God Hermes is known in the mythology of Greece as a messenger of the gods and patron of travelers, with his cunning and skill won the favor of Zeus. For these qualities, he was called the deceiver by the trustee, the creators for the talent for music. The son of the Thunderer has managed to commit the great theft from Apollo himself still in the cradle, and when he grew up - to steal from the giant Nymph Io.
Who is Hermes?
Who is Hermes in Greek mythology - he was the patron of many crafts, his name meant "pillar of stone," such signs were installed at intersections and were called road keepers - herms. To harm her was considered a terrible sacrilege and cruelly punished. The son of Zeus and the nymph of the Maya mountains, the god Hermes was an intermediary between the rulers of Olympus and the people, he was credited with:
- escort of dead souls to the kingdom of Hades;
- the invention of lyre and the composition of music;
- inventing original jokes and jokes;
- patronage in many sciences and sports.
The Greeks greatly esteemed Hermes for giving them measures of weight and length, numbers and alphabet, knowledge of astronomy. He was praised by athletes and musicians. They considered the god of the entrance and exit, the patron of the travelers, therefore on the waggons they invariably drew the image of Hermes. Attributes of this god were golden sandals and a rod, which had a special magical power.
What did Hermes look like?
Hermes is often portrayed as a young man in golden sandals and with the same staff decorated with snakes, with his help he gave people prophetic dreams. The sandals made this god a guide to the world of the dead, the secrets of which he also knew well. It was believed that Hermes is a Greek god who helps scammers. Often, the messenger God was depicted with his head uncovered, but sometimes - and in a hat with curved margins.
Hermes - Mythology
The feats of the god-cheat have many myths, the most famous: how Hermes kidnaps Apollo's cows and the abduction of the charming nymph Io. In the first case, he distinguished himself as an infant, took the animals away, shod them in sandals so that they could not be found in the footsteps, and hid them in a cave. Only before Zeus confessed and returned the loss, but in exchange managed to exchange from Apollo other values.
Later, in the time of classical mythology, the role of this deity changed, having received the status of "Hermes - Ancient Greek God Helping Heroes". This manifested itself in such acts:
- He brought Perseus a sword to destroy the Medusa of the Gorgon .
- Savior Odyssey from the magic of the witch Kirka.
- He gave the lyre to the founder of Thebes Amphion, with the help of which he built the city.
- Savior of the god of war Ares from the cunning of Aload.
Apollo and Hermes - myth
Researchers believe that Hermes and Apollo divided the responsibilities assigned to them. Myth tells that Hermes was still able to buy valuable attributes of his power for himself:
- The first one made a lyre from a tortoise shell and began to play on it. This happened after he returned the cows stolen from Apollo. When he heard a wonderful game, offered an exchange for the same animals.
- Returning the cows, Hermes made a pipe and began to blow out new tunes. The instrument also appealed to Apollo, and he offered to exchange it for a rod of travel - a caduceus. Another reward for the baby is his ability to guess.
Later Hermes was elected her patron saint - for her ability to handle animals and the pipe she loved to play, and also for thieves - for the ability to open any locks. Since Hermes owned secrets and the other world, his help was requested in the study of the occult sciences. Versatile abilities gave this god the title of "thrice the greatest" - Trismegistus.
Aphrodite and Hermes
The fact that Hermes is a god endowed with an extraordinary cunning is also evidenced by the myth of how he achieved the favor of the goddess Aphrodite. At first, she rejected his claims, and Hermes asked for help from Father Zeus. The Thunderer ordered the eagle to steal a beautiful sandal and give it to his pet. When the goddess came for the loss, Hermes managed to seduce her. After this night was born the handsome Hermaphrodite, whose name is associated with a different legend. A mediator-eagle, the god of travelers, in gratitude for help, turned into a constellation.
Hermes and Zeus
Myths claim that Hermes is the son of Zeus, whom he loved very much and endowed with special privileges, forgiving pranks and tricks. The God-messenger was especially revered on the Anfestarians, the supreme ruler of Olympus even presented the contrivance to the constellation of Lyra. Therefore, he answered his father's requests for help with great zeal. About this tell two myths:
- Zeus asked Hermes to steal for him the beloved nymph Io, turned into a cow, to which the jealous wife of Hera put guardian giant Argus. The difficulty was that the guard never slept because he had a lot of eyes. The cunningly coped with the task.
- I thought of how to make it easier to carry Hercules, selling it to Queen Lidia. According to the prediction, the great hero could be cured of a serious illness if he was sold into slavery and worked for three years. In the service of the ruler of Omphala, bypassing the prediction turned out to be a simple task.