God of Messengers
Hermes serves as divine messenger and psychopomp, escorting both words and souls between worlds.
The Meaning of God of Messengers
Born in a cave on Mount Cyllene, Hermes proved his cunning on his first day alive. He crawled from his crib, stole fifty cattle from Apollo's sacred herd, and drove them backwards to confuse the tracks. When Apollo tracked him down, the infant Hermes was innocently lying in his cradle. To settle the dispute, Hermes offered Apollo the lyre he had just invented from a tortoise shell, and Apollo was so charmed he forgave the theft and gave Hermes the caduceus in return. Zeus, impressed by the boy's cleverness, appointed him messenger of the gods. Hermes guided Priam safely through the Greek camp to reclaim Hector's body and led Persephone out of the underworld each spring. His winged sandals let him move between Olympus, earth, and Hades in moments.
Parents
Zeus and Maia
Children
Pan, Hermaphroditus, Autolycus
Symbols
Fun Fact
Hermes invented the alphabet, astronomy, music scales, boxing, and gymnastics — the Greeks credited him with nearly every civilized art.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Birth of Hermes
💭 conceptNarrative
The precocious god who invented the lyre and stole Apollo's cattle on the very day he was born
Hermes
⚡ godMessenger of the gods, commerce, thieves, travelers, boundaries
The swift messenger of the gods and guide of souls to the underworld. Hermes was the cleverest of the Olympians, patron of merchants and thieves alike.
Hermes
⚡ godGod of travellers, thieves, and communication
Hermes was the messenger god, guide of souls, patron of travellers and thieves — the most versatile and likeable Olympian, born cunning.
Perseus and Medusa
💭 conceptNarrative
The hero's quest to slay the mortal Gorgon and his ingenious use of divine gifts to accomplish the impossible
God of Commerce
💭 conceptCommerce, trade, merchants, negotiation
Hermes oversees commerce and exchange, protecting merchants, contracts, and the flow of goods across borders.
The Twelve Labours
💭 conceptHeroism, endurance, redemption
Twelve impossible tasks imposed on Heracles by King Eurystheus as penance for killing his own family in a madness sent by Hera.
Golden Bough
💭 conceptArtefact
A magical branch of gold that granted the living safe passage into and out of the underworld
God of the Underworld
💭 conceptDeath, the dead, underground riches
Hades governs the realm of the dead, ruling over every soul that crosses the river Styx.
God of Prophecy
💭 conceptProphecy, oracles, divination, truth
Apollo speaks through oracles, revealing the will of the gods and the shape of things to come.
Cattle of Geryon
💭 conceptlabour
The tenth labour of Heracles: stealing the red cattle of the three-bodied giant Geryon from the island of Erytheia at the western edge of the world.
God of Wine
💭 conceptWine, festivity, ecstasy, theatre, rebirth
Dionysus rules over wine, ritual madness, and the transformative power of theatre and celebration.
Nekyia
💭 conceptunderworld, ritual
Odysseus's ritual summoning of the dead in Book 11 of the Odyssey, where he speaks with ghosts at the edge of the Underworld to learn the way home.