Hermes Profile

                Hermes is the messenger of the Greek gods. His Roman name is Mercury. He is also the god of animal husbandry, roads, travel, hospitality, heralds, diplomacy, trade, thievery, language, writing, persuasion, athletic contests, gymnasiums, astronomy, and astrology. He is the guide to the underworld and one of the few people to escape Hades. He is also the god of Thieves and Trickery, and is known for deceiving different gods and goddesses. It is believed that on the day he was born he also created the lyre. He took a tortoise feeding, cleaned it out, and created the instrument out of it. A lyre is a stringed instrument that is mainly used in Ancient Greece. On that same day, he stole his brother’s, Apollo’s, cattle. His contributions besides the lyre include the creation of winged sandals, Herald’s staff, Traveler’s cap, and the Ram.

He is the son of Zeus and Maia. Maia is the daughter of the Titan, Atlas, and is the eldest of the Pleiades. She secretly gave birth to Hermes in a cave by Mount Kyllene. He has many siblings including Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Dionysus, Hebe, Athena, the Muses, Persephone, and all of the other children Zeus had. Hermes is married to the Greek goddess of persuasion, Peitho. With her, he had his children Pan, Hermaphroditos, Priapos, Lykos, Pherespondos, Pronomos, Eleusis, and Autolycus.

Hermes isn’t just known for deceiving the Greek gods. He is known for helping Greek heroes too. For example, he assisted Perseus, Odysseus, and Hercules in their quests, whether it may be escaping the underworld, defeating a witch, or defeating Medusa. He also helped rescued Zeus’s love, Io, from one of the Hundred-Handed Giants. He helped in the creation of the first woman, Pandora, and delivered her to Epimetheus. Hermes was a helpful god, but at the same time he tricked many different gods and goddesses.