Hermes

Herald for the Olympian gods, Hermes is most commonly known as the god of travelers and thieves (1). Modern interpretations often show him the with his iconic winged shoes and caduceus, a staff with two snakes intertwined. Though he is god of many common aspects in society, such as commerce and language, he is one of the most forgotten gods of the twelve Olympians. Nonetheless, Hermes is far more interesting than meets the eye in the myths and in modern adaptations. His Roman form is known as Mercury.  

Hermes Criophorus by Naukydes of Argos, 2nd B.C. (3)

Birth Story

 

Hermes across various myths is often portrayed as a trickster god with a affiliation for mischief. This is exemplified in the myth about his birth. Hermes is said by the Homeric Hymns to have been born in secret, in caves located around the region of Arcadia to the nymph Maia, the eldest of the Pleiades, and Zeus (4). The night of his birth, Hermes snuck away from the cave he was born in and began his journey to become one of the twelve Olympian gods. He first encountered a tortoise which he killed, transforming the shell to invent the very first lyre. Hermes then headed to the pastures of Thessaly where the god Apollo, his half-brother, kept his herds of cattle. Thus little Hermes committed his first crime, stealing Apollo's cows and in a particular stroke of craftiness disguising the hoof tracks by having the cows walk backwards into the ocean. He then ate two of the cows, and hid the rest of the cattle in a cave, before heading back to his mother. 

Theft of Apollo's Cattle 520 B.C. (5)

When Apollo discovered the theft he tracked down Hermes, who when caught tried denying the theft by playing the act of an innocent baby. Unfazed Apollo takes Hermes to Zeus who finds Hermes guilty of the theft. Hermes is ordered to take Apollo back to his cows, which he does, but not before showing off his lyre and the beautiful music it could create. Apollo, won over by the lyre, trades his cattle to Hermes in addition to gifting him the caduceus, a staff he is most commonly pictured with.

Not only does this act of trickery get the attention of Apollo, but Zeus as well, who designated Hermes as messenger of the Gods. Impressed by his cunning and guile, Hermes is made one of the main twelve Olympian Gods, often acting as the herald to Zeus and the other gods.

Killing of Argus

Mercury, Argus and Io by Abraham Bloemaert (ca. 1592) (7)

Hermes often uses wit and guile to accomplish his goals, such is exemplified on the myth of Argus and Hermes (9). To provide some context, Zeus has an affair with the nymph Io. Once finding out, in an act of retribution against Zeus, Hera turned Io into a cow. To guard cow Io from Zeus, Argus, a giant with one hundred eyes, is placed as a guard to keep Zeus from rescuing Io. Hermes, sent by Zeus to rescue Io, disguised himself as a traveller and lulls Argus to sleep. Once Argus closes all one hundred eyes and descends to sleep, Hermes kills him. This particular myth earns Hermes his title Argeiphontes, meaning slayer of Argus.

Unlike many of the other Olympians, Hermes most commonly uses trickery and intelligence to outsmart his opponent, rather than direct resort to violence. This corroborates with his domain as the god of trickery and cunning.

Domains of Hermes (8)

• Roads
• Journeys
• Travelers and hospitality 
• Merchants, Trade, and Commerce
• Athletes
• Thieves 
• Trickery and cunning
• Herds and flocks
• Language and writing
• Psychopomp (guides the souls of the dead to the Underworld)
• Sleep
• Boundaries

Symbols and Attributes

A unique of symbol of Hermes was the stone road marker, Herms, which doubled as a wayside shrine. These simple roadmarks usually were upright-standing stones with the head of the god, a phallus, and a herald's wand symbol. 

Modern Works

Lillias White as Hermes in Hadestown (6) 

Hadestown (6) intertwines two mythic tales, the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, and Persephone and Hades, in a journey to the underworld and back again. Set in a post-apocalyptic world inspired by New Orleans French Quarter this musical blends blues, jazz, and folk music to bring to life this modern interpretation of enduring love that transpires the boundaries of life and death. Set against the backdrop of poverty and hardship, Orpheus and Eurydice fall in love, only for tragedy to befall the lovers when Eurydice is enticed by Hades to leave the world of the living and join the ranks of the many unfortunate souls in the underground factory of Hadestown. Orpheus is determined to bring her back, and ventures into the underworld to rescue his lover. Once convinced by Orpheus after rekindling his love with Persephone, Hades strikes a deal with Orpheus to get Eurydice, only with one very important condition, he cannot looks back as he leads her back to the surface.

Hermes in this musical takes the place as narrator. As well, in one notable scene Hermes takes the ticket from Eurydice that allows her to take the train to Hadestown, displaying his role as a psychopomp.

Epic: the Musical is a nine-part series of concept albums featuring music and lyrics written by Jorge Rivera-Herrans. This musical is a song-adaptation of Homer's Odyssey telling the story of Odysseus as he returns from a ten year war in Troy and then through a harrowing ten year quest to return home in Ithaca to his wife, Penelope and son, Telemachus.

Notably, Epic: The Musical features two songs sung by Hermes as he aids Odysseus on his quest to return to Ithaca. The songs Wouldn't You Like and Dangerous tells the story of how Hermes helped Odysseus on his quest.

Epic the Musical: Concept Art (10)

Work Cited:

1. “Hermes - Greek God of Herds & Trade, Herald of the Gods.” Theoi Greek Mythology, www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hermes.html. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025. 

2.       2. Shadowhawk, Nyx. “Hermes Is Cooler than You Think.” Medium, Medium, 4 May 2023, medium.com/@nyxshadowhawk/hermes-is-cooler-than-you-think-2ad7e7042b4b

3. “    3. Hermes Criophorus (Athens).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Feb. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes_Criophorus_%28Athens%29.

          4. “Hermes.” Mythopedia, mythopedia.com/topics/hermes. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

          5. “T23.1 the Theft of Apollo’s Cattle.” Theft of Apollo’s Cattle - Ancient Greek Vase Painting, www.theoi.com/Gallery/T23.1.html. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

           6. “Hadestown.” Broadway.Com, www.broadway.com/shows/hadestown/story/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

           7. “Argus Panoptes.” Mythopedia, mythopedia.com/topics/argus-panoptes. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

           8.  “Hymn 4 to Hermes Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Ed.” Hymn 4 to Hermes, To Hermes, www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0138%3Ahymn%3D4. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

          9. Cartwright, Mark. “Hermes.” World History Encyclopedia, https://www.worldhistory.org#organization, 4 Feb. 2025, www.worldhistory.org/Hermes/.

          10. Wiki, Contributors to EpicTheMusical. “Epic: The Musical.” EpicTheMusical Wiki, Fandom, Inc., epicthemusical.fandom.com/wiki/EPIC:_The_Musical. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.