Kyle Garrity
Mrs. Obbagy
English 9H/Period 1
13 September 2017
Hermes
Hermes, best known as the god of messengers, is by far one of the most interesting and complex characters on Mount Olympus. As well as being the god of messengers, Hermes is also the the god of thieves, of flock and herds, and of astronomy. He has many stories and myths associated with him and other gods that show his many sides and they prove that he is more than mail boy with winged shoes. We are shown the slyness, intellect, and creativity of Hermes as well as how other gods perceive him. He truly is a strong character that just has not yet been fully revealed to everyone.
For Hermes, unlike a number of other gods and mythical beings, experts agree and as stated by
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Aside from what Hermes looked like, there are several myths that truly demonstrate the character of Hermes. One such myth, explained by Michael Karas, reveals how creative and a quick thinker Hermes is:
When Hermes was born, he jumped out of his crib, stole Apollo's cattle and then went back to his crib playing innocent. However, Apollo figured it out, grabbed Hermes and went to Zeus to complain. The father of gods simply laughed and didn't punish Hermes. To apologise, Hermes gave Apollo the lyre which he had just invented.
This myth clearly shows how incredibly smart Hermes is. To make amends with Apollo, he gave him a lyre he made because he knew how much Apollo loved music and he knew the music that came from it was astounding so it would not end up being rejected.
In another myth, Zeus asked Hermes to save his mistress Io whom Zeus himself had an affair with and was forced to instantly turn her into a cow, to hide her from his approaching wife that was looking for her pristess. When Hera saw Zeus with a cow, and heard his lame excuse, she was rightfully suspicious and demanded to give her the animal as a gift. Zeus had no choice but to agree because, otherwise, his secret would be disclosed. Hera then called her servant Argos, the hundred-eyed giant, to take her away from Zeus and keep an eye on her.
Argos was a
In exchange, he offered Hermes to keep the cattle in exchange for the lyre, Leadbetter contends. This is an example of how Hermes had used his clever works to get something not only for him, but for his brother Apollo as well.
According to Greek mythology, Cronus was intimidated by his children. So in attempt to keep reign, he ate his children as they were born. However, Rhea saved Zeus. She hid the baby and gave Cronus a rock wrapped in cloth instead. Cronus fell for the trick and ate the rock. Zeus grew up and became powerful enough to battle his father to free his siblings. (Britannica.com)
her to give him the baby so he could swallow it. She hid Zeus in a
Out of the tortoiseshell, he crafts a lyre, this is a metaphor for crafting, as gods take the natural world and are able to put it to use. Once confronted by Apollo, Hermes gives a lying speech, he whistles and winks at Apollo making him laugh. Hermes acts like a child and tells Apollo, “I care for sleep, and milk of my mother's breast, and wrappings round my shoulders … I was born yesterday” (263-264). His playful nature allows him to express his musical skills, as he sings sweet songs with his lyre, and manages to trade it for the cattle. Hermes uses his wits and humour to defuse the situation. He is so charming when lying to Zeus, that even he, the great and powerful who punishes those who misbehave, lets Hermes get away with it.
Zeus turned Io, one of Zeus mistress, into a white heifer. He turned her into one, to protect her from Hera. Hera was not stupid. She demanded Zeus to give her the heifer. Hera then tied her up and had her guarded by the hundred, eyed Argus. The god Hermes rescued Io by using songs and stories to close all eyes of Argus. He then killed him, but Io remained a heifer. When Hera found out about this, she banished Io for good.
Hermes was born as a son of “player” Zeus and “mountain nymph” Maia. His father is describes as a lady-killer, and due to the long list of women that his father has been playing around with, Hermes has a lot of half-siblings (Bakula, Jean). Hermes’s mother is Maia, a mountain nymph. She is recognizes as one of the Pleiades, and a daughter of the Titan Atlas. He was born in a cave on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia in Southern Greece (greekmythologygods.com). As a bantling, he was growing up extremely fast, unbelievable. Right after a few hours of birth, he already escaped from his mother’s sight, and went searching for adventure. His first profit was his half-brother Apollo’s cow, but later he exchanged
- Hermes: also known as “Hermes of the golden wand” or “the giant killer” is the messenger and son of the god Zeus. He was sent by Zues to inform Calypso of Zeus’s order to free Odysseus.
As one of the many sons of Zeus, the famous, legendary god of gods, Hermes has been rather ignored, mostly because he is one of the very youngest Olympians. He is extremely qualified to win God Of The Year. After all, he does all of the dirty work for the gods! He is the messenger, the traveler, the most valuable yet overlooked god. Hermes is the messenger of the gods; a position given to him by his father. Even though he may have the winged shoes and helmet along with his very own wings that make him look a little bit funny, you shouldn’t mess with this guy. He once stole Apollo’s herd of cattle. Yes, he is also the god of many more things such as thieves, boundaries, travelers, and he is considered to be one of the smartest gods! Hermes has
In spite of this, most of the women he had slept with had been raped, including his own wife. Hera had been purposely avoiding her brother, wanting nothing to do with him. He was well aware of this, and while pursuing her had come up with a plan. Zeus transformed himself into a "sad and bedraggled looking cuckoo bird, soaked from a strong downpour"(Pontikis). Hera, pitying the bird, held him up to her heart for warmth and desired to heal him. In this moment, Zeus transformed back into his regular form and raped Hera, who could do nothing in the spontaneity. After this incident, they married out of guilt for the rape and conceived multiple children (Pontikis). Among other victims was the kidnapped Prince Ganymede, whom was taken by Zeus in the form of an eagle. Upon being ddelivered to Mount Olympus, he raped the young boy, and made him his cup-bearer (Leadbetter). As an apology, he did not return the prince to his family, but sent a couple of
One day while in class his music master, “Linus” was teaching Hercules how to play the lyre. Hercules became frustrated and banged the lyre on Linus's head, instantly killing him. Hercules was astonished and he had done. He no idea of the powerful strength he truly had.
captive by Trojan captors. As warrior Odyssey faced several challenges and Hermes was sent by Zeus to
Zeus’ affinity for being the main character of a myth is no different in the epic myth about his fight against Cronus and the Titans or the “Titanomachy.” In this larger-than-life battle Zeus has to overthrow his father Cronus and take his predestined place as king of the gods. In this myth however, Zeus has to grow and overcome many challenges that stand in his way to greatness. Zeus has to ask for help from his mother in order to be able to free his sibling from his father Cronus who had swallowed them whole. After Zeus frees his siblings he has to face the mighty Titans, so he asks the Cyclops and the Hecatonchires to aid him in this battle that lasts
Hermes (called Mercury in Roman mythology) was considered the messenger of the Olympic gods. According to legend, he was the son of Zeus, king of Mount Olympus, and Maia, a nymph. As time went on, he was also associated with luck, shepherds, athletes, thieves, and merchants.
Every human being has within him an ideal man, just as every piece of marble contains in a rough state a statue as beautiful as the one that Praxiteles the Greek made of the god Apollo.Greek myth is comprised of many Gods and Goddesses and the stories of how they came to be and of their life stories. And this is the story of the God apollo One God that caught my eye was Apollo, was associated with many aspects of life in the time of the Greek gods. Apollo’s father was Zeus, the king of the gods. Zeus, though married to Hera, had some problems with fidelity. He impregnated Leto, the daughter of a Titan.When he was four days old, he asked Hephaestus to make him silver bows and arrows. Hephaestus created them for him. Apollo was
The gods who inspired the love and hate relationships among families include Hermes, who used his magical use of language to lure the feelings of his brother Apollo away from jealousy to love. Hermes' reward was divination, and he became the god