After all, who was Hermes in Greek mythology?

At the end of 2022, Disney+ confirmed that Lin-Manuel Miranda will play Hermes, the messenger god, in the series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”. Check out the ad!

But do you know the story of Hermes? RECREIO brought the details of the origins of this god from Greek mythology, so you can get to know the newest character in Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Who is Hermes?

Hermes is one of the deities of Greek mythology, considered by many to be one of the most intelligent and clever gods, as well as being very playful. He is the god of commerce, wealth, thieves, travel, luck, sleep, languages, as well as being the patron saint of diplomacy and animal herders. And there’s more: he was known for being stealthy and managing to carry out small thefts.

The god was also considered the messenger of Mount Olympus, and carried personal messages from Zeus to all corners. He is always remembered for his winged sandals, which allowed him to move quickly and was also responsible for making people have dreams while they slept.

He was the inventor of the lyre, fire and the alphabet. Hermes He also had a very important role: he was responsible for guiding the souls of the dead to the river that took them to the underworld.

Origin

According to mythology, Hermes is the son of Zeus with a nymph called Maia. The Greeks believed that he was born on Mount Cylene, which was in Arcadia. Because of this, it was believed that it was related to the fertility that emerged in the region.

Myths

The first passage of Hermes in Greek mythology it was when he, as a baby, stole the cattle of Apollo, the god of music. He hid the cows in a cave, but was eventually discovered by the other gods. After being found, Zeus and the other gods decided that he could continue with the cattle, if he could Apollo his lyre made from turtle shells, and this exchange took place.

But the most famous myth in which Hermes is involved describes when he helped Zeus save one of his lovers from the wrath of Ivy. When trying to deceive his wife, the god of thunder transformed Iohis lover, on a cow, so that Ivy didn’t discover the truth. The goddess became suspicious and let the giant Argoswhich has 100 eyes and never closed all of them at the same time, kept an eye on the animal.

Therefore, it was difficult for Zeus return the human form to Iowhich made him ask for help from Hermes. The god of sleep made the giant fall asleep, and then beheaded him. Like this, Zeus managed to turn his lover back into a human.

There are other myths involving the god, in addition to him also being present in the Trojan War, according to the account of Homer, in the poem Iliad. The messenger was also mentioned in Odyssey.

Religiosity

Hermes He was venerated in several regions of Greece, but most of the temples dedicated exclusively to him were found in Arcadia.