HERMES (Mercury)

HERMES (Mercury).

Hermes was the swift-footed messenger, and trusted ambassador of all
the gods, and conductor of shades to Hades. He presided over the rearing
and education of [118]the young, and encouraged gymnastic
exercises and athletic pursuits, for which reason, all gymnasiums and
wrestling schools throughout Greece were adorned with his statues. He is
said to have invented the alphabet, and to have taught the art of
interpreting foreign languages, and his versatility, sagacity, and
cunning were so extraordinary, that Zeus invariably chose him as his
attendant, when, disguised as a mortal, he journeyed on earth.

Hermes was worshipped as god of eloquence, most probably from the fact
that, in his office as ambassador, this faculty was indispensable to the
successful issue of the negotiations with which he was intrusted. He was
regarded as the god who granted increase and prosperity to flocks and
herds, and, on this account, was worshipped with special veneration by
herdsmen.

In ancient times, trade was conducted chiefly by means of the exchange
of cattle. Hermes, therefore, as god of herdsmen, came to be regarded as
the protector of merchants, and, as ready wit and adroitness are valuable
qualities both in buying and selling, he was also looked upon as the
patron of artifice and cunning. Indeed, so deeply was this notion rooted
in the minds of the Greek people, that he was popularly believed to be
also god of thieves, and of all persons who live by their wits.

As the patron of commerce, Hermes was naturally supposed to be the
promoter of intercourse among nations; hence, he is essentially the god
of travellers, over whose safety he presided, and he severely punished
those who refused assistance to the lost or weary wayfarer. He was also
guardian of streets and roads, and his statues, called Hermæ (which were
pillars of stone surmounted by a head of Hermes), were placed at
cross-roads, and frequently in streets and public squares.

Being the god of all undertakings in which gain was a feature, he was
worshipped as the giver of wealth and [119]good luck, and any
unexpected stroke of fortune was attributed to his influence. He also
presided over the game of dice, in which he is said to have been
instructed by Apollo.

Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia, the eldest and most beautiful of
the seven Pleiades (daughters of Atlas), and was born in a cave of Mount
Cyllene in Arcadia. As a mere babe, he exhibited an extraordinary faculty
for cunning and dissimulation; in fact, he was a thief from his cradle,
for, not many hours after his birth, we find him creeping stealthily out
of the cave in which he was born, in order to steal some oxen belonging
to his brother Apollo, who was at this time feeding the flocks of
Admetus. But he had not proceeded very far on his expedition before he
found a tortoise, which he killed, and, stretching seven strings across
the empty shell, invented a lyre, upon which he at once began to play
with exquisite skill. When he had sufficiently amused himself with the
instrument, he placed it in his cradle, and then resumed his journey to
Pieria, where the cattle of Admetus were grazing. Arriving at sunset at
his destination, he succeeded in separating fifty oxen from his brother’s
herd, which he now drove before him, taking the precaution to cover his
feet with sandals made of twigs of myrtle, in order to escape detection.
But the little rogue was not unobserved, for the theft had been witnessed
by an old shepherd named Battus, who was tending the flocks of Neleus,
king of Pylos (father of Nestor). Hermes, frightened at being discovered,
bribed him with the finest cow in the herd not to betray him, and Battus
promised to keep the secret. But Hermes, astute as he was dishonest,
determined to test the shepherd’s integrity. Feigning to go away, he
assumed the form of Admetus, and then returning to the spot offered the
old man two of his best oxen if he would disclose the author of the
theft. The ruse succeeded, for the avaricious shepherd, unable to resist
the tempting bait, gave the desired information, upon which Hermes,
exerting his divine power, changed him into a lump of touchstone, as a
[120]punishment for his treachery and avarice.
Hermes now killed two of the oxen, which he sacrificed to himself and the
other gods, concealing the remainder in the cave. He then carefully
extinguished the fire, and, after throwing his twig shoes into the river
Alpheus, returned to Cyllene.

Apollo, by means of his all-seeing power, soon discovered who it was
that had robbed him, and hastening to Cyllene, demanded restitution of
his property. On his complaining to Maia of her son’s conduct, she
pointed to the innocent babe then lying, apparently fast asleep, in his
cradle, whereupon, Apollo angrily aroused the pretended sleeper, and
charged him with the theft; but the child stoutly denied all knowledge of
it, and so cleverly did he play his part, that he even inquired in the
most naive manner what sort of animals cows were. Apollo threatened to
throw him into Tartarus if he would not confess the truth, but all to no
purpose. At last, he seized the babe in his arms, and brought him into
the presence of his august father, who was seated in the council chamber
of the gods. Zeus listened to the charge made by Apollo, and then sternly
desired Hermes to say where he had hidden the cattle. The child, who was
still in swaddling-clothes, looked up bravely into his father’s face and
said, “Now, do I look capable of driving away a herd of cattle; I, who
was only born yesterday, and whose feet are much too soft and tender to
tread in rough places? Until this moment, I lay in sweet sleep on my
mother’s bosom, and have never even crossed the threshold of our
dwelling. You know well that I am not guilty; but, if you wish, I will
affirm it by the most solemn oaths.” As the child stood before him,
looking the picture of innocence, Zeus could not refrain from smiling at
his cleverness and cunning, but, being perfectly aware of his guilt, he
commanded him to conduct Apollo to the cave where he had concealed the
herd, and Hermes, seeing that further subterfuge was useless,
unhesitatingly obeyed. But when the divine shepherd was about to drive
his cattle back into Pieria, Hermes, as though by chance, touched the
chords of his [121]lyre. Hitherto Apollo had heard nothing
but the music of his own three-stringed lyre and the syrinx, or Pan’s
pipe, and, as he listened entranced to the delightful strains of this new
instrument, his longing to possess it became so great, that he gladly
offered the oxen in exchange, promising at the same time, to give Hermes
full dominion over flocks and herds, as well as over horses, and all the
wild animals of the woods and forests. The offer was accepted, and, a
reconciliation being thus effected between the brothers, Hermes became
henceforth god of herdsmen, whilst Apollo devoted himself
enthusiastically to the art of music.

