The Greek Deity Known as Hermes

Hermes was unique among Greek Deities for a number of reasons. Primary among them was his tendency to be a god for everything at one point or another.

The Greek Deity Known as Hermes

The twelve gods of Mount Olympus, in ancient Greece, played an important role in the everyday lives of most Greeks. Whether they read the works of their famous poets and playwrights, such as Homer, or dedicated offerings to their patron deity, gods and goddesses played a major part in Greek culture. One of the most important of these deities, because of his ability to translate between gods and humans, was Hermes.

Hermes, along with being a god that was able to converse directly with humans, was also the patron god of many other aspects of Greek life. He was the god of travelers, cow herders and shepherds, athletics, literature, mechanics and invention. Along with these good qualities, Hermes was also seen as the governing deity of thieves and liars. In fact, the writer Homer was sure to count this as important among his many attributes.

Another item that was connected with Hermes was fire. He was credited with the invention of fire (going along with his governance of invention), but this also made him a parallel of the Titan Prometheus. His other major inventions were the sport of boxing, the syrinx (pan pipes) and lyre. His association with the invention of boxing made Hermes an occasional patron of athletes. While he was definitely involved in many aspects of life, Hermes also had another job for those who entered the world of the dead.

Hermes served as a psychopomp, or escort from death into the afterlife, for the Greek pantheon. He was seen as the one who would bring souls down into the Underworld. In most Greek myths, he is the only deity besides Hades and Persephone that could cross between the world of the living and the Underworld. As time went on, the Olympic deities' world evolved and so did Hermes. Once the pantheon was fully formed, Hermes was described as being the son of Zeus and Maia (who was the daughter of the Titan Atlas). He also gained a more detailed description, including a pouch, winged sandals and a winged cap.

Hermes was important to many average Greeks throughout the Olympian era. His many different aspects (such as a messenger between gods and mortals, and as a psychopomp) as well as the diverse number of myths that were associated with him made Hermes an integral part of the Greek polytheistic society.

Richard Monk is with Facts Monk - a site with country facts about Greece.