The Character of Hermes in Mythology - Research Paper Example

 Hermes, best known as the messenger and herald of the gods in Greek mythology was also known as Mercury in Roman mythology. Both of these gods had many other titles and bear a strong resemblance to ‘trickster gods’ (en.wikipedia.org) in the mythology of many other cultures. It is apparent that Hermes is the prototype for ‘trickster gods’ in many other cultures. This seems a valid claim when the origin and development of Hermes is investigated. Through the evidence of mythology and art, the comparison of Hermes with ‘Trickster gods’ of other cultures shows that this well-known god has undergone an evolutionary transformation that influenced the gods worshiped by other cultures. Hermes was a multifaceted Olympian god whose roles included Zeus’s divine messenger, herald of the gods of Olympus and the gods of the Underworld and guide to the souls on their journey to the Underworld. Zeus and Hades gave Hermes permission to travel freely between both worlds because anyone who entered the Underworld was unable to leave again. In absolute terms, this is the ultimate trick, being able to leave the world of the dead and return to the world of the living (https://redmythology.wikispaces.com/Hermes-Mercury). Some of his other positions were those of god of travel, hospitality, heralds, diplomacy, trade and cunning. Diplomacy and cunning can be skilfully manipulated to deceive. This fact needs to be remembered as we enter a discussion of three written sources: The Homeric hymns, Homer’s Odyssey and Ovid’s Metamorphoses. First, an investigation of the details of Hermes birth by referring to Hesiod’s Theogony and then comparing it to the treatment of the subject in the Homeric hymns to Hermes is in order. The reference to the event in Hesiod’s Theogony is very brief, and only refers to his parentage and birth. Here it is reported that Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia, who was born in a cave of Mount Cyllene in Arcadia. He was described as an unusual and precocious child. ‘And Maia, the daughter of Atlas, bare to Zeus glorious Hermes, the herald of the deathless gods, for she went up into his holy bed. (Hesiod’s Theogony Part 10 901-1022 translated by H.G.Evelyn –White)). Other versions appear in the Homeric hymns (4 and 18 to Hermes) (Hymn 4. 1-29 cited in M& L p272) and (Hymn 18.). These are very similar in their accounts, both mentioning his birth and parentage but differing in describing his roles. Hymn 4 describes his appointment as messenger of the gods and to Hades. Hymn 18 again describes his birth and parentage and gives an explanation of his title ‘Argopontes’ and the cunning used to kill Argos. As the Homeric hymns are songs of praise to individual gods, they are written in a more ornate style and are embellished with many descriptive words that show respect for the gods. We read in Routledge P161, that the Homeric hymns to Hermes approached their topic with good-natured humour that was fitting because Greek gods enjoyed a joke. This is in contrast to Hesiod’s Theogony, which is considered the first Mythological Cosmogony (ML White). In this telling, Hermes was a baby just a few hours old when he created a lyre out of a tortoise shell, taught himself to make music from it and, tiring of that, he set off to explore the world. On his travels, he discovered his half-brother Apollo’s cattle. Using stealth and trickery, he stole the best of the herd and cunningly put sandals made of twigs on their feet( Ibid 68 – 86). He then taught them to walk backwards while he walked forwards so that he could avoid detection or being followed. In addition to being cunning, this section from the Homeric hymn indicates his precociousness. He had unknowingly been seen by an elderly shepherd called Battus. Therefore, he bribed him to keep him quiet; then he killed and sacrificed a couple of the cows to the gods. This led to the first animal sacrifice and Hermes became the protector of sacrificial animals and shepherds, the reason we see him depicted with a lamb. As depicted below in Kriophoros Hermes (which takes the lamb), late-Roman copy of Greek original from The fifth century BC. Barracco Museum, Rome He was silly to think that he could deceive Apollo who was blessed with the gift of foresight. This is also a trait often depicted by Hermes and other ‘trickster gods’. They are cunning and crafty, yet often suffer from a lack of forethought. When Apollo discovered his loss, he approached his mother regarding Hermes actions. She denied that Hermes had done it because the infant was back in his cradle. Apollo dragged Hermes to Zeus to have the problem resolved. Zeus ordered Hermes to return the cattle. Hermes pulled out the lyre and made music with it. Apollo, the god of music, was intrigued and struck a bargain with Hermes to exchange the cattle for the lyre. But even when caught out, Hermes continued to plot. “Nevertheless, while he was singing of all these, his heart was bent on other matters... (Also) he sprang from the sweet smelling hall to a watch place pondering sweet trickery in his heart – deeds such as knavish folk pursue in the dark night... (Also) he bethought him of a crafty ruse and reversed the marks of their hoofs, making the front behind and behind hind before, while he himself walked the other way.”