Family of Hermes
Parents: Hermes was the son of Zeus, the King of the Gods, and the mountain Nymph Maea, who was a daughter of the Titan Atlas. Hermes was born inside a cave on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia, southern Greece.
Famous Children: Hermaphroditus and the Satyr Pan.
Hermes, the God's Messenger and Conductor of Souls
Hermes was wearing wings on his sandals and therefore was the speediest of all Greek gods. Because of his speed, Hermes received the role of the messenger and conductor of souls to the Underworld. Hermes was the only Olympian god who was authorized to visit Heaven, Earth and also the Underworld and enjoyed this way popularity among all the Greek gods and spirits.
Hermes, the God of the Thieves
It is well known that Ancient Greeks endowed their gods with human weaknesses. Hermes, for instance, felt an irresistible impulse of stealing ever since his infancy and quickly developed as the god of the cheaters and the thieves.
Hermes' special Relation to Zeus
Hermes was a messenger of all gods, but mostly he was known for performing duties for his father Zeus with great pleasure. Zeus appreciated Hermes wits highly and always asked for Hermes assistance throughout his decisions, especially when it came to cheating on his wife Hera.
Appearance of Hermes
Hermes was a young man, wearing traveling clothes, a flat hat known as "petasus" and winged sandals on his feet. Oftentimes he was also considered to have wings attached to his shoulders and hat.
Hermes usually held a winged staff with snakes wrapped around it in his hands in order to gain access everywhere. This staff helped Hermes to charm the gods or to wake up those who were tamed by the god of sleep.
Symbols of Hermes
The caduceus (his staff), the purse (or leather pouch), the winged sandals, the ram and the petasus (his hat).
The Caduceus of Hermes
In Ancient times, the caduceus was the main symbol of god Hermes and one of the most classic symbols of healing. It was a wooden stick made out of laurel or olive wood and usually had two wings just above the top.The caduceus was given to Hermes by his father Zeus, when he proclaimed Hermes as the official messenger of the gods. Whenever the gods and mortals saw Hermes holding the caduceus, they knew that he would announce an official message.
According to the legend, the caduceus once split two poisonous snakes that fighted. From the moment they wrapped around the caduceus, they stopped fighting and started looking at each other peacefully.The caduceus is called "kerykion" in Greek, deriving from the word "keryx", which means "herald" in Greek.
Abilities
It is not mentioned what supernatural powers Hermes has, but much can be guessed from what he is known for.
- Hermes is the fastest god and can travel the speed of wind due to his winged shoes
- Hermes is the god of thieves, so he might have a supernatural way of stealing things without others noticing.
- Hermes presumably possesses the standard powers of a god.
- As the messenger of the gods, Hermes can go to the realm of any god, including the Underworld.
- Hermes may have the power of prophecy. As a child he persuaded Apollo to teach the art of prophecy to him. This may be how he knew Luke's fate.
History
Hermes was born sometime after the first Titan War to Zeus and a nymph named Maia. He matured rapidly and within a few minutes of his birth stole the cattle of Apollo and invented the lyre. He even thought of a clever way to cover up his crime: tying bundles of grass to the cows feet and leading them backward out of the pasture to make it look like something had been led into the pasture, but not out.
Despite this, Apollo found out and went to Zeus for justice. When brought before his father, Hermes attempted to charm Zeus into letting him go by telling him he was just an innocent new born baby. Undeceived, but amused by the child's boldness, Zeus instead forced him to compensate Apollo, which Hermes did by presenting him with his lyre. Hermes also traded the shepherd's pipe (another invention of his) to Apollo in exchange for his golden staff and knowledge of the art of prophecy. When he came of age, Hermes was made the messenger of the gods.
As the messenger of gods Hermes would often serve as the intermediary between the gods and the mortal world. He aided Odysseus against Circe and told Calypso to either let him go or face the wrath of Zeus. During the Trojan War he sided with the Trojans and delivered Zeus's order to return Hector's body to his father. Also in the Trojan War Hermes and Apollo teamed up to help guide the arrow that killed Achilles and Hermes helped Helen escape with the rest of the citizens of Troy when they were over run by the Greek armies.
In other stories, Hermes gave a pair of his winged sandals to Perseus when Perseus went to kill Medusa. In some tales, he freed Zeus after the latter was initially defeated by Typhon and freed Ares from his imprisonment by the Alodai among numerous other feats.
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