Hermes in the ancient sources

Ancient Sources / Figures / Hermes

140 passages from 17 ancient authors that tell of Hermes, in the original with English translation, author by author in the order the Greeks read them. Son of Zeus and Maia, Hermes moved between gods and mortals as messenger, trickster, and guide of thieves. Explore his story, family, symbols and Q&A. For the story in one place, read our article on Hermes.

Hesiod (4)

Hesiod, Fragments 2.1–3.16Marriage of Ceyx and the Great EoiaeThe Marriage of Ceyx has Heracles landing from the Argo to look for water and a feast with Ceyx. The Great Eoiae gives genealogies and local legends, among them Epidaurus, Hyettus and Mycene, and Melampus and the serpents.
Hesiod, Theogony 930–959Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, Dionysus and Heracles (930-959)Poseidon and Amphitrite have Triton, and Aphrodite bears Panic and Fear to Ares, and Harmonia, whom Cadmus marries. Maia bears Hermes, Semele bears Dionysus and Alcmene bears Heracles, who is finally wed to Hebe and lives among the gods. Hephaestus marries Aglaea, Dionysus marries Ariadne, and Perseis bears Circe and Aeetes to Helios, with Aeetes' daughter Medea at the end.
Hesiod, Works and Days 40–104Prometheus, fire and Pandora (40-104)The gods keep the means of life hidden from men, and Zeus hides fire because Prometheus deceived him; Prometheus steals it back in a fennel-stalk. As the price for fire Zeus has Hephaestus mould a maiden, whom Athena, Aphrodite, Hermes and the Graces equip with skills, charm and a deceitful nature. She is named Pandora and sent to Epimetheus, who accepts her despite Prometheus's warning, and she lifts the lid of the jar and scatters evils among men, while Hope alone stays inside.
Hesiod, Fragments 5.1–6AegimiusThe Aegimius, attributed to Hesiod or to Cercops of Miletus, is cited for Thetis and her children and for Phrixus coming to the halls of Aeétes. It also gives the story of Io, whom Zeus changed into a cow and whom Hera set Argus to watch, until Hermes killed him.

Homer (22)

Homer, The Homeric Hymns 4.445–580Hymn 4 to Hermes (5): the lyre and the reconciliationApollo, enchanted by the lyre, promises Hermes renown and gifts; Hermes gives him the lyre, and Apollo gives him a whip and the care of the herds, and the two swear friendship. Apollo tells him of three winged sisters who live under Parnassus and teach divination, and Zeus confirms Hermes as lord of the birds of omen, the beasts and flocks, and the only messenger to Hades.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 4.340–444Hymn 4 to Hermes (4): the quarrel before ZeusBefore Zeus, Apollo accuses Hermes of stealing his cows, and Hermes swears that he is innocent. Zeus laughs at the child's cleverness and orders the two to find the cattle together. Hermes leads Apollo to the herd, plays the lyre, and Apollo, astonished by the sound, asks where he learned such a gift.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 4.210–339Hymn 4 to Hermes (3): Apollo finds the thiefApollo reads a bird omen and follows the trail to the cave at Cyllene. He threatens the infant, who denies everything and answers with an omen of his own, and Apollo carries him up to Olympus to stand before Zeus.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 4.91–209Hymn 4 to Hermes (2): the theft of Apollo's cattleHermes drives the cattle backwards through the night, sacrifices two of them by the river Alpheus, and returns to his cradle in Cyllene, where Maia scolds him for the theft. Meanwhile Apollo arrives at Onchestus and is told by the old man that he has seen a child driving cattle backwards.
Homer, Iliad 24.322–467Priam's night journey; Hermes appearsPriam and the herald Idaeus drive out of the city, and in the dusk, as they water the mules at the tomb of Ilus, Hermes meets them in the shape of a young Myrmidon. Hermes takes the reins, gets them past the guards, and tells Priam who he is and where Achilles lies. He tells Priam to go in and clasp the knees of Achilles and entreat him by his father, his mother and his child.
Homer, Odyssey 5.1–147Hermes is sent to CalypsoAt dawn the gods sit in council, and Athena again pleads for Odysseus, who is held on Calypso's island without a ship or companions. Zeus tells Hermes to go to the nymph and tell her that the hero is to be sent home on a raft. Hermes flies down over the sea, finds Calypso at work in her cave, and delivers the message, which she accepts with anger.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 19.1–49Hymn 19 to PanPan, the goat-footed, two-horned son of Hermes, roams the wooded glades and mountain peaks with dancing nymphs, and the hymn describes him hunting at evening and playing his pipes. It tells how Hermes brought the newborn Pan to the gods, who were delighted, and gave him the name Pan, meaning all.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 4.1–90Hymn 4 to Hermes (1): the newborn god makes the lyreHermes is born in a cave on Mount Cyllene to Maia and Zeus and is out of his cradle by midday. Finding a tortoise at the entrance to the cave, he kills it and makes the first lyre from its shell, singing of his own birth. In the evening he goes to Pieria, where Apollo's cattle graze, steals them, and tells an old man who sees him to keep silent.
Homer, Iliad 24.677–804Hermes wakes Priam; Hector's funeralIn the night Hermes wakes Priam and warns him to leave before the Achaeans find him, and guides the wagon back across the river. Cassandra, from the citadel, is first to see them and cries to the city to come out and see Hector. The body is laid on a bed in the hall and Andromache, Hecuba and Helen each take up the lament. After nine days of gathering wood Hector is burned, the bones are put in a golden chest and a mound is raised, and the poem ends with a feast in Priam's house.
Homer, Odyssey 1.1–95Invocation; the gods in councilThe poet asks the Muse to sing of the man who wandered long after the sack of Troy and lost his comrades through their folly in eating the cattle of the Sun. Odysseus is held on Calypso's island, longing for home, while Poseidon, who is angry with him, is away among the Ethiopians. In the council of the gods Zeus speaks of Aegisthus, and Athena pleads for Odysseus and obtains leave to send Hermes to Calypso and to go herself to Ithaca.
Homer, Odyssey 8.256–369The song of Ares and AphroditeAlcinous has the lyre fetched, and the young Phaeacians dance while Odysseus watches. Demodocus sings of how Hephaestus caught his wife Aphrodite in bed with Ares, trapping them in a net of fine bronze chains, and called the gods to see. Hermes and Apollo joke about it, and Poseidon persuades Hephaestus to set Ares free, and Ares goes off to Thrace and Aphrodite to Paphos. Odysseus is delighted at the song.
Homer, Odyssey 10.274–332Hermes and the molyOn the way Hermes meets Odysseus and gives him the herb moly, black at the root and milk-white in the flower, to protect him against Circe's drugs. He tells him to draw his sword when she strikes him with her wand, and to make her swear a great oath that she will do him no harm. Odysseus does so, and Circe, amazed that her drugs have failed, recognises him as the man whom Hermes had foretold.

