Soft, swaying, lulling, grey He takes you when he wants you You can invoke his presence But He’ll never be far As draining as invigorating He will open the world for you He will be the last person You will mistake him When he comes He waits patiently But He is always there There is no escape He will take you He is sleep Preparing you for his twin He will deliver you onto his brother, Death
Hermes is a god of many domains and epithets that span across multiple cultures and history. Some of these associations have even held over into the modern century. For this series, I’ll be writing about specific epithets for him, along with the associated cult worship, history, and connected associations.
It would be remiss of me to not discuss one his most well known and widespread associations ; a messenger of the gods. We can see this association repeated over and over again in multiple myths, whether that be him assisting the gods, heroes, or mortals. First I’ll be discussing his connecting epithets and surnames, followed by cult worship, and lastly his connecting mythos. All three of these play an intertwining and intrinsic part to his worship as a messenger god.
E p i t h e t s ༄
Epithets are one the key ways we’re able to fully understand how the gods were viewed and what their associations were. Epithets were often tied into local worship and mythos, along with personal rituals for said epithet of the god. Something not necessarily unique, but not that common either, was that Hermes did not have a state wide cult worshipped across Greece. He didn’t really even have temples outside a few select ones, such as his temple at Mount Kyllene in Arkadia, the origins of his birth place, as his worship was done out in the everyday lives of the common man. He was worshipped on roads, at gymnasiums, and was a patron of heralds and farmers.
Below you’ll find a list of his epithets relating directly to his aspect as a messenger and guide. First in Greek, followed by the Latin translation, and lastly the English meaning.
C u l t W o r s h i p ༄
As for his cult worship, one of the biggest indicators of his worship as a guide are the hermae, or boundary stones. These stones would be placed on roads as mile markers, and were also associated with ensuring fertility to the local stock and providing luck for the passerby.
“Socrates…proceeded, with the design of educating those of the countryside, to set up figures of Hermes (Hermai) for them along the roads in the midst of the city and every district town .”
One of the most interesting things about these stones was their physical depiction. The stones stood tall on long rectangular blocks with a sculpture of Hermes’ head at the top and then towards the middle part was a depiction of a phallus that would be protruding from the stone. As of right now there isn’t any clear indication as to why this is a feature on the stone, other than the possible connection to his aspect as a god of fertility.
The origins of these stones can be found with the Pelesigians, who instructed the Athenians in how to go about creating these markers. This is shown in the quote below from Herodutus, Histories:
“The ithyphallic images of Hermes [i.e. the Hermai]; the production of these came from the Pelasgians [of Arkadia and Thessalia], from whom the Athenians were the first Greeks to take it, and then handed it on to others. For the Athenians were then already counted as Greeks when the Pelasgians came to live in the land with them and thereby began to be considered as Greeks. Whoever has been initiated into the rites of the Kabeiroi, which the Samothrakians learned from the Pelasgians and now practice, understands what my meaning is [the Kabeiroi gods were the keepers of a sacred phallus]. Samothrake was formerly inhabited by those Pelasgians who came to live among the Athenians, and it is from them that the Samothrakians take their rites. The Athenians, then, were the first Greeks to make ithyphallic images of Hermes, and they did this because the Pelasgians taught them. The Pelasgians told a certain sacred tale about this, which is set forth in the Samothrakian mysteries.”
There’s also evidence in there possibly being various styles as per the quote below from Pausanias:
“At the Arkadian gate [of Ithome, Messenia] leading to Megalopolis is a Herma of Attic style; for the square form of Herma is Athenian, and the rest adopted it thence.”
These statues were the most popular among the Athenians, who had them placed all over the city of Athens and were venerated in honor of Hermes. They would be anointed with olive oil and decorated with laurel leaves, a symbol of great importance amongst the Greeks.
One epithet for him that relates directly to these stones is Hermes Trikephalos, or Hermes the Three Headed. This was a specific hermai that had three heads of hermes pointing to each direction at the crossroads with an inscription of said roads. We also have evidence showing that the nose of the statues were typically rubbed down and polished, most likely due to people rubbing it for good luck and because of Hermes’ connection to fertility.
From this we have a clear indication of how Hermes was viewed in everyday life in ancient Greece. He was a part of their walk to work, to the neighbors, and to neighboring towns, directly contradicting the idea that the gods were separate and held only in lofty temples. Hermes was out on the dirt roads with every class of man, woman, and child - he truly was the common man’s god.
Outside of the hermai, Hermes statues were traditionally depicted with shoes with wings, a herald’s wand, and travelers hat also depicted with wings on each side of it. The wings are a key component to his attributes as they are the main way he’s able to travel and deliver messages for the gods. Lets not forget another one of his most iconic symbols that is used widely throughout the modern world today - the caudecus, or herald’s staff. This staff was not only used by Hermes, but by all heralds throughout Greece, who Hermes was a patron of. This staff was derived from the old cattle-herders crock and could possibly be tied back to Hermes’ myth about stealing Apollo’s sacred cows.