(Homeric hymn verses 68- 80) This section of the hymn indicates Hermes’ craftiness and trickery, while, at the same time, being respectful to the god. The hymn continues in the same vein, describing how Hermes and Apollo argued. This was settled by Zeus, who, I think was pleased by his younger son’s craftiness and cunning whilst still a baby. Apollo, god of music, ended up with the lyre in exchange for the cattle. (Homeric hymn IV 62 –532) This is one of the most outlandish and contrived pieces of work telling of Hermes and his early life, but was probably typical of 800 BC writings when the Greek gods demanded respect and worship. Also, few people had the knowledge to question its credibility. It aptly describes the cunning of this young god, who seemed to be ‘daddy’s darling’ and a breath of fresh air among the older sober gods. This is apparent when we read that ‘Zeus laughed’ when he heard Hermes defence for stealing the cattle. Apollo also laughed at Hermes in Maia’s cave and on the first hearing of the lyre. Anger was overtaken by joviality, and humour helped to solve the outcome of the trickery involved in the cattle problem. (Lies, Lyres, and Laughter in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes.) Leaving this train of thought, other investigations need to be pursued to show how Hermes evolved in appearance and character over the years . The Greek word ‘herma’ is understood to mean a pile of stones that have a spirit within, and are often found by the roadside as boundary markers and which formed the basis of Hermes’ name. Hermes was often depicted wearing a traveller’s hat and sporting a beard but he was much faster than a mortal traveller was as he had winged sandals. (Routledge P160) I would also add that from around the 5th century BC, Hermes is transformed into an attractive youth without a beard instead of the older man with a beard as portrayed on pschyopompous pictures of Hermes. It is interesting to compare the following two pictures, which come from storage jars. The first is on an amphora, a storage jar for liquid and dry goods. The second is on a lekythos, also a storage jar that contained oils or unguents, which were buried with the dead. (FIG 4.10 P161 Block4) Attic white- ground terracotta lekythos showing Hermes as Pschyompous, c440 -430 BCE. Attributed to the Phiale painter. (Staatliche Antiksammlungen and Glytothek, Munich, vas 6248. Photo: Renate Kuhling) In the first picture, Hermes is depicted as a young messenger with his winged sandals or boots, caduceus without the serpents and wearing a travelling coat and hat. In contrast, the second picture shows an older Hermes in the role of psychopompous. Here he is shown without his winged sandals but with the winged helmet. This also shows a much more mournful and pensive individual. Although the adventures of Odysseus, in Homer’s Odyssey are, for the most part, romantic legends and folktales they are still valuable in discerning more aspects of Hermes’ character and role(M & L p524). Odysseus had been trapped in a cave at night by the nymph, Calypso, and bewailed his fate on the seashore by day. He had been on her island for seven years. Odysseus is the goddess Athena’s favourite. She complained to Zeus about his plight. Initially, he was unsympathetic and suggested that she might be responsible for his situation. Eventually, he took action to sort out the problem. As Hermes was an effective and cunning liaison between the sky and earth gods, Zeus sent him to Calypso with the message that she must release Odysseus or face Zeus’ wrath. Calypso knew that resistance was useless and after Hermes left, she helped Odysseus with his raft for his escape but she still tried to persuade him to stay with her. This interaction firmly established Hermes as the messenger of the king of the Gods, Zeus. This is a role that mythological literature sees Hermes fulfil again and a gain for the gods of Mount Olympus, but most especially for the god Zeus. For a long time the Romans had been impressed by Greek culture and myths. They adopted or adapted the myths and changed the names of some of the gods. For example, Hermes became Mercury, Zeus became Jupiter and Hera became Juno. All of these gods had the same titles and positions of their Greek equivalent and like the Greeks, the Romans wrote about their gods. As the Roman god Mercury, whose name came from the Latin word ‘merx’ became the source of words we use today, for example, merchant and market. They derived from his title of ‘god of trade’. He became the lord of Wednesday, ‘Mercoledi’ in Italian and ‘Mercredi’ in French. So we can see that Hermes’ evolution into Mercury via the Roman civilization was one that happened fairly smoothly and seamlessly, because many other gods were adopted in the same manner by the Romans from the Greeks. We