10 more passages of Homer that name Hermes

Apollodorus (10)

Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.10.1–9Hermes, Asclepius, Leda and the suitors of HelenThe Pleiades are named, and Maia bears Hermes to Zeus, who steals Apollo's cattle, invents the lyre and trades it for the cattle and the art of divination. The line of Taygete and Lacedaemon leads to Hyacinth, to Asclepius, son of Apollo and Coronis, whom Zeus strikes with a thunderbolt for raising the dead, and to Tyndareus and Icarius. Zeus, as a swan, lies with Leda, who bears Helen and the Dioscuri (or, in another version, Nemesis lays Helen's egg), and Theseus carries Helen off. The kings of Greece court Helen, and Tyndareus, on Odysseus's advice, binds them by an oath to defend the chosen husband.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 2.4.1–5Perseus: Danae, Medusa and AndromedaAn oracle tells Acrisius that his daughter's son will kill him, so he shuts Danae in a brazen chamber, but she bears Perseus to Zeus and is cast into the sea with him in a chest. On Seriphus, Polydectes sends Perseus to fetch the Gorgon's head; with help from Hermes and Athena he gets the nymphs' gear from the Phorcides and beheads Medusa, from whom Pegasus and Chrysaor spring. He rescues Andromeda from a sea monster, turns Polydectes to stone, and accidentally kills Acrisius with a discus at Larissa, so fulfilling the oracle. The section ends with Perseus's descendants and the birth of Eurystheus.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 2.1.1–5Inachus, Io and the DanaidsThe line of Inachus of Argos runs through Phoroneus and Apis to Argus the All-seeing, whom Hermes kills while he guards Io, whom Zeus has turned into a cow. Io wanders to Egypt and bears Epaphus, whose descendants include the twins Belus and Agenor. Belus's twin sons Aegyptus and Danaus quarrel over the kingdom, Danaus flees to Argos with his fifty daughters, and they are married to Aegyptus's sons and kill them on the wedding night, all but Hypermnestra, who spares Lynceus.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 1.6.1–3The Giants and TyphonEarth bears the Giants, led by Alcyoneus and Porphyrion, and because an oracle says no god can kill them, Zeus summons Heracles; the section lists which god kills which Giant. Earth then bears Typhon, who drives the gods to Egypt, takes Zeus's sinews and hides them in a Cilician cave until Hermes and Aegipan steal them back. Zeus pursues him through Thrace and Sicily and buries him under Mount Etna.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome E.3.1–35Paris and Helen; the muster at Aulis and the landing at TroyParis judges the contest of the three goddesses, carries off Helen, and Menelaus and Agamemnon call the Greek kings to arms; Odysseus's feigned madness is exposed and Palamedes is framed. The section gives the catalogue of the Greek fleet at Aulis, the omen of the snake and sparrows, the failed first landing in Mysia and the healing of Telephus, and the sacrifice of Iphigenia. After Tenedos and the abandonment of Philoctetes, Protesilaus is the first to die at Troy, Achilles takes many nearby cities, and the Trojan allies are listed.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 1.7.1–10Prometheus, Deucalion's flood and the family of HellenPrometheus moulds men from water and earth, steals fire for them and is nailed to Mount Caucasus, where an eagle eats his liver until Heracles frees him. His son Deucalion survives Zeus's flood in a chest with Pyrrha and makes new people from stones; their son Hellen gives the Greeks their name and divides the country among Dorus, Xuthus and Aeolus. The section then follows Aeolus's children: the Aloads Otus and Ephialtes who pile Ossa and Pelion on Olympus, Endymion, Aetolus, Evenus and Marpessa, and the house of Thestius.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 1.9.16–22Jason and the Argonauts: the voyage to PhineusPelias is warned against the man with one sandal and sends Jason to fetch the Golden Fleece from Colchis. Argus builds the Argo, the crew is listed, and the ship calls at Lemnos, at the land of the Doliones where Cyzicus is killed by mistake, and at Mysia, where Hylas is lost and Heracles is left behind. Polydeuces kills Amycus of the Bebryces, and at Salmydessus Zetes and Calais drive the Harpies from the seer Phineus, who tells the crew how to pass the Clashing Rocks.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.2.1–2Catreus, Althaemenes and NaupliusAn oracle tells Catreus that one of his children will kill him, and his son Althaemenes leaves Crete for Rhodes with his sister Apemosyne, whom he later kicks to death when she says Hermes took her by trickery. Catreus gives his daughters Aerope and Clymene to Nauplius to sell abroad; Aerope marries Plisthenes and becomes the mother of Agamemnon and Menelaus, and Clymene marries Nauplius. In old age Catreus goes to Rhodes and is killed unknowingly by Althaemenes, who then vanishes into a chasm.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.4.1–4Cadmus and the founding of ThebesAfter the death of Telephassa, Cadmus is told at Delphi to follow a cow and found a city where it lies down. He kills the dragon of Ares, sows its teeth to raise the Spartoi, serves Ares for a year, and marries Harmonia. Their daughters Autonoe, Ino, Semele and Agave are named; Semele is destroyed when she asks to see Zeus in his glory, Dionysus is born from Zeus's thigh, and Ino and Athamas rear him and are driven mad. The section ends with Actaeon, torn apart by his own dogs after seeing Artemis bathing.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome E.2.1–16Tantalus, Pelops and the house of AtreusThe Epitome describes the punishment of Tantalus in Hades, Pelops' revival after being boiled at the gods' banquet, and his winning of Hippodamia from Oenomaus with the help of the charioteer Myrtilus, whom he then drowns. It follows the sons of Pelops: Atreus and Thyestes quarrel over the kingdom of Mycenae because of the golden lamb, Atreus serves Thyestes his own sons, and Aegisthus, born to Thyestes by his daughter, kills Atreus. It ends with Agamemnon, Menelaus and the children of Agamemnon.

