God Hermes

Statue of god Hermes. Handmade of alabaster,and painted in museum patina.

GOD Hermes was the ancient Greek god of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves, and travel. One of the cleverest and most mischievous of the Olympian gods. He was the patron of shepherds, invented the lyre, and was, above all, the herald and messenger of Mt. Olympus .  AND he came to symbolise the crossing of boundaries in his role as a guide between the two realms of gods and humanity. To the Romans, the god was known as Mercury.

Hermes and the gods

As messenger and herald, particularly for Zeus, Hermes is involved in many mythological episodes. Perhaps most celebrated was his killing of the many-eyed (some accounts say 100-eyed) monster Argos on the orders of Zeus in order to free Io. Hermes also freed Ares from his year-long imprisonment in a cauldron by the twin Giants Otus and Ephialtes. One of his 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. Hermes was also known as something of a trickster, stealing at one time or another Poseidon’s trident, Artemis’ arrows, and Aphrodite’s girdle.

God Hermes & the Heroes

Hermes figures in the Trojan War as told by Homer in the Iliad.  Although in one lengthy passage he acts as counsellor and guide to the Trojan King Priam in his attempt to reclaim the body of his fallen son Hector.  Hermes actually supports the Achaeans in the Trojan War. The god is most often described by Homer as ‘Hermes the guide, slayer of Argos’ and ‘Hermes the kindly’. Hermes gives particular help to Odysseus, especially on his long return voyage to Ithaca (as told in Homer’s Odyssey).  For example, giving him an antidote to the spells of Circe. Another hero helped by the god was Perseus. Hermes is giving him an unbreakable sword or sickle (harpe) of adamantine .  And guiding him to the three Graeae who would reveal the location of Medusa.