Hermes
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| + | Apollo. Why do you laugh, [[Hermes]] ? | ||
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| + | Hermes. Because, my dear [[Apollo]], I have seen the most ridiculous sight possible. | ||
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| + | Apollo. Then tell me, that I myself too, when I have heard, may be able to join in the laugh. | ||
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| + | Hermes. [[Aphrodite]] has been caught with [[Ares]], and [[Hephaestus]] has captured and bound them. | ||
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| + | --[[Lucian]] | ||
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| In [[Greek mythology]], [[Hermes]] is the [[herald]] and [[messenger]] of the gods, and the [[god]] of [[road]]s, [[commerce]], [[invention]], [[cunning]], and [[theft]]. | In [[Greek mythology]], [[Hermes]] is the [[herald]] and [[messenger]] of the gods, and the [[god]] of [[road]]s, [[commerce]], [[invention]], [[cunning]], and [[theft]]. | ||
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| + | According to [[Ovid]], [[Hermes]] loved [[Herse]] but a jealous Aglaulus stood between them, barring Hermes' entry into the house, and refused to move. Hermes, outraged at her presumption, turned her to stone. | ||
| + | ==Hermai/Herms== | ||
| + | :''[[herma]]'' | ||
| + | In Ancient Greece, Hermes was a phallic god of boundaries. His name, in the form ''[[herma]],'' was applied to a wayside marker pile of stones; each traveller added a stone to the pile. In the 6th century BCE, [[Hipparchus (tyrant)|Hipparchos]], the son of [[Peisistratos (Athens)|Pisistratus]], replaced the [[cairn]]s that marked the midway point between each village ''[[deme]]'' at the central ''[[agora]]'' of Athens with a square or rectangular pillar of stone or bronze topped by a bust of Hermes with a [[beard]]. An erect [[phallus]] rose from the base. In the more primitive [[Mount Kyllini]] or Cyllenian herms, the standing stone or wooden pillar was simply a carved phallus. In Athens, herms were placed outside houses for good luck. "That a monument of this kind could be transformed into an [[Twelve Olympians|Olympian]] god is astounding," [[Walter Burkert]] remarked. | ||
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| + | In 415 BCE, when the Athenian fleet was about to set sail for [[Syracuse, Italy|Syracuse]] during the [[Peloponnesian War]], all of the Athenian hermai were vandalized one night. The Athenians at the time believed it was the work of saboteurs, either from Syracuse or from the anti-war faction within Athens itself. [[Socrates]]' pupil [[Alcibiades]] was suspected of involvement, and Socrates indirectly paid for the impiety with his life. | ||
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | :''[[Hermaphroditus]]; [[hermetic]], [[hermeneutics]], [[hermeticism]]'' | ||
| + | * [[Hermes Trismegistus]] | ||
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Apollo. Why do you laugh, Hermes ? Hermes. Because, my dear Apollo, I have seen the most ridiculous sight possible. Apollo. Then tell me, that I myself too, when I have heard, may be able to join in the laugh. Hermes. Aphrodite has been caught with Ares, and Hephaestus has captured and bound them. --Lucian |
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In Greek mythology, Hermes is the herald and messenger of the gods, and the god of roads, commerce, invention, cunning, and theft.
According to Ovid, Hermes loved Herse but a jealous Aglaulus stood between them, barring Hermes' entry into the house, and refused to move. Hermes, outraged at her presumption, turned her to stone.
Hermai/Herms
In Ancient Greece, Hermes was a phallic god of boundaries. His name, in the form herma, was applied to a wayside marker pile of stones; each traveller added a stone to the pile. In the 6th century BCE, Hipparchos, the son of Pisistratus, replaced the cairns that marked the midway point between each village deme at the central agora of Athens with a square or rectangular pillar of stone or bronze topped by a bust of Hermes with a beard. An erect phallus rose from the base. In the more primitive Mount Kyllini or Cyllenian herms, the standing stone or wooden pillar was simply a carved phallus. In Athens, herms were placed outside houses for good luck. "That a monument of this kind could be transformed into an Olympian god is astounding," Walter Burkert remarked.
In 415 BCE, when the Athenian fleet was about to set sail for Syracuse during the Peloponnesian War, all of the Athenian hermai were vandalized one night. The Athenians at the time believed it was the work of saboteurs, either from Syracuse or from the anti-war faction within Athens itself. Socrates' pupil Alcibiades was suspected of involvement, and Socrates indirectly paid for the impiety with his life.
See also