Pindar (1)

Pindar, Pythian Odes 9.1–125Pythian 9: for Telesicrates — Cyrene and ApolloPindar praises Telesicrates of Cyrene, victor in the race in armour, and tells how Apollo fell in love with the nymph Cyrene, daughter of Hypseus, who wrestled with lions, and asked Cheiron whether he might take her. Cheiron foretells that Apollo will bring her to Libya, where she will bear Aristaeus, whom Hermes will entrust to Gaia and the Horae. The ode ends with the victories of Telesicrates' family and the stories of Danaüs, who married off his daughters by a race, and of the Libyan bride, the daughter of Antaeus, won in a race.

Aeschylus (7)

Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 944–1006Exodos: Hermes demands the secretHermes calls Prometheus a clever rebel and a thief of fire and demands to know who will overthrow Zeus, and Prometheus mocks him as the servant of the gods and says that he will tell nothing. They exchange taunts, and Prometheus answers that he would not change his fate for the servitude of Hermes.
Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 1007–1093Exodos: Hermes' threat and the earthquakeHermes tells Prometheus that Zeus will split the rock with thunder and bury him, and that after a long time he will be brought back to the light, when an eagle will tear his liver every day. The Chorus urge him to yield, but refuse to leave him, and as the earth shakes and the thunder rolls, Prometheus calls on heaven and earth to see the wrongs that he suffers.
Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 1–83bPrologue and parodos: Orestes at the tomb of AgamemnonOrestes, newly returned from exile, prays to Hermes at his father's tomb and lays two locks of hair on it. He sees a group of women in black coming with Electra, and he and Pylades step aside. The Chorus of slave women, sent by Clytaemestra with libations after a terrifying dream, sing of the cries of grief that they have to utter, of the fear and hatred that fill the house, and of the blood that cries out for vengeance.
Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 84–151First episode: Electra pours the libationsElectra asks the Chorus what to say as she pours the libations sent by her mother. The women tell her to pray for good to those who love Agamemnon, and for vengeance on his killers. She prays to Hermes and to her father, asking for Orestes to return and for a more chaste life than her mother's, and she calls on the women to crown the libations with lament.
Aeschylus, Eumenides 1–93Prologue: the Priestess at Delphi and Apollo's promiseThe Priestess of Apollo at Delphi prays to the gods who held the oracle before Apollo and then goes in to the shrine. She comes out terrified, having seen a man at the altar with bloody hands and sword, surrounded by sleeping women with snakes in their hair. Apollo tells Orestes that he will not abandon him, tells him that the Furies are asleep, and sends him to the city of Athena with Hermes as his escort.
Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 783–837Second stasimon: prayer to Zeus and Hermes for the deedThe Chorus pray to Zeus and to the gods of the house to help Orestes in the deed that he now has to do. They call on Orestes to be bold and to cry 'Father' when his mother cries 'Son', and to strike with the heart of Perseus. They pray that the old curse on the house may be ended.
Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 877–943Third stasimon and Prometheus' defiance; Hermes arrivesIo, stung again by the gadfly, cries out in frenzy. The Chorus sing that it is wise to marry within one's own station and pray never to be the bride of a god, and Prometheus says that Zeus will be humbled by a marriage that will bring about his fall. Prometheus says that he cares nothing for Zeus, and sees Hermes coming as messenger.

