, Hendrick Goltzius, 1611
Mercury, Artus Quellinus, 1652