Greek mythology
09. The Little Rascal: Hermes
Maia was the daughter of Atlas and Pleione, and the most beautiful of the seven sisters of the Pleiades. Maia was a very shy and reserved nymph, avoiding interaction with the other gods and preferring to keep to herself. She lived quietly in a cave on Mount Cyrene in Arcadia in southern Greece, trying to avoid outside attention. It was a cave so deep that even Hera didn't recognize it.
But by chance, Zeus spotted Maia and fell in love with her beauty. And when jealous Hera slept, he sneaked out, found Maia, and made love to her in secret. As a result, Maia became pregnant with Hermes. Hermes was born at dawn in a cave on Mount Cyrene, where Maia was in seclusion.
Nursed by the nymph Cyllene, the precocious young boy grew incredibly fast. That day, baby Hermes escaped his mother's notice and set off in search of adventure. Though he had been in the world less than a day, Hermes already had a cunning mind. When he found himself in the pastures of the gods, Hermes impulsively stole 50 cows from Apollo, then still the herdsman of the gods.
To hide the fact that he had stolen the cows, he wrapped all their hooves in bark so that they would not make a sound. Then he attached a broom to their tails so that as they walked, their footprints would naturally brush against the broom and erase his tracks. While driving the cattle, he came across an old man named Battus. Hermes asked the old man not to tell anyone that he was driving his oxen.
He bought the old man's silence, but the young god doubted whether he could trust the stranger. So he disguised himself and returned, offering a reward for any news of the stolen cattle. Battus quickly sold him out, telling him what he knew, so Hermes punished the old man by turning him to stone. Hermes hid Apollon's cattle in the woods and sacrificed two of them to the gods of Olympus in the river Alpheus.
Then He crafted the lyre from a tortoise shell, using reeds, ox hide, and sheep gut to create the strings. He soon taught himself how to play it. Hermes returned home, again put on his swaddling clothes, and lay down to sleep. Apollo, the god of music and prophecy, noticed his cattle were missing and immediately set out to find them. Using his divine powers, Apollo observed the tracks left by the cattle.
He noticed something unusual: the tracks seemed to be moving backward. This clever trick was devised by Hermes to confuse anyone who tried to follow him. Despite the confusion, Apollo’s keen senses and prophetic abilities guided him. He followed the tracks to a cave on Mount Cyllene, where Maia and Hermes lived.
Upon arriving, Apollo confronted Maia, demanding to know where his cattle were. Maia, unaware of Hermes’ actions, was initially confused and defensive. Hermes, pretending to be an innocent baby, lay in his cradle. Apollo, however, was not fooled and accused Hermes of the theft. Hermes continued to deny the accusations, claiming he was just a newborn. Apollo, frustrated, decided to take the matter to Zeus, the king of the gods.
Zeus, intrigued by the situation, summoned both Apollo and Hermes to Mount Olympus. In the divine court, Apollo presented his case, detailing the theft and the tracks. Hermes, still maintaining his innocence, argued that he was too young to commit such a crime. Zeus, amused by Hermes’ cleverness, decided to investigate further. He ordered Hermes to reveal the truth, knowing that the young god could not lie to him.
Under Zeus’s command, Hermes confessed to the theft but explained it was all in good fun. Zeus, appreciating Hermes’ honesty and wit, decided to pardon him. However, he instructed Hermes to return the cattle to Apollo. Hermes agreed and led Apollo to a forest where there was a hidden cow. But where there should have been 50 cows, there were 48, two short. Apollo asked Hermes why.
Hermes replied that he had divided the two oxen into twelve equal parts and presented them to the gods of Olympus. Raising an eyebrow, Apollo asked who the twelfth god was. “Me, of course,” acknowledged the not-so-humble but lovable Hermes. Reportedly, this was the very first sacrifice of flesh to the gods.
While Apollo gathered the cattle, Hermes began to play the lyre, a musical instrument he had made. Enchanted by the beautiful sound of the lyre, Apollo offered to trade his cattle for the lyre. Hermes agreed, and immediately began building another musical instrument for his amusement: a reed-pipe. Equally charmed by this instrument, Apollo asked Hermes to name his terms for it.
Hermes asked for the Caduceus, a staff with two snakes entwined around it, the honor of being the god of shepherds and shepherds, and to teach him how to tell the future with a pebble. Zeus called Hermes back to Olympus. He sternly admonished Hermes to never steal or lie again. Hermes then swore that he would never lie again if he was appointed messenger of the gods.
Zeus, noting Hermes' cleverness, immediately accepted the offer and told his son that his duties would also include protecting travelers, facilitating trade, and negotiating treaties. To ensure rapid delivery of his messages, Zeus presented Hermes with golden winged sandals as swift as the wind.
He also gave the young god a round hat to protect him from rain.
Zeus's brother Hades soon asked Hermes to serve as his herald as well. As the herald of death, Hermes thereafter gently collected and guided the dead to the Underworld.
As the herald of Zeus, Hermes kept his promise not to lie. On the other hand, he didn't always tell the whole truth. In gratitude, Zeus made Hermes his most constant companion. Whenever Zeus visited Earth, Hermes went with him. Though usually in disguise, Hermes often visited Earth on his own, too.
Despite his roguishness, Hermes truly enjoyed helping travelers. Soon every traveler who became lost or suffered from some hardship called upon Hermes for help. And more often than not, the god swiftly arrived to deliver them.
Ps. Because Greco-Roman mythology contains many versions of the same story of the same character, the story you see in Roy's Box may not be the story you know. In Roy's Box, we list the full episodes in chronological order, and where possible, we've adapted non-contradictory versions.