Who are Hermes’s parents?
Zeus and Maia.
What makes the Homeric Hymn to Hermes unique?
It is the only Homeric Hymn with a strong humorous tone, reflecting Hermes’ trickster nature.
What does Hermes accomplish on the day he is born?
Morning: Born. Midday: Invents and masters the lyre. Evening: Steals Apollo’s cattle and confuses tracks by walking them backwards.
How does Hermes hide the cattle theft from Apollo?
He drives them backwards so the tracks point the wrong way.
How do Zeus and Apollo react to Hermes’s lies?
Apollo is amused; Zeus laughs even while Hermes denies the theft.
How does Hermes repair his relationship with Apollo?
He returns the cattle and gifts Apollo the lyre. They become close friends.
What notable titles does Hermes gain?
Prince of Thieves. Also close companion of Dionysus (he babysat him).
What is Hermes the god of in relation to boundaries?
God of boundaries, thresholds, crossing points, and liminal spaces.
What are Hermai?
Stone pillars or boundary markers tied to Hermes’s origin as a boundary fetish.
Why is Hermes Zeus’s messenger?
Because no physical, divine, or cosmic boundary restricts him.
What items identify Hermes?
Winged sandals, broad-brimmed sun hat, and the herald’s wand (kerykeion).
What did the kerykeion symbolize?
That the bearer could not be harmed — origin of “don’t kill the messenger.”
What two opposite groups is Hermes patron of?
Travelers and thieves. He protects travelers but also supports harmless trickery.
What kind of crime is Hermes associated with?
Only petty crime — mischief, trickery, fun theft — not violence.
What does Psychopompos mean?
“Guide of Souls” — Hermes escorts souls to the Underworld.
What is Hermes’s personality like?
Charming, witty, humorous, and uplifting.
What is Hermes commonly called because of his influence?
“The Luck Bringer.”
What is the early Greek concept of the soul?
A compound soul made of multiple parts, commonly three: thumos, ker, and psyche.
What is the thumos?
The intellectual/memory soul located in the chest; dies with the body.
What is the ker?
The emotional soul (heart/emotion); dies with the body.
What is the psyche?
The life force that survives death; depicted as a butterfly, bird-body, or miniature person.
What happens to the psyche after death but before burial?
It temporarily takes over the functions of the thumos and ker until the funeral is completed.
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Intro, ages and archaelogy30
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Greek Creation & Cosmology38
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Titans and Succession myth30
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Zeus: the slut and mortals16
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Creation of women15
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The Great flood20
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Pandora, Golden Age, and Human/Nature Relations25
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Totemism and fetishism29
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Hephaestues21
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Ares and Hera in depth21
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Aphrodite24
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Aphrodite : lovers and kids33
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Artemis22
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Apollo24
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Dionysus23
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Dionysus 217
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Hermes22
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Hermes 221
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Heroes (1)39
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Roman Material (Unique to Rome)60
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Athena26
