Hermes is a Greek god, son of Zeus and Maia, known as the messenger god, god of travellers, roads, cattle, merchants, youths and thieves. He is also the leader of souls and associated with dreams. Hermes had several children, including Pan and Hermaphroditus. His Roman counterpart is Mercury. The planet Mercury, an element and a French mini-shuttle were named after him.
In Greek mythology, Hermes is one of the Olympian gods, usually numbered at 12, and like many of the Olympian gods – Athena, Ares, Apollo, Hephaestus and Artemis – he is a son of Zeus. Hermes is the messenger god, as well as the god of travellers, roads, cattle, merchants, youths and thieves. He is the leader of souls, or psychopomp, who leads the dead to the realm of Hades in the underworld, and is also known as the god of dreams. His symbol is his wand, kerykeion or caduceus, and his winged sandals. His counterpart in Roman mythology is Mercury.
Maia, a daughter of Atlas, was the mother of Hermes, but little is known about her other than a brief mention in Hesiod. Hermes began making a name for himself shortly after his birth, killing a tortoise to use his shell to make his first lyre. Needing strings for his lyre, he stole his brother Apollo’s cattle so he could use their intestines to complete his instrument. Knowing full well that Apollo would not like this, he attempted to cover up the theft by making the cows walk backwards and following them wearing shoes made of backwards worn twigs.
All of Hermes’ ploys were wasted, for he was seen in the act by an old man who told Apollo about it. When Apollo went to confront the thief, he found the child sleeping innocently in his cradle. Apollo dragged him to an audience with Zeus, and Hermes finally confessed, offering Apollo the lyre in payment. Apollo was so pleased that he gave the rest of the herd to his brother in exchange. Apollo also gave Hermes his heralding staff or rod, the caduceus, which bore the design of two snakes coiled around it. It was also Hermes who freed Io from Hera after Zeus turned Io into a cow to hide his extramarital affairs from Hera and then ended up having to give Hera the heifer as a gift.
Hermes had several children. Daphnis, his son by a nymph, was the inventor of pastoral music. Pan, another son, has no clearly identified mother; he is half man and half goat, and is associated with the Roman deity Faunus. Abderus is also a son of Hermes who lacks a known mother. He was a companion of Hercules or Heracles in the capture of Diomedes’ mares. The mares were left in Abderus’ care while Hercules was away, and devoured him, and act for which Hercules sought revenge. Hermaphroditus was the son of Hermes and the goddess Aphrodite, and Autolycus, the great thief, was the son of Chione, daughter of Daedalius. Autolycus is also the grandfather of Odysseus.
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and is named after the god. Hermes was the name of a French mini-shuttle, designed to carry three astronauts and serve a small space station. Although the program started in 1987, it was eventually terminated, before any of the shuttles were built. Mercury is also an element, named after the god for its reputed speed, and the Mercury program was the series of US flights that put astronaut John Glenn into orbit in 1962.
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