can also see that Mercury influences our culture today through words in several Latin based languages. One Roman writer of the time was Ovid. His work, ‘Metamorphoses’, used reworked Greek myths to emphasise the theme of change that held his work together. The ‘Metamorphoses’ is the single most important source for Classical Mythology after Homer’s works( M & L p29). A section of this work involves Mercury/Hermes as Jupiter/Zeus’ messenger. The evolution of Hermes into Mercury is just the beginning of the metamorphosis that Hermes has experienced. Focusing on the fun loving, ‘trickster’ nature of Hermes reveals that his influence and adoption goes far beyond Rome. ‘Tricksters’ have been around for a long time, and feature in the myths of many countries. We find Loki in Scandinavian mythology as well as Lugus in the Celtic myths. Hermes is the basis for these other gods. Their similarities are too many to ignore. They are fun and attack the normalities of life. The question has been asked by many academics as to whether these gods were mortal or immortal. The four gods already mentioned are used as a foil in many myths and often do not feature as primary gods in the mythology of their cultures. Maybe of more importance is understanding the common links between these ‘tricksters’ so we can see their inter-related nature, rather than worrying about their mortality or immortality. To illustrate some of the traits of a ‘Trickster’, Radin says, “A Trickster is at one and the same time creator, destroyer, giver and negator, he who dupes others. (The psychology of the Trickster figure, Trans R F C Hull Radin 195 -211).” We have seen with the help of Hesiod and the Homeric hymns how Hermes managed to dupe his brother, Apollo, and steal his cattle. Hermes was not an all-powerful creator but an inventor and his invention of the lyre appeased Apollo. His skill and cunning at an early age so impressed his father Zeus that his place on Olympus as a fully-fledged god was secured. Myths were used in Greece to define the human condition in relation to the gods. The high ranking sought public approval, tried to be virtuous and lived free of vice.(The World of Athens P136) However, the Romans used myths for many other purposes. The educated artists used them as source material for plays, poetry and paintings in the same way as the Greeks, but Emperors, used them for propaganda and aligned themselves with a particular god. For example, Nero used Apollo in an attempt to gain favour with Roman citizens. High-ranking people tried to prove they were descended from the gods to establish self worth. Portrayals of myths were everywhere; on walls, in the home and outdoors. One could see many gigantic statues and murals in public places. The myths were also used as teaching tools to convey a moral message or for entertainment like fairy stories. Ovid takes for granted this knowledge to fill in the gaps in his version of myths. As Mercury and Hermes are virtually interchangeable, I have used Ovid’s Metamorphoses to illustrate Mercury’s role as divine messenger but the same myth featuring Hermes exists. Homer's Odyssey (c. 800 BCE) alludes to the story of Argus by referring to Hermes as 'the guide, the slayer of Argus' (8.332). Similar references to Argus appear in Hesiod's Works and Days (c. 750-700 BCE) . The slaying of Argos earned Hermes the title of Argeophontos. literally ‘Argos slayer’ (Tripp P302). Another of Hermes titles was that of Psychopompous – accompanier of souls (Dictionary of Classical Myth p197). Greek gods had many epithets, Aristophanes uses this in a scene in his comic play ‘ The Frogs’(Part15) where two characters discuss which version of Hermes they should pray to in order to solve their problem. ‘Myths often deal with non-verifiable aspects of experience that are beyond ordinary mortals’ knowledge; the distant past, the life of the soul after death....’ This statement referring to Plato’s myths in Block IV could be applied to the reception of myths in general. (Block IV Textual sources two. Secondary source 4.2) It is not clear when the role of underworld guide came into being and Odyssey 24, where it is featured, may have been a later addition to the original. Hermes/ Mercury were visually displayed in their youth as attractive young men with winged helmets, sandals and a messenger’s staff. This staff varied from a normal messenger’s staff because it had two snakes entwined around it, today we recognise the staff as the caduceus, a symbol adapted by modern medicine. Numerous myths involving Hermes show his ingenuity and mental and physical ability. He is shown to have given us the lyre and astronomy. Mount Kerykios, the reputed birthplace of Hermes, and a place called Polos is where Atlas [the grandfather of Hermes] sat and meditated deeply upon the heavens and instructed his grandson Hermes astronomy ( Pausanias, Description of Greece 9. 20. 3 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) Hermes, as god of trade also is attributed to giving us our system of weights and measures.