Hermes: A Most Charming Thieving Scoundrel

In Greek mythology, Hermes plays the role of the trickster.

Don’t get me wrong - all of the gods can be capricious. They trick mortals all the time (usually into having sex with them). They trick each other (or try to). However, none of the rest of the pantheon comes close to being as mischievous as Hermes - and none of them take the same joy in mischief as he does.

If you read my post about the Norse god Loki, you might be equating Hermes with him. After all, both of them are mischievous trickster gods. However, it is there that their similarities end. Loki is villainous and nefarious, often using his tricks to hurt others. On the other hand is Hermes, who represents the more lighthearted aspect of mischief.

Hermes is one of the twelve major members of the Greek pantheon, and is a son of Zeus. It is fitting that we should talk about Hermes after the post about Hades (I didn’t plan it that way!), because Hermes escorts the souls of the dead to the Underworld.

Hermes is also the messenger of the gods. These two tasks make him the god of travelers and the god of messengers. However, Hermes is also the god of thieves.

(I’ve often wondered - if a thief tries to rob a traveler and a messenger on the road, what happens? Whose side does Hermes take? Would the thief be successful, or would the others prevail?)

But how did Hermes become the god of thieves, one might ask? The answer can be found on the day of his birth.

One of the first things the newborn Hermes did was to steal the cattle of his brother, Apollo. Apollo is another son of Zeus, and is the god of the sun and of prophecy. Apollo was understandably upset at the theft of his property and tracked Hermes back to his hideout. The baby god lay in his cradle and acted innocent, but Apollo was not fooled. He dragged Hermes before their father, Zeus, and demanded that he be punished.

Zeus’ response was to bust out laughing. Can you blame him? The almighty god of the sun had been tricked by a newborn babe! Hermes charmed Zeus with an elegant defense speech, so instead of punishing him, Zeus made Hermes part of the pantheon.

Hermes settled with Apollo out of the court, returning his cattle and giving Apollo a lyre (a musical instrument Hermes had invented...in between being born and stealing the cattle). This made Apollo the god of music. Satisfied, Apollo and Hermes became fast friends.

And all of this on the first day of Hermes’ life! You can imagine how many more adventures this charming scoundrel went on - and he almost always came out on top.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Hermes - he really does have the most hilarious stories. As always, please email me with questions or comments, or feel free to post them below. Next post we’ll talk about the Moirai. They’re the creepy ladies with the scissors and thread from Disney’s Hercules!