Sophocles (2)

Sophocles, Ajax 815–865Ajax's farewell speech on the shoreAlone on the shore, Ajax inspects the sword, Hector's gift, which he has fixed in the ground. He prays to Zeus that Teucer may be the first to find him, to Hermes for a quick death and to the Erinyes to destroy the Greek army, and he says farewell to the light, to Salamis, to Athens and to the plains of Troy. He ends by saying that the rest he will tell to the shades.
Sophocles, Electra 1384–1441Third stasimon and the killing of ClytaemnestraThe Chorus sing that Ares and the avengers have gone into the palace, led by Hermes. Electra stands outside to watch for Aegisthus, and Clytaemnestra's cries are heard from inside as she begs her son for mercy. Electra calls out for a second blow, and the Chorus say that the curses are fulfilled. Orestes comes out with the news that all is well within if Apollo's oracle spoke well, and the Chorus see Aegisthus approaching.

Euripides (6)

Euripides, Helen 1–67Prologue: Helen at the tomb of Proteus in EgyptHelen tells how Proteus' son Theoclymenus and daughter Theonoe rule Egypt, and she recounts the judgment of Paris. Hera made a phantom in her likeness for Paris, while Hermes hid the real Helen in a cloud and set her down in the house of Proteus. Since Proteus died, his son has wanted to marry her, and she sits as a suppliant at his tomb, keeping herself for Menelaus.
Euripides, Ion 1–81Prologue: Hermes at Delphi tells of Apollo, Creusa and the hidden childHermes, whose mother Maia was a daughter of Atlas, tells how Apollo took Creusa, daughter of Erechtheus, in a cave under the cliffs of the Acropolis at Athens, and how she bore a son in secret and left him to die in the cave. At the god's request Hermes carried the child in his basket to Delphi, where the priestess reared him as a servant of the temple. He says that Creusa and her husband Xuthus are coming to consult the oracle about children, and that Apollo means to give Xuthus his own son, who will be called Ion.
Euripides, Helen 894–946Fifth episode: Helen's plea to TheonoeHelen falls at Theonoe's knees and begs her not to tell her brother of Menelaus' return. She appeals to the justice of Proteus, to whom Hermes entrusted her, and to the god who hates robbery. She says that a child of a good father should resemble him.
Euripides, Rhesus 184–223First episode: Hector promises Achilles' horses; Dolon sets outHector objects that the horses of Achilles are immortal, but then agrees to give them, and Dolon thanks him. Dolon says that he will wear a wolf's skin and go on all fours to deceive the enemy, and promises to bring back the head of Odysseus or Diomedes. The Chorus prays that Hermes will escort him.
Euripides, Helen 179–254Parodos: the Greek maidens answer Helen's lamentThe Chorus of captive Greek women, who were drying purple robes by the reeds, tell how they heard her cry. Helen sings of her woes, of the pine felled for Paris' ship, and of Hermes carrying her to Egypt. The Chorus Leader advises her to bear her sorrows as lightly as she can.
Euripides, Orestes 960–1012Electra's dirge for the house of PelopsElectra takes up a dirge, beating her head and calling the vote of the citizens a murdering one. She laments the fall of the race of Pelops and wishes she could reach the rock where Tantalus hangs. She recalls the curse that began with Myrtilus, the golden lamb sent by Hermes, and the changing of the sun's course.

Callimachus (1)

Callimachus, Hymns 3.1–268Hymn to Artemis: the goddess's childhood wishesAs a small girl on her father's knees, Artemis asks Zeus to let her stay a maiden for ever and to give her a bow, a short tunic, sixty nymphs of Oceanus for her choir and twenty nymphs of Amnisus to tend her hounds, and Zeus smiles and grants it, adding cities. She visits the Cyclopes on Lipara for her arrows, takes hounds from Pan in Arcadia and captures four golden-horned deer for her chariot. The poet praises her favourite places and companions, among them Britomartis, Cyrene and Atalanta, and her shrines at Miletus and Ephesus. He ends with a warning to those who wronged her, such as Oeneus, Otus and Orion.

