Hermes was the messenger of the gods, the patron of travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators, and the guide of souls to the underworld. He was the son of Zeus and the nymph Maia, and he was famous from the moment of his birth for his cleverness and his cunning. He invented the lyre, stole Apollo’s cattle, and established himself as the most quick-witted of the gods. The Romans identified him with Mercury, and through that identification his image became one of the most familiar in Western civilization.
Hermes is the messenger of the gods, the god of travellers, merchants, thieves, and orators, the guide of souls (psychopompos), and the inventor of the lyre. The Homeric Hymn to Hermes (probably sixth century BCE) is one of the central Greek poems about any god: the Hymn tells how the infant Hermes, on the very day of his birth, walked out of his cradle, stole Apollo’s cattle, invented the lyre by stretching strings across a tortoise shell, and was eventually reconciled with Apollo. The Hymn is the source of the most lasting image of Hermes, the trickster-craftsman.
The Birth of Hermes
Hermes was born in a cave on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia, the son of Zeus and the nymph Maia, daughter of the Titan Atlas. He was a remarkable infant. On the very day of his birth, he crawled out of his cradle, found a tortoise, and invented the lyre by stretching strings across its empty shell. Then he left the cave, walked to the pastures of Pieria, and stole Apollo’s cattle.
To avoid leaving a trail, Hermes made the cattle walk backward, and he himself walked out of the cave in huge boots (or, in some versions, sandals) of woven wicker that disguised his footprints. When Apollo discovered the theft, he went to Maia to demand the return of his cattle, but Hermes, although only a few hours old, denied everything so convincingly that Apollo was not sure he had the right cave. Finally, Zeus intervened and forced Hermes to return the cattle. As a peace offering, Hermes gave Apollo the lyre he had invented, and the two became close friends. Apollo later gave Hermes the caduceus in return.
The Symbols of Hermes
Hermes was associated with many symbols:
- The Caduceus: The winged staff with two intertwined serpents, the symbol of Hermes. It was originally a herald’s staff, but it became the symbol of commerce, negotiation, and even medicine (although the proper medical symbol is the staff of Asclepius, with a single serpent).
- The Winged Sandals: Hermes wore golden sandals with wings that allowed him to fly. They were sometimes called talaria.
- The Traveler’s Hat: The petasos, a broad-brimmed traveler’s hat, was a distinctive feature of Hermes’s iconography.
- The Winged Cap: Sometimes worn along with the sandals.
- The Ram: The ram, in some traditions, was sacred to Hermes.
- The Tortoise: The tortoise, the original material of his lyre, was associated with him.
The Domains of Hermes
As the divine messenger, Hermes presided over many aspects of life:
- Travelers: He was the protector of travelers, particularly those on roads and at sea.
- Thieves and Tricksters: He was the patron of thieves, and his cleverness was a model for all who lived by their wits.
- Merchants and Commerce: He was the god of trade, and the herm, a stone pillar with his head, marked boundaries and crossroads.
- Orators: He was the god of eloquence and rhetoric, the patron of public speakers.
- Athletes: He was the god of athletics and gymnasiums, and gymnasiums were often dedicated to him as Hermes Enagonios.
- Souls of the Dead: He was the psychopomp, the guide of souls to the underworld, and he accompanied the dead on their final journey.
The Major Myths of Hermes
The Odyssey
In the Odyssey, Hermes plays several important roles. He is sent by Zeus to rescue Odysseus from the sorceress Circe, who has turned his men into pigs. Hermes gives Odysseus the herb moly, which protects him from Circe’s magic and forces her to restore his men.
Hermes also appears in the underworld, where he leads the souls of the suitors killed by Odysseus down to the realm of Hades. In some versions, Hermes is the one who gives Odysseus the information he needs to survive his journey.
The Perseus Myth
In one of the great Greek myths, Hermes helps Perseus kill the Gorgon Medusa. He loans Perseus his winged sandals, allowing him to fly to the Gorgon’s lair, and he gives him advice on how to approach her.
The Infant Heracles
When the infant Heracles was threatened by the serpents sent by Hera, Hermes helped protect him. In some versions, Hermes disguised himself as a mortal and brought the baby to safety.
The Slaying of Argus
Hermes was sent by Zeus to kill the hundred-eyed giant Argus, who was guarding Io, one of Zeus’s lovers whom Hera had turned into a heifer. Hermes told Argus stories and lullabies until the giant fell asleep, then killed him with a stone. Hera placed the hundred eyes of Argus on the tail of the peacock, her sacred bird.
The Bargain of Hermes
In one charming myth, Hermes was said to have invented the first weighing scale, and to have been the first to use weights and measures. He was also the patron of merchants and the protector of fair dealing in trade.
The Children of Hermes
Hermes fathered many children, by both goddesses and mortals:
- Pan, the goat-god of the wild, by the nymph Dryope
- Hermaphroditus, by Aphrodite, in some traditions
- Eudoros, the leader of the Myrmidons
- Autolycus, the master thief, grandfather of Odysseus
- Myrtilus, the charioteer of Oenomaus
- Cephalus, the hunter
- Abderos, the lover of Heracles
- Daphnis, in some traditions, the inventor of pastoral poetry
The Worship of Hermes
The worship of Hermes was panhellenic, with major centers in:
- Arcadia: Hermes was said to have been born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia, and the region was a major center of his worship.
- Athens: Hermes was a popular god in Athens, and the herms, stone pillars with his head, were set up throughout the city.
- Olympia: The temple of Hera at Olympia also housed a famous statue of Hermes by Praxiteles.
- Cyllene and other ports, where travelers prayed to him for safe passage.
The Romans identified Hermes with Mercury, one of the most popular gods of Roman religion. Mercury was the god of commerce, travelers, and thieves, and his temple on the Aventine Hill was a major religious center. The Campus Martius, a large field in Rome, was dedicated to Mars, but it was also associated with Mercury as the site of commercial activity. The month of May was sacred to Mercury.
The Herms and the Hermaphroditus
The herms, stone pillars topped with the head of Hermes, were a distinctive feature of the Greek landscape. They marked boundaries, crossroads, gymnasiums, and private property. There were thousands of herms in Athens alone.
Hermaphroditus, in later Greek mythology, was a beautiful youth who was the son of Hermes and Aphrodite. According to the myth, the nymph Salmacis fell in love with him and prayed that they should never be separated. The gods granted her wish by merging their bodies into one, creating a being with both male and female characteristics. The myth gave its name to the hermaphrodite, a being with both male and female sexual organs.
The Legacy of Hermes
Hermes is the trickster figure of the Percy Jackson series, the namesake of the French luxury house, the planet Mercury, and the chemical element mercury, and the origin of the words hermeneutics (the study of interpretation) and hermetic (sealed, after Hermes Trismegistus). For the broader modern reception, see our guide to Greek mythology in modern culture.
A Note on Reading This Profile
A note on reading this profile. Hermes is the god for whom the Homeric Hymn to Hermes is the most useful single source. The Hymn is one of the central Greek poems, and the standard scholarly reading is that it was composed in the sixth century BCE, possibly at Athens, as a kind of explanatory piece for a new festival to the god. The Hymn is also one of the central Greek poems for the figure of the trickster in modern comparative mythology, and the standard modern treatment is Marcel Detienne’s The Masters of Truth in Archaic Greece (1967, English translation 1996).