| Hermes |  |
| Parents | Zeus and Maia |
| Siblings | |
| Immortal children |
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| Mortal children | |
| Wife/husband | None |
| Status | Immortal |
| Names | Messenger of the gods, Patron of travelers, Protector of herds and flocks. |
| Titles | God of travelers, trade, thieves, messengers, merchants, athletes, heraldry and commerce |
| Weapons | Caduceus |
Hermes is the Greek god of roads, speed, messengers, commerce, travel, thieves, merchants, athletes, and trade. He is the son of Zeus and the nymph Maia.
History[]
Hermes was born sometime after the first Titan War to Zeus and a nymph named Maia. He matured rapidly and within a few minutes of his birth stole the cattle of Apollo and invented the lyre. He even thought of a clever way to cover up his crime: tying bundles of grass to the cows' feet and leading them backward out of the pasture to make it look like something had been led into the pasture, but not away from it.
Despite this, Apollo found out and went to Zeus for justice. When brought before his father, Hermes attempted to charm Zeus into letting him go by telling him he was just an innocent new born baby. Undeceived, but amused by the child's boldness, Zeus instead forced him to compensate Apollo, which Hermes did by presenting him with the lyre. Hermes also traded the shepherd's pipe (another invention of his) to Apollo in exchange for his golden staff and knowledge of the art of prophecy. When he came of age, Hermes was made the messenger of the gods.
As the messenger of gods Hermes would often serve as the intermediary between the gods and the mortal world. He aided Odysseus against Circe and told Calypso to either let him go or face the wrath of Zeus. During the Trojan War he sided with the Trojans and delivered Zeus's order to return Hector's body to his father. Also in the Trojan War, Hermes and Apollo teamed up to help guide the arrow that killed Achilles, and Hermes helped Helen escape with the rest of the citizens of Troy when they were over run by the Greek armies.
In other stories, Hermes gave a pair of his winged sandals to Perseus when Perseus went to behead Medusa. In some tales, he freed Zeus after the latter was initially defeated by Typhon and freed Ares from his imprisonment by the Alodai among numerous other feats.
Personality[]
Hermes was much more reasonable and helpful than the other major Olympian gods with a greater understanding of mortals. Part of this is due to his job being to help mortals rationalize divine events giving him a greater understanding of things beyond himself. His visits were often beneficial to gods and demigods and often helps them out though often this is at the request of another god or personal motivations. He was one of the smartest gods, tricking Argus into falling asleep and outsmarted Apollo when he was a child. He took his duties as a god seriously and was one of the more reasonable and beneficial gods.
Appearance[]
He appeared as a young man with an athletic figure. He had dark brown hair and a slight stubble. He held his Caduceus, his symbol.
Capabilities[]
Names[]
- Acacesius: From Acacesium in Arcadia