Hermes (Mercury)
Profile
Hermes is the messenger of the gods and the guide to the dead, so he's a busy guy. If you manage to catch him on a coffee break, though, you should totally have a chat with him. He has traveled almost everywhere and has a ton of good stories to tell. You better watch your wallet, though. Hermes is easy to get along with in general, but (being the god of thieves) he's also known for finding sneaky ways of stealing anything that catches his eye.
Basic Information
Name Hermes
Nickname Mercury (to the Romans)
Sex Male
Current city Mount Olympus
Work & Education
Occupation Messenger of the Gods
Guide to the Underworld
God of Thieves and Trickery
God of TravelersEducation Ha! I'm amazing; I invented the lyre on the day I was born. What do I need with school?
Beliefs
Political views Go Zeus!
Family & Friends (& Enemies)
Parents Zeus (dad), Maia (mom)
Siblings My dad has tons of children: Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Dionysus, Hebe, Athena, the Muses, Persephone, and more.
Children Pan, Hermaphroditos, Priapos, Lykos, Pherespondos, Pronomos, Eleusis, Autolycus
Friends Apollo
Zeus (well, he's more of a boss than a friend)Relationships
Relationship status Married to Peitho, goddess of persuasion (We have an open relationship.)
Interested in Friendship
DatingFavorites
TV Shows Quotations "The person who steals bread during a famine is not treated as a thief."
– Cat Stevens"
"Whenever you have truth it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected."
– Mohandas Gandhi
"Been caught stealing, once when I was five."
– Jane's AddictionBooks Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Household Tales by Brothers Grimm
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain
The Odyssey (I taught Homer everything he knows)
The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen Lucas
Animal Farm by George OrwellMusic The Police, Message in a Bottle
LMFAO, Party Rock Anthem
The Marvelettes, Please Mr. Postman
Tom Petty, Free Fallin'
Bob Dylan, Like A Rolling Stone
Lady Gaga (I'm a monster)
Elvis Presley, Return to Sender
The Box Tops, The LetterMovies Robin Hood
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Sting
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Catch Me if You Can
Ocean's Thirteen
Trains, Planes, and Automobiles
Fantastic Mr. FoxActivities & Interests
Likes Stamps
Trains
Airplanes
Feasts
Secrets
Singing telegrams
The lyreInterests Flying
Pick pocketing
Traveling
Letter writing (it's a dying art)Groups Gods of Olympus
I will go slightly out of my way to step on a crunchy looking leaf
Everything Can Be Answered With a Simpsons Quote
When I realised the word "bed" looks like a bed, my mind was blown.Spotter's Guide
Don't blink or you might miss Hermes. He's always whizzing to and from Mount Olympus at lightning speeds. His duties as messenger of the gods and guide to the dead keep him constantly on the go. It's a good thing he's got those winged sandals, or he'd probably never get it all done.
Physical Description
Sex: Male
Age: 30s-40s
Build: Lean and athletic
Complexion: Fair
Hair color: Strawberry blondish
Facial hair: None
Scars/marks/tattoos: None
Jewelry and accessories: Kerykeion or Caduceus (A winged staff with two snakes intertwined around it)
Clothing: Winged Cap; winged sandals
Armor: None
Type of weapon: NoneTypical Companions
Messengers
Heralds
Thieves
Shepherds
Merchants
Travelers
Tortoises
Hawks
Birds of omenOther Notes
Known hangouts: Borders; roads; gymnasiums; banquets; athletic events; near strawberry trees; near crocus flowers; rustic music festivals; the Underworld
Escape vehicle: His winged sandals; dreams
Sightings
Dec 20, 0799 - Dec 20, 0599
The Odyssey
The ancient Greek writer Homer included many of the gods of Olympus in The Odyssey, the story of the hero Odysseus. Hermes was one of the gods who helped Odysseus return home to Ithaca. Hermes warned Odysseus that the witch Circe would turn him and his men into animals and that he should eat a special herb to protect himself. Hermes also delivered a message from Zeus to the nymph Calypso, ordering her to release Odysseus from her island.
Dec 20, 0799 - Dec 20, 0599
The Iliad
Homer brings the gods into The Iliad as well, which tells the story of the mythic Trojan War. Most of the gods of Olympus take sides in the human war: Hera, Athena, and Poseidon are rooting for the Greeks, while Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo fighting for the Trojans. Hermes plays only a small role in the epic poem, guiding the Trojan king to the body of his dead son, Hector in Book 24.
Dec 20, 2019
Oresteia
The Oresteia is a trilogy of tragic plays (Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, and Eumenides) by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. These plays are about how Orestes and his sister Electra take revenge on their mother for killing their father. As in any good Greek tragedy, the characters call on the gods for help, and Apollo and Athena become pretty involved in the third play. Hermes is also involved because Orestes wants to use trickery to get his revenge, so he calls upon the trickster god to be his ally.
Dec 20, 2019 - Dec 20, 2019
The Aeneid
In the Roman poet Virgil's epic poem, Mercury (a.k.a. Hermes) plays his normal messenger role. Here, he delivers messages between Jupiter (a.k.a. Zeus) and Zeus's mortal son Aeneas. See Book 4 for an example.
Dec 20, 2019
The Metamorphoses
The Roman poet Ovid collected all kinds of wild stories about the gods The Metamorphoses. Here you'll find myths about Mercury, including the story of how he stole Apollo's sacred cattle.
Dec 20, 2019
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series
Percy Jackson has run-ins with all of the gods of Olympus, including Hermes. We meet Hermes in the first book, The Lightning Thief, and he's pretty friendly, though maybe not the best father. However, as the series progresses, we find out that one of his mortal sons is a villain.
Dec 20, 2019 - Dec 20, 2019
God of War
The Greek gods make it onto the PlayStation in the God of War video game trilogy. The mortal hero of the games, Kratos, butts heads with the gods of Olympus, including Hermes. In God of War III, Hermes is one of the bosses (albeit a speedy one), and Kratos kills him.