Hermes Accomplishments

Hermes, or Roman Mercury, is the divine messenger, particularly delivering the dictates of Zeus himself. He is the god of travelers and roads, often depicted wearing a travelers hat, sandals, and carrying a heralds wand that has two snakes entwined on it which could be a symbol for Hermes as a god of fertility. He is also the guide of souls to the underworld. Hermes is also depicted as a thief and a trickster and is the patron of youths in their late teens. Statues of Hermes are called Herms, were symbols of fertility and meant to bring prosperity and luck. These statues were typically square pillars with male genitals and Hermes head on top. They were often found outside homes or sacred areas. Greece had stone cults that believed divine power lived in the stone. Grave mounds typically was made up of smaller stones piled together with a taller stone on top. People would add stones as they went by using it as a guiding landmark. This is where Hermes gets the meaning of his name from, “he from the stone heap” because he was believed to live in these grave-mounds, therefore he became the guide for and protector of travelers and of souls on their way to the underworld. Hermes has been equated with the Egyptian god Thoth and began to be equated with some of his attributes such as a god of magic with knowledge of things mystic and occult. He was given the name Trismegistus, that means thrice great. He composed books on different parts of Egyptian religion. …show more content…
Mercury has only has two stories that are purely Roman in origin. One is when he reminds Aeneas that he must found Rome and the other, he must take the nymph Larunda to the realm of Hades. Mercury falls in love with Larunda and has sex with her/(rapes her in some versions) on the way there. Larunda has two children by him called the Lares, who are invisible household