Theocritus (1)

Theocritus, Idylls 1.1–152Idyll 1: Thyrsis' lament for DaphnisA goatherd persuades the shepherd Thyrsis to sing the song of the sufferings of Daphnis, and offers him a carved ivy-wood cup, whose scenes he describes. In the song the Nymphs are called to mourn as Daphnis wastes away for love, and Hermes, Priapus and the herdsmen come to ask what ails him. Daphnis answers Aphrodite's taunts, bids the wild beasts farewell, and dies.

Aristophanes (12)

Aristophanes, Peace 603–728Episode: Hermes tells why Peace leftHermes tells why Peace left the land: Pheidias began the mischief, Pericles kindled the war with his Megara decree, and the orators, paid by the subject cities, drove her out. He then relays what Peace wants to know, about Cleonymus, Hyperbolus, Sophocles and Cratinus. Hermes gives Harvesthome to Trygaeus for his bride, and takes Mayfair back to the Council.
Aristophanes, Plutus 1097–1170Episode: Hermes comes beggingCario answers a knock at the door and finds Hermes, who warns that Zeus will destroy them all because nobody sacrifices now that Wealth can see. He admits that he himself is starving and begs to be let in, offering to be the door-god, the god of commerce, of craft, of guidance or of games. Cario takes him on as a servant and sends him to wash the entrails.
Aristophanes, Peace 361–458Episode: Hermes is won overHermes catches Trygaeus at the stones and threatens him with the death that Zeus has decreed for anyone who digs there, and the Chorus beg Hermes not to shout for help. Trygaeus tells him that the Moon and the Sun are plotting to hand Hellas over to the barbarians, and offers him a golden cup. Hermes gives way, the work begins with libations and prayers, and Trygaeus and the Chorus call down curses on all who love war.
Aristophanes, Peace 177–235Prologue: Hermes at the house of ZeusTrygaeus reaches the house of Zeus and is met by Hermes, who calls him the worst of miscreants until he gives his name and offers some meat. Hermes tells him that the gods have gone far away and left War in charge, because men would never make peace when they had the chance. He adds that War has buried Peace in a pit and heaped stones over its mouth.
Aristophanes, Peace 459–519Episode: the pulling of PeaceHermes directs the Chorus as they haul on the ropes, while Trygaeus scolds the Boeotians and the Argives who do not pull, and Hermes sends the Megarians away and tells the Athenians to stop wrangling at law. At last the farmers pull alone, and Peace is lifted out with her two attendants, Harvesthome and Mayfair.
Aristophanes, Peace 520–602Episode: Peace revealed; the farmers go homeTrygaeus welcomes Peace and praises the smell of harvests, banquets and festivals, while Hermes shows him the reconciled cities and the unhappy crest-maker and pitchfork-seller in the audience. Trygaeus tells the farmers they may go home to their fields, and the Chorus sing of their joy at seeing their vines and fig-trees once more. Trygaeus lists the pleasures that Peace brings, and the Chorus welcome her home and ask Hermes to tell them where she has been.
Aristophanes, Frogs 1126–1172Agon: the test of the prologuesEuripides takes a prologue of Aeschylus and finds a dozen faults in three lines. He says that Hermes cannot be watching a father's murder and that 'I come' and 'I return' say the same thing twice, while Aeschylus replies that an exile who comes back both comes and returns. Euripides then picks out another line of Aeschylus, about calling on a father to hear and to hearken.
Aristophanes, The Acharnians 719–835Episode: Dicaeopolis' market; the Megarian and the InformerDicaeopolis marks out his own market and bans informers from it, and a starving Megarian arrives with his two daughters disguised as piglets in sacks. Dicaeopolis tests the pigs, hears them squeal, and buys them for garlic and salt. An Informer threatens to denounce the Megarian's goods as enemy property, but Dicaeopolis drives him away.
Aristophanes, The Clouds 1476–1511Exodos: Strepsiades burns the Thinking-shopStrepsiades realises that he was wrong to cheat his creditors and asks his son to help burn the school, but the young man will not harm his teachers. He prays to Hermes, which gives him the idea of burning the Thinking-shop down, and climbs on the roof with a torch and calls his slave Xanthias to fetch a ladder and a pitchfork. Socrates and Chaerephon are smoked out of the burning house, and Strepsiades says that he is punishing them for blaspheming the gods, and the Chorus lead the play out.
Aristophanes, Peace 82–176Prologue: Trygaeus takes flight on the beetleTrygaeus sets off on the beetle and the Servant tries in vain to stop him, while he calls for silence below and for the dung to be kept out of the beetle's way. He says that he is flying to ask Zeus what he means to do with Hellas, and that he will indict him if Zeus gives it up to the Medes. His daughters beg him not to leave them, and he promises them buns if he returns, then starts upwards, calling on the man at Peiraeus not to commit a nuisance that might upset the beetle. He reaches the gate of Zeus, where Hermes answers.
Aristophanes, Peace 922–1042Episode: the sacrifice to PeaceTrygaeus and the Servant agree to dedicate Peace's shrine with a lamb rather than pipkins, a bull or a pig, and make ready the altar. The Servant throws the corn among the audience, and Trygaeus prays to Peace for a market full of garlic, cucumbers and Boeotian eels. Trygaeus refuses to slay the sheep, since Peace loves a bloodless altar, and has the thighs brought out to roast. The oracle-monger Hierocles is seen approaching.
Aristophanes, Birds 541–588Agon: the plan for a wall in the air and a blockade of the godsThe Chorus lament how their fathers lost the empire and ask what they must do. Peisthetaerus tells them to enclose the air with a great brick wall like the wall of Babylon, make it the abode of their race, and send a messenger to demand the kingdom from Zeus. If Zeus refuses, they will declare a holy war and keep the gods from passing through the air to their mortal lovers. He answers a doubt about whether men will take the birds for gods by pointing out that Hermes and other gods fly on wings, and he threatens men with sparrows and rooks that will eat their seed.

