I, Hermes, Greek god, son of Zeus and the Pleiad Maia, would like to seek the
help of my fellow gods as well as the goddesses In my quest against the powerful and
undefeatable giants that threaten our people.
Be it known to everyone that I Hermes, is the messenger of the gods. I am the
fastest of all the gods and goddesses. I am a guide who knew the way to the
underworld. So I would show the dead souls the way to the underworld. I am also the
patron of traders, merchants, thieves and everyone who lived by their wits.
Some of my characteristics include my ingenuity, knowledge, creativity, and
very cunning. I am also quite good at gymnastics. I am an incredibly clever god. I once
found a tortoise outside of my cave and displayed my godly talent by placing strings
over the shell, inventing the first lyre. As a child I was very precious, even for a god.
But I caused a great deal of trouble. So, I went too far and learned a very important
lesson. It was my intelligence and theft abilities that won me in many battles.
I was born in Arcadia. Since then, I became known for being a master thief
because after just being born for five minutes; I decided to steal some cows from
Apollo. The reason being was to help Apollo with his music by making a harp out of
the cow parts. I was also known for being very helpful, not only to Apollo but to all of
the other gods too. I also helped Odysseus on his long journey in the Trojan War.
I am a very mysterious god who went through many journeys in my life, good
and bad. Like Heracels, I showed amazing skill in early years. I escaped my cradle,
wandered outside, and walked from Mt. Cyllene to Pieria where I found Apollo’s
cattle. My natural character was to steal them. I even had a smart plan. I, therefore,
became associated with thieves and yet I managed to keep the stolen herd of cattle
until the satyrs finally discovered it in a cave in Arcadia. After a hearing before Zeus
and the Olympian gods, I was permitted to hold on to the herd if I gave Apollo his
lyre.
As messenger and herald, particularly for Zeus, I was involved in many
mythological episodes. Perhaps most celebrated was my killing of the many-eyed
monster Argos on the orders of Zeus in order to free Io. I also freed Ares from his yearlong imprisonment in a cauldron by the twin Giants Otus and Ephialtes. One of my
most famous regular roles was as a leader of souls to the river Styx in the underworld,
where the boatman Charon would take them to Hades. I was also known as
something of a trickster, stealing at one time or another Poseidon's trident, Artemis'
arrows, and Aphrodite's girdle.
The herald and messenger of the gods, I, Hermes was like a breath of fresh air
on Mount Olympus. For I, a friendly, likable young god, is the patron not only of
travelers and merchants, but of thieves and rogues as well.