Hermes
Hermes, also known by the Romans as Mercurius (Mercury) was born under the house of Maia and Zeus. Hermes was born in the morning and just an hour after he was born was already on his first adventure.
Hermes wore a pair of winged sandals which they said were so he could travel "as swift as thought." He was a skinny guy who wore a brimmed hat with wings.
He was the god of many things like the messenger of the Gods, and the conductor of the ghosts to Hades. He was also the god of eloquence and good fortune, and he was the patron of merchants. He was also god of prudence, cunning, fraud and theft. Sometimes they would call him the "Master Thief" because he was so clever and inventive.
In addition to all of this, Hermes was also the god of roads and protector of travelers. Because he was god of the roads the Greeks put posts along the roads that were toped with his image to guide people down the roads. These posts were said to also make women fertile.
Hermes' first adventure like I mentioned earlier in this report was only hours after he was born. He escaped from his crib, killed a tortoise, and streached cords across a tortoise shell inventing the lyre.
Another adventure Hermes went on was when he stole Apollo's oxen. He killed two of them and hid the others in a cave. When Apollo found out Hermes had stolen the oxen, he was mad, but because of Hermes' charm and cleverness he got out of all trouble. He went unpunished. Hermes played the lyre he invented for Apollo so he could get out of all trouble.
During this adventure he learned to be clever and inventinve. Because he thought Hermes was a good player of the lyre, Apollo gave Hermes a magic wand called a caduceus. (a wand which turned everything it touched into gold and bestowed wealth and prosperity.) Hermes now carries that wand around everywhere he goes.
As you know Hermes was a messenger for the gods. Another adventure he went on was when Zeus sent Hermes down to the underworld to Hades to bring back Persephone. Even with all of his cleverness and inventiveness Hermes couldn't get her back. Instead, he found her sitting by Hades' side as his queen. Hermes could only persuade Hades to let Persephone live on earth for six months because she had not eaten all of the fruin that had spoiled on earth.
These are only two of his most famous adventures. He also took part in tying Ixion to the wheel and Prometheus to Mt. Caucasus. He helped in the rescue of Dionysus from the flames which consumed Semele. He also led the three godesses to the spot where Paris judged them. He slew Argus Panoptes and sold Hercules into slavery to Queen Omphale.
This is just part of Hermes' life on Mt. Olympus. He was a very important part of the Gods' life. Not only was he clever and inventive but also the most active god. Hermes was also the bringer of dreams and donor of restful sleep. So every time you fall asleep know that it is because of Hermes that you sleep well at night.
by Mandi Swan
Source Book: Standard Dictionary of Folklore,
Mythology, and Legend.
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