Diodorus Siculus (3)

Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 5.47.1–5.49.6Samothrace and its mysteriesThe historian tells of the early history of Samothrace, a flood that drove the people to the heights, and the lawgiver Saon. He tells of the wedding of Cadmus and Harmonia and the gifts brought to it, and of the mysteries, in which the gods are said to help initiates in danger.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 5.73.1–5.77.8The gods' discoveries and their Cretan originsZeus is said to have given each god a field of invention: the Muses the letters and poetry, Apollo the lyre, healing and the bow, Hermes the herald's staff, Athena the olive, and Dionysus the vine. The chapters then give an older Heracles, Artemis, Plutus, and the claim that most of the gods began in Crete and spread to other lands.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.2.1–4.5.4DionysusIn the Greek account Semele, daughter of Cadmus, dies when Zeus appears to her in his glory, and Hermes takes the child to the nymphs at Nysa. Dionysus teaches mankind the vine and a barley drink, leads an army that includes women, and returns from India to be honoured by festivals every other year. Some writers speak of an earlier Dionysus, son of Zeus and Persephone, and the chapters list the god's epithets and his Satyr and Muse companions.

Ovid (10)

Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.633–707Ocyroe and BattusChiron's daughter Ocyroe prophesies the greatness of the young Asclepius (Aesculapius) and, foretelling her own fate, is turned into a mare. Hermes (Mercury) steals Apollo's cattle, and the old man Battus promises to keep silent, but later betrays the theft to the disguised god for a reward, and Hermes turns him into a stone, the touchstone.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.689–746Pan and Syrinx; the death of ArgusHermes (Mercury) tells how the nymph Syrinx fled from Pan to the river Ladon and was turned into reeds, from which Pan made his pipes. Argus falls asleep and Hermes kills him, and Hera (Juno) sets his eyes in the tail of the peacock. She then torments Io until Zeus (Jupiter) promises to leave her alone, and Io is restored to her old shape.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.568–688Io and ArgusThe river gods come to console Peneus for the loss of Daphne, except Inachus, who is mourning his daughter Io. Zeus (Jupiter, 'Jove' in More's translation) takes Io under a cloud, and when Hera (Juno) comes down to look he turns Io into a white heifer. Hera asks for the heifer as a gift and sets the hundred-eyed Argus to watch her, and Io writes her name in the dust with her hoof to tell her father Inachus who she is. Zeus sends Hermes (Mercury), disguised as a shepherd, who plays on his pipe and begins to tell the story of Syrinx.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.708–832Aglauros and EnvyHermes (Mercury) sees Herse, daughter of Cecrops, among the girls bringing offerings to Athena (Minerva), and her sister Aglauros asks for gold before she will help him. Athena, angry, goes to the dwelling of Envy and sends her to fill Aglauros with jealousy. Aglauros sits at the door to bar Hermes' way and is turned to stone.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 4.663–801Perseus and AndromedaPerseus sees Andromeda, chained to a rock to be devoured by a sea-monster because her mother Cassiope boasted of her beauty. He strikes the monster from the air with his sword, kills it, and wins Andromeda, and her parents agree to the marriage. He lays the Gorgon's head on a bed of seaweed, which turns to coral, and sets up altars to Athena (Minerva), Hermes (Mercury) and Zeus (Jupiter). At the wedding feast he tells how Medusa won her serpent hair.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 4.272–395Salmacis and HermaphroditusThe sisters debate whether the gods can work such wonders, and one tells how the nymph Salmacis falls in love with Hermaphroditus, the son of Hermes (Mercury) and Aphrodite (Venus), when he bathes in her pool. He rejects her, but when he swims, she wraps herself round him and prays that they may never be parted. The gods grant her prayer, and the two bodies become one, and the pool makes any man who bathes in it half a man. As evening falls, the sisters' own looms begin to turn green with ivy and vine as drums and pipes sound unseen.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.611–720Philemon and BaucisPirithous scorns the river god's tales, and Lelex answers with the story of Philemon and Baucis. Zeus (Jupiter) and Hermes (Mercury), in human guise, go from door to door in Phrygia and are refused everywhere until they reach the cottage of the old couple. The old pair set out a poor meal and see that the wine-bowl refills itself, and, awed, they offer to kill their only goose. The gods lead them up a hill and show them the valley flooded, and their cottage turned into a temple, and at their own request the two die together, turning into an oak and a linden.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 14.221–319Macareus and CirceAchaemenides asks Macareus to tell of his own adventures, and Macareus tells of Aeolus and the Laestrygonians, and how the Greeks came to the island of Circe, and how she changed many of his shipmates into animals with her drugs. Odysseus (Ulysses), protected by a charm from Hermes (Mercury), forced her to restore his men, and they lived with her for a year. Circe shows Macareus a woodpecker and a statue of Picus, and tells him its story.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.833–875Europa and the BullHermes (Mercury) returns to Olympus, and Zeus (Jupiter) sends him to drive the herds of King Agenor down to the shore, where Agenor's daughter Europa is playing. Zeus, taking the form of a bull, wins her favour, and she climbs on his back. He carries her over the sea toward Crete.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 11.266–409Peleus, Ceyx and the wolfPeleus, exiled for killing his half-brother Phocus, comes to the court of Ceyx at Trachis, where he is received kindly. Ceyx tells him of his brother Daedalion, who was turned into a hawk after the death of his daughter Chione. A herdsman brings word that a huge wolf is ravaging Peleus' cattle, and the sea-goddess Psamathe, who sent it, at last turns it to marble at the pleading of Thetis. Peleus goes on to Magnesia, where King Acastus purifies him.