“Herald : And the gods gathered here, I greet them all; him, too, my own patron, Hermes, beloved herald, of heralds all revered.”
Aeschylus, Agamemnon 513 ff
Outside of the heralds, Hermes is a god of birds of omen and the god of dreams, both of which were used to send messages. In relation to his connection with birds of omen, it was said that the birds themselves were dispatched by Apollo and only those who were under his patronage and a seer would be able to distinguish the prophetic messages from those of the regular “idle chatter” of birds.
“Whosoever shall come guided by the call and flight of birds of sure omen, that man shall have advantage through my voice, and I will not deceive him. But whoso shall trust to idly-chattering birds and shall seek to invoke my prophetic art contrary to my will, and to understand more than the eternal gods, I declare that he shall come on an idle journey; yet his gifts I would take …’
And from heaven father Zeus himself gave confirmation to his words, and commanded that glorious Hermes should be lord over all birds of omen.“
Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 7
We now look to another one of his more popular ways of reaching out and connections - prophecy via dream. While Hypnos was the god of dreams, it was Hermes who delivered these dreams to mortals. Dreams of omen were seen as messages from the gods and ghosts of the dead. It was also heavily debated amongst ancient scholars what counted as a dream of omen, and where in prophetic hierarchy these dreams fell. It was eventually decided that outside of speaking to Oracles themselves, who were known to have a direct connection to the god they served under, dreams where a “natural” form of divination that required no tools compares to other forms of divination, such as pulling lots or using dice, to divine messages.
M y t h o l o g y ༄
Now we’ll focus on looking into various myths that were written by the Greeks depicting Hermes as a messenger. Well start off with one of the most well known writings of Greek mythology ; the Odyssey.
In the Odyssey we first come across Hermes assisting Odysseus on Circe’s island after his men have been turned into pigs. He disguises himself as a tenant of the island and directs Odysseus in how to turn himself immune to Circe’s potion used to turn men into animals. We also see Hermes again later after Odysseus is left abandoned on an island with Calypso for seven years until Hermes appears to him and advises him to sail to Ithaca to start his next journey. From both these instances we see Hermes fit his role as a guide in advising Odysseus during his journey when he was in peril and distraught.
"Zeus who masses the clouds made answer … turned to his dear son Hermes : ‘Hermes, you are always our messenger.’”
Homer, Odyssey 5. 4 ff
Another classic resource is his role in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. While Ovid was a Roman writer, his writings’ on the Greek gods have played a major impact on Greek mythology and how the gods are even viewed today. In this piece he’s often described as a messenger of Zeus, or Jupiter, and sent on various errands for the god. In other myths we have him fetching gods to attend weddings, delivering messages to heroes, and escorting the dead. However his role as a psychopomp will be explored in a separate blog that will go into much more detail with his role as a god of boundaries and the afterlife.
Outside of his myths specifically depicting him as a messenger and guide, we can also look to his offspring and their roles as gods. Often more times than not, offspring of the gods, specifically the Olympians, were connected to direct roles that said gods ruled over. A few of his divine children included: Palaistra the goddess of wrestling and Angelia the goddess of messages.
C o n c l u s i o n ༄
In conclusion, Hermes’ role as a messenger god spread from the heights of Olympus to the common man on the roads of ancient Greece. We can see his worship in the local hermai that were decorated in laurel leaves and anointed with olive oil, their noses rubbed down till the shined from people hoping to obtain just a little bit of luck for their journey.This is further built up in his various myths where he is sent by Zeus to direct and assist various heroes, and make sure everyone has RSVP accordingly for any important gathering or event. I would argue that his connection as a messenger and guide are exactly why he’s still so apparent within modern culture - he’s a symbol that every person can connect with.
As mentioned at the beginning of this post, this is the first in a series of blogs dedicated to Hermes and his worship. In the following blogs I’ll be discussing roles such as him being a psychopomp, his connection to divination, and his role as trickster god.
Most of us know that Hestia is the goddess of the Hearth & Home, but I fear few realize the importance of her domain—both in ancient times and today.
Sacrifices include(d): fruit, water, oil, wine, and one year old calves
Sacred Symbols: chaste tree, pigs, kettle, and veil
Goddess of the Home and Family Hearth
As goddess of the hearth, Hestia presides over all day-to-day sacrifices. Not only that, but she should receive the first and last portion of the sacrifice—symbolic of her position as the first child of Kronos and Rhea and the last Olympian to be disgorged by Kronos. She also presides over the cooking of the family meal; of which a portion should be sacrificed. In fact, all aspects of domestic life are considered to be within Hestia’s domain, and all domestic blessings are from her.
