Nice to see you guys again! Today we're talking about Hermes/Mercury, the messenger of the gods and one of the olympian twelve. Similarly to Hades, you most likely remember Hermes from Disney's Hercules or another series. Mercury, on the other hand, has both a metal and planet named after him.
Anyway, it's time to get into Hermes'/Mercury's past. If you've ever seen my Athena/Minerva or my Aphrodite/Venus posts, you'll know that the gods' births are really freakin' weird. Like really, really weird. Hermes/Mercury is no different. His mother is Maia, a nymph and one of the daughters of a titan of water. She didn't think too keenly of the gods, which considering how they act I can't blame her on that one, and hid away in a cave so they couldn't find her. Zeus/Jupiter, being the creepy old man he is, basically made Maia carry Hermes/Mercury. Once he was born, Maia just managed to swaddle him before he went to sleep. Though, since Hermes/Mercury is a god, he grew up rapidly and went to Thessaly. He proceeded to steal around half of Apollo's cows, invent the lyre, and who knows what else. Long story short, he got caught and wanted to keep the cows, so he ended up trading the lyre for the cattle.
So, based on his origin story, what do you think is Hermes'/Mercury's domain? Surprisingly, it's travelers, the delivery of messages (AKA messengers), thieves, trickery, and trade. Additionally Hermes is the Greek god of crossing boundaries and sports. Mercury, on the other hand, is the Roman god of luck and boundaries. Makes you wonder why the Romans changed what Hermes had power over when he became Mercury, eh?
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