Pausanias (36)

Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.22.1–7Tanagra: Hermes the Ram-bearer and Champion, Corinna and the cocks; Anthedon and GlaucusPausanias describes the sanctuaries of Tanagra, including those of Hermes the Ram-bearer and Hermes the Champion and the separate placing of houses and sanctuaries. He tells of Corinna's tomb and her victory over Pindar, and of the two kinds of Tanagran cocks. He then describes Anthedon, with its sanctuary of the Cabiri, the graves of the sons of Aloeus and Glaucus' Leap, where a fisherman became a sea-demon.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.3.1–11Corinth: the agora, the spring Pirene and the children of MedeaPausanias continues through Corinth: the bronze Athena, the temple of Octavia, the portal with chariots of the Sun, and the spring Pirene with its link to Corinthian bronze. He lists images of Hermes, Poseidon and Palaemon, the baths and fountains, and the road to Sicyon with the Glauce basin and the tomb of Medea’s children. He recounts the varied stories of Medea, Jason and her children, drawn from the Naupactia, Eumelus and others.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.32.1–5Megalopolis: the southern quarter and its theatrePausanias describes the south side of the river at Megalopolis, with the largest theatre in Greece, the foundations of the Thersilium built for the Arcadian Ten Thousand and a house built for Alexander. He lists the ruined sanctuaries of the Muses, Apollo and Hermes, of the three Aphrodites, of Ares, Dionysus and Hercules and Hermes, and the stadium. On the eastern hill are the temples of Huntress Artemis and Aesculapius, the images of Athena Worker and Apollo, and the huge bones said to be those of a giant.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.14.1–12Pheneus: Hercules' channel, Ulysses' mares and the tomb of MyrtilusPausanias describes the plain of Pheneus, which once flooded, and the chasms and canal said to have been made by Hercules. In the acropolis of Pheneus are ruins of a temple of Athena Tritonia and a bronze Poseidon said to be dedicated by Ulysses after finding his mares, which Pausanias doubts because bronze casting was not yet known. He mentions the tomb of Iphicles, the games and temple of Hermes, and the grave of Myrtilus, with the story that Pelops threw him overboard. Pausanias rejects the derivation of the Myrtoan Sea from Myrtilus.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.17.1–6Mount Cyllene: the temple of Hermes and the white blackbirdsPausanias describes Mount Cyllene, the highest in Arcadia, with a ruined temple of Cyllenian Hermes whose image of juniper wood he judged to be about eight feet high. He lists the woods used for old images, and says the blackbirds on Cyllene are white, citing other white animals he has seen. He also mentions Mount Chelydorea, where Hermes made the first lyre from a tortoise shell, the road west from Pheneus to Clitor and Nonacris, and the cliff there called the water of the Styx.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.22.1–8Athens: Propylaea, Wingless Victory and the picture gallery of the AcropolisBelow the Acropolis are the temple of Themis, the barrow of Hippolytus with the Troezenian version of Phaedra’s love, and shrines of Vulgar Aphrodite, Earth and Green Demeter. Pausanias describes the single approach, the white marble Propylaea and the temple of Wingless Victory, where Aegeus is said to have thrown himself down. In the chamber of pictures he lists Polygnotus’ paintings of Diomede, Ulysses, Orestes and Polyxena, a portrait of Musaeus, and Hermes and the Graces by Socrates.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.19.1–8Argos: the temple of Wolfish Apollo and the story of DanausPausanias finishes the early Argive kings, from Temenus and Deiphontes to Meltas, whom the people deposed. He then describes the sanctuary of Wolfish Apollo, founded by Danaus after a wolf killed a bull before the Argives’ judgment, with the throne of Danaus, the statue of Biton, the fire of Phoroneus, images of Aphrodite and Hermes, and the tale of Hypermnestra. He ends with the graves of the two Linuses and the altar where the Seven swore their oath.