As goddess of the home itself, Hestia is considered to be the inventor of houses and a patron of architecture. In this aspect, Hestia is often worshipped with Hermes—the two are considered to be dues penetralis, or gods who reside within the heart of every home.
So what does this mean? Basically, except maybe for Zeus, Hestia was one of the most widely worshipped of all the Olympians. The altar itself is a sanctuary of the goddess which existed in almost every home in ancient times. Cicero and the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite explain Hestia’s importance beautifully:
“Her power extends over altars and hearths, and therefore all prayers and all sacrifices end with this goddess, because she is the guardian of the innermost things.” - Cicero
“Zeus the father gave her a high honor instead of marriage, and she has her place in the midst of the house and has the richest portion. In all the temples of the gods she has a share of honor, and among all mortal men she is chief of the goddesses.” - Homeric Hymn 5 to Aphrodite
Goddess of the Public Hearth
Perhaps even more important than her role in domestic life, Hestia’s dominion over the public hearth made her an extremely important political figure in ancient times. Virtually every town had a prytaneium (hearth) in the prytaneion—the seat of the prytaneis (and government) in ancient Greece, often a structure in the center of the agora. There, the town made public sacrifices to the gods and, therefore, to Hestia. In fact, the prytaneium often existed as the sole sanctuary to the goddess. One of Hestia’s epithets, Prytaneia, referred to her role as goddess of the public hearth. The prytaneium also functioned as a sanctuary for asylum seekers and the place where the prytaneis would welcome guests and foreign ambassadors. In this way, Hestia’s domain also included hospitality and diplomacy. The fire of the sacrificial flame itself—which never went out and was often carried to new cities—was also Hestia’s domain. And just like in the home, Hestia presided over the preparation of the sacrificial meat.
Considering all of this, many consider Hestia to be a goddess of civilization, as the public hearth is what tied together all the families in a town. Plato himself posited that Zeus, Athena, and Hestia were the three most important gods to the state as King, city-protector, and guardian of the civic hearth. Although we may no longer have public hearths, we are still connected by the same ideas of home and civilization.
The Last Olympian
Plato describes Hestia as the “essence of things” and says that while all the other Olympians follow Zeus from Olympus on his winged chariot, Hestia is the only one who remains, tending the hearth and protecting the home and seat of the gods’ power.
Many believe Hestia abdicated her throne when Dionysos became a god. And in some myths and versions of the story, this is true. However, the twelve Olympians have never been a concrete list even in ancient times. It’s really up to interpretation. Personally, when I say the “twelve Olympians” I’m very loosely referring to a group of thirteen or fourteen, often including Hestia and sometimes Hades. But again, it really doesn’t matter.
Worship and Cult
As I’ve already said, Hestia was worshipped in every ancient home and city, but Pausanias also describes a separate sanctuary to the goddess in Hermione. In addition, she was worshipped with Poseidon and Amphitrite at Olympia. And, as the Homeric Hymn to her alludes, she was worshipped with Poseidon as well as Apollo at his temple at Delphi.
“Hestia, you tend the sacred hearth of far-shooting Lord Apollo in holy Pytho, anointing-oil ever dripping from your braids—come to this house, come, sharing your heart with cunning Zeus: bestow grace on my song.” - Homeric Hymn 24
Hymns: Homeric Hymn 24, Homeric Hymn 29 (also to Hermes), and Orphic Hymn 84
Epithets: Prytaneia (of the prytaneium), Boulaia (of the council)
This post will be updated any time I make a new devotional activity post. If there is any you want but do not see on her please feel free to message me.
To do Classics! - the subject I love SO SO much… oh my gosh…
I finally did it, I finally made my dreams come true. I can finally release all the excitement and all the want that I made myself hold in and suppress because I didn’t want to tempt fate. And after my interview experience I wouldn’t even dare think about a future where I went to Cambridge. I was dealing with a lot of family issues at the time and my second interview was just a slow and painful death by Latin grammar, I remember sitting in silence for what felt like forever after logging off of that final zoom, just thinking I had thrown it all away over the ablative case. And I spent weeks thinking that. And I was wrong. And I have never been more happy to be wrong in my life.
every time I open myself up to Dionysus, I realize just in how many areas of my life I can feel his presence, how many times he was guiding me and putting me in situations for a reason.
✵Oh, great liberator! You are a patron, a protector, a healer for all of those kids who fall out of frames, who feel like they don’t belong anywhere.
✵You welcome them into your open arms, guiding them through their trauma, guiding their shadows and fragmented parts back to the center of their souls!
