1. HERMES Ashley Fung, 6 th period, 12/10/2015

2. FAMILY AND BACKGROUND  Hermes is the son of Zeus, God of the sky, and Maia, one of the Pleiades (“Hermes”).  He was born in Kyllene, which is in Greece (“Birth of Hermes”).

3. WHAT IS HE KNOWN FOR?  “Hermes [is] the Greek god of commerce … Quick acting and cunning, he was able to move swiftly between the world of man and the world of gods, acting as a messenger of the gods and the link between mortals and the Olympians.” (“Hermes”).  Hermes is often associated with “[serving] as the guide of the souls of the dead to the underworld and the afterlife”; Hermes is also generally depicted with winged sandals, which he uses to travel between the worlds (“Hermes”).

4. FAMOUS STORIES  One of Hermes’ most well-known stories is Hermes and the Cattle of Apollo: “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 apologize, Hermes gave Apollo the lyre which he had just invented” (“Hermes”). To thank Hermes for the gift, Apollo gave him a golden rod, which restored peace in mount Olympus (“Hermes and the Cattle of Apollo”).

5. CONNECTION TO THE ODYSSEY  When Odysseus arrived at Circe’s Island, Circe transforms all of Odysseus’ men into pigs, but Odysseus was able to resist her witchery due to Hermes previously giving him a magical herb (“Hermes”).  Also, when Odysseus was stranded on Calypso’s island, Hermes convinced her to free him by Zeus’s orders (“The Gods of The Odyssey”).

6. WORKS CITED “Birth of Hermes.” Theoi Greek Mythology. Theoi Project, n.d. Web. 9 December 2015. DelGuercio, Anthony. “The Gods of The Odyssey.” The Odyssey. Tripod, 30 May 2006. Web. 9 December 2015. “Hermes.” Greek Mythology. Greek Mythology, n.d. Web. 9 December 2015. “Hermes and the Cattle of Apollo.” Greek-Gods.Info. Greek Gods Info, n.d. Web. 9 December 2015.