Hermes was one of the sons of Zeus. Maia, daughter of Atlas, was his mother. Because of a very popular statue his appearance is more familiar to us than that of any other god. He was graceful and swift of motion. On his feet were winged sandals; wings were on his low-crowned hat, too, and on his magic wand, the Caduceus. He was Zeus' messenger, who "flies as fleet as thought to do his bidding."

The babe was born at the break of day,
And ere the night fell he had stolen away
Apollo's herds.

      Zeus made him give them back, and he won Apollo's forgiveness by presenting him with the lyre which he had just invented, making it out of a tortoise's shell.

      As civilization advanced, trade became the best means of acquiring wealth rapidly, thus he was God of Commerce and the Market, protector of traders with prudence, shrewdness, and even cunning. Hermes came to be the god of oratory, and the protector of thieves.

      In odd contrast to this idea of him, he was also the solemn guide of the dead, the Divine Herald who led the souls down to their last home, the Underworld.

      He invented the alphabet, knucklebones for game playing, and in general was the god of athletic contests and games. Credited by some ancient writers with the development of astronomy, Hermes had a planet of his own; Mercury, called Stilbon by the Greeks.

      He was Zeus' messenger god and accompanied him to earth. It was Hermes who suggested Zeus disguise himself in order to visit earth. Mortals could not look upon Zeus as the king of gods and live.

ACTIVITIES:
Hermes activity

KEY TEST WORDS: (Know the material behind these items.)
Hermes, Mercury, Maia, winged sandals, Caduceus, messenger, lyre, Commerce, oratory, thieves.

The Olympians

The Lesser Deities

FOOTNOTES:
He appears more often in the tales of mythology than any other god.
Last god to enter Olympus.
Here is another site for Hermes from Rich East High School in Park Forest, Il.

SOURCES:
Jane Smith
Edith Hamilton's Mythology
Bulfinch's Mythology