Hermes was
the Greek god of commerce, son of Zeus and
Maia. 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.

He was
the protector of travelers, thieves and athletes. He occassionally tricked
the other gods for
his own amusement or in an effort to protect humans. With the ability to move
freely between worlds, he also served as the guide of the souls of the dead
to the
underworld and the afterlife.

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. Hermes appeared
in many other myths;
in the Odyssey, Odysseus was
instructed by the god to chew a magic herb with which he would be able to
avoid Circe‘s
powers and not be transformed to animals like his companions; in the myth
of Pandora,
when the gods provided a trait to her, Hermes gave
her the ability to lie and seduce with her words.