( www.men-myths-minds.com) Hermes’ reputation as a ‘trickster’ is well established by these early Greek myths. This aspect of Hermes’ character is the one that most readily translates to gods of other civilizations. Mercury being an obvious choice, as he was borrowed from the Greeks and used by the Romans. The Celtic world had a god, known as Lugus, who was known to the Irish as Lugh. This god was pre-Roman like Hermes and used a staff; his headdress was made of mistletoe berries, which gave the impression of wings at the side of his head, mimicking Hermes. In addition to similarities in depiction, Lugus was the inspiration for several Gaelic festivals that involved all sorts of fun such as ‘trial marriages’ that lasted only a year and then were absolved, the lighting of bonfires and dancing. The similarities between Hermes and Lugus are indeed many. Lugus is important is establishing how Hermes evolved and influenced other civilization’s gods. Around 500BC, the Celtic world entered into a world of comfort and self-confidence and took great interest in the world of art and culture of its neighbours. It borrowed freely form them but always added its own ideas. Eventually the Romans conquered most of Europe and Lugus disappeared from the myths. In ‘ De Bello Gallico IV,17 ‘ Julius Caesar stated the Mercury was the most popular Celtic god, the creator of arts and crafts, the protector of travellers, god of trade and wealth. (The Gallic Wars by Julius Caesar. Translated by W. A. Mcdevitte and W. S. Bohn) Many dedications to Mercury have been found in Northern European Celtic lands, but place names echo Lugus. One of these is Lyon, derived from the old Celtic form of Lugudunum, ‘ The fort of Lugus’. Other Mercurial features given to Lugus are the cockerel, and bag of coins. This indicates that there was very little native input into the Celtic Mercury, which would suggest a link with Lugus. The winged helmet, sandals, serpent rod and bag of coins are all used as tokens of skill, speed and expertise in both civilizations. (http:// www.mabinogion.info/lugus.htm). It would appear that Mercury and Lugus merged to form one god in Roman times. As the Romans did not invade Ireland, they were able to retain Lugus/Lugh, whose spirit, to this day pervades their world as trickster, psychopomp, mover between world and granter of success and wealth (http://mythicalireland.com). Loki is the last of the four European ‘Trickster gods’ I have chosen, This Scandinavian god was the brother of Thor and son of Odin. Loki delights in transforming into human, animal, or the other godlike forms. In an attempt to help his brother Thor locate his missing magical hammer, Loki transforms into a raven. Loki/Raven discovers that Thrym, the evil frost giant, has the sacred hammer. Loki suggests and convinces Thrym to ask that the beautiful Freya, a goddess, might marry him in exchange for returning the enchanted hammer. Loki is truly mischievous in this story as told by Padria Colum. One can almost hear him laughing as Odin, demands that Thor dress in a wedding gown and pretend to be Thrym’s intended wife. Loki is a trickster who delights in the discomfort of his fellow gods. (Mythology: Trickster tales by Joseph O’Keefe) Many have tried to trace Hermes through antiquity and prove how he got or retained his various attributes. Hermes has been shown to express a multi faceted example of an ancient Greek god. Where or when the concept of this god originated is unclear, but it is clear that this god was adopted or altered in Roman, Scandinavian and Celtic mythology. The different cultures influenced the titles this god was given. It is interesting to note that in today’s religions the present day beliefs and practices were also influenced by the cultures in which they originated. They, too, have had to be adapted to different cultures, just like the Greek god, Hermes. 3257 words BIBLIOGRAPHY Main sources (Written/Primary) Homer, and Ian C. Johnston. The Iliad. Arlington, VA: Richer Resources Publications, 2007. Print. Homer, and Ian C. Johnston. The Odyssey. Arlington, VA: Richer Resources Publications, 2007. Print. Main sources (Written/Secondary) Brunauer, Dalma Hunyadi. The Metamorphoses of Ovid. Piscataway, NJ: Research & Education Association, 1996. Print. Hesiod, and Hugh G. Evelyn-White. Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1914. Print. Morford, Mark P. O., and Robert J. Lenardon. Classical Mythology. New York: Oxford UP, 2007. Print. Ovid, and D. A. Raeburn. Metamorphoses: a New Verse Translation. London: Penguin, 2004. Print. Main Sources (Pictorial/Primary) Hermes, K11.7 www.theoi.com accessed26/04/11 Figure 4.10 P161 Block4 Part 3 A330 Myth in the Greek and Roman Worlds (2010) Milton Keynes The Open University. Additional reference Sources Other sources Aristophanes, The Frogs (1132 – 1180) in Charles W Eliot (Ed ) (1910) The Harvard Classics.  Volume 8  Hesiod's Works and Days (c. 750-700 BCE) Bungard, Christopher, "Lies, Lyres, and Laughter in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes" (2009). 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