They now proceeded together to Olympus, where Apollo introduced Hermes
as his chosen friend and companion, and, having made him swear by the
Styx, that he would never steal his lyre or bow, nor invade his sanctuary
at Delphi, he presented him with the Caduceus, or golden wand. This wand
was surmounted by wings, and on presenting it to Hermes, Apollo informed
him that it possessed the faculty of uniting in love, all beings divided
by hate. Wishing to prove the truth of this assertion, Hermes threw it
down between two snakes which were fighting, whereupon the angry
combatants clasped each other in a loving embrace, and curling round the
staff, remained ever after permanently attached to it. The wand itself
typified power; the serpents, wisdom; and the wings, despatch—all
qualities characteristic of a trustworthy ambassador.

The young god was now presented by his father with a winged silver cap
(Petasus), and also with silver wings for his feet (Talaria), and was
forthwith appointed herald of the gods, and conductor of shades to Hades,
which office had hitherto been filled by Aïdes.

As messenger of the gods, we find him employed on all occasions
requiring special skill, tact, or despatch. Thus he conducts Hera,
Athene, and Aphrodite to Paris, leads Priam to Achilles to demand the
body of Hector, [122]binds Prometheus to Mount Caucasus,
secures Ixion to the eternally revolving wheel, destroys Argus, the
hundred-eyed guardian of Io, &c. &c.

As conductor of shades, Hermes was always invoked by the dying to
grant them a safe and speedy passage across the Styx. He also possessed
the power of bringing back departed spirits to the upper world, and was,
therefore, the mediator between the living and the dead.

The poets relate many amusing stories of the youthful tricks played by
this mischief-loving god upon the other immortals. For instance, he had
the audacity to extract the Medusa’s head from the shield of Athene,
which he playfully attached to the back of Hephæstus; he also stole the
girdle of Aphrodite; deprived Artemis of her arrows, and Ares of his
spear, but these acts were always performed with such graceful dexterity,
combined with such perfect good humour, that even the gods and goddesses
he thus provoked, were fain to pardon him, and he became a universal
favourite with them all.

It is said that Hermes was one day flying over Athens, when, looking
down into the city, he beheld a number of maidens returning in solemn
procession from the temple of Pallas-Athene. Foremost among them was
Herse, the beautiful daughter of king Cecrops, and Hermes was so struck
with her exceeding loveliness that he determined to seek an interview
with her. He accordingly presented himself at the royal palace, and
begged her sister Agraulos to favour his suit; but, being of an
avaricious turn of mind, she refused to do so without the payment of an
enormous sum of money. It did not take the messenger of the gods long to
obtain the means of fulfilling this condition, and he soon returned with
a well-filled purse. But meanwhile Athene, to punish the cupidity of
Agraulos, had caused the demon of envy to take possession of her, and the
consequence was, that, being unable to contemplate the happiness of her
sister, she sat down before the door, and resolutely refused to allow
Hermes to enter. He tried every persuasion and blandishment in his power,
but she still remained obstinate. At last, his patience [123]being
exhausted, he changed her into a mass of black stone, and, the obstacle
to his wishes being removed, he succeeded in persuading Herse to become
his wife.

In his statues, Hermes is represented as a beardless youth, with broad
chest and graceful but muscular limbs; the face is handsome and
intelligent, and a genial smile of kindly benevolence plays round the
delicately chiselled lips.

As messenger of the gods he wears the Petasus and Talaria, and bears
in his hand the Caduceus or herald’s staff.

As god of eloquence, he is often represented with chains of gold
hanging from his lips, whilst, as the patron of merchants, he bears a
purse in his hand.

The wonderful excavations in Olympia, to which allusion has already
been made, have brought to light an exquisite marble group of Hermes and
the infant Bacchus, by Praxiteles. In this great work of art, Hermes is
represented as a young and handsome man, who is looking down kindly and
affectionately at the child resting on his arm, but unfortunately nothing
remains of the infant save the right hand, which is laid lovingly on the
shoulder of his protector.

The sacrifices to Hermes consisted of incense, honey, cakes, pigs, and
especially lambs and young goats. As god of eloquence, the tongues of
animals were sacrificed to him.

MERCURY.

Mercury was the Roman god of commerce and gain. We find mention of a
temple having been erected to him [124]near the Circus Maximus
as early as B.C. 495; and he had also a temple
and a sacred fount near the Porta Capena. Magic powers were ascribed to
the latter, and on the festival of Mercury, which took place on the 25th
of May, it was the custom for merchants to sprinkle themselves and their
merchandise with this holy water, in order to insure large profits from
their wares.

The Fetiales (Roman priests whose duty it was to act as guardians of
the public faith) refused to recognize the identity of Mercury with
Hermes, and ordered him to be represented with a sacred branch as the
emblem of peace, instead of the Caduceus. In later times, however, he was
completely identified with the Greek Hermes.