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 4.33.1–7Mount Ithome, Clepsydra and the road to Andania and DoriumOn the way up Ithome Pausanias describes the spring Clepsydra, the Messenian claim that Zeus was reared by the nymphs Ithome and Neda, the image of Zeus by Ageladas and the festival Ithomaea. He then follows the road to Megalopolis, where Thamyris threw down his lyre at the Balyra, and the Stenyclerian plain, the Carnasian grove with the Great Goddesses’ mysteries, Andania, Polichna and Dorium, where Thamyris lost his sight.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.14.1–10Olympia: Zeus Averter of Flies, the white poplar and the altars in order of sacrificePausanias notes the wonders of the altar, including the kites and Hercules’ sacrifice to Zeus Averter of Flies, and explains the use of white poplar wood. He lists the altars of Olympia in the order the Eleans sacrifice on them, from Hestia and Olympian Zeus to Artemis, Athena, Alpheus, Hephaestus, Hercules and his brothers, then the altars of Hera, the Muses and the Nymphs near the Pelopium.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.27.1–12Olympia: the offerings of Phormis, the horse that maddens stallions and the oxenPausanias lists the offerings near the Pelopium, among them the horses and charioteers dedicated by Phormis of Maenalus, one of which is said to carry the Hippomanes and to attract stallions, and compares a magical rite in Lydia. He notes Phormis’ statues, a Hermes by Onatas, the bronze oxen of Corcyra and Eretria, the Elean trophy under the plane-trees and the Mendean offering with leaping-weights.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 7.22.1–11Pharae and Tritia: the oracle of Hermes and the road to AegiumPausanias describes Pharae, annexed to Patrae by Augustus, with its plane-tree grove and its market-place oracle of Hermes, where the enquirer whispers a question into the god's ear and takes the first words he hears as the answer. He mentions the thirty square stones revered as gods and the grove of the Dioscuri. He then describes Tritia, with its painted tomb by Nicias and its sanctuary of the Greatest Gods, and gives the coastal distances from Patrae to Aegium, with the river Charadrus whose water makes flocks bear males.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.16.1–5Pheneus: Mount Tricrena, the grave of Aepytus and famous tombsPausanias describes the mountains east of Pheneus, including Tricrena, where nymphs washed the new-born Hermes, and Mount Sepia, where Aepytus was killed by a snake and where his grave stands. He says the grave stirred Homer's wonder. As examples of more wonderful tombs he names the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the tomb of the woman Helen at Jerusalem, whose stone door opens by itself once a year at a set hour.

24 more passages of Pausanias that name Hermes

Nonnus of Panopolis (21)

Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 9.1–92Book 9: Hermes takes the infant Dionysos to InoZeus sews the unborn Dionysos into his thigh and brings him forth, and Hermes carries the baby away. Hermes first leaves him with the daughters of Lamos, whom Hera drives mad, and then brings him to Ino. He tells her to nurse the child and promises her a home in the sea.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 9.93–168Book 9: Mystis and the Corybants nurse the childIno nurses the baby with her own son Melicertes and gives him to her maid Mystis, who invents the mystic rites of Dionysos. Hera finds him and swears to ruin Ino's house, but Hermes carries him to Rheia, taking the shape of Phanes to deceive her. The Corybants dance round the boy to hide his growing up.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 3.319–444Book 3: Electra consoles Cadmos; Hermes asks for HarmoniaElectra consoles Cadmos, speaking of her own sisters and her son's absence, and advises him to settle abroad as Dardanos and Byzas did. The poet tells how Harmonia, Aphrodite's child by Ares, was brought up beside Emathion. Hermes enters unseen in the form of a youth and asks Electra on Zeus's behalf to give Harmonia to Cadmos.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 35.204–318Book 35: A serpent guards Chalcomede; Hermes frees the Bacchants; Zeus rebukes HeraWhen Morrheus tries to seize Chalcomede, a serpent darts from her bosom and protects her. Hermes, in the shape of Dionysos, leads the Bacchic women secretly out of the city while the guards sleep, leaving Deriades to chase shadows. Zeus wakes, rebukes Hera for her trick and orders her to heal Dionysos with her milk.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 38.103–211Book 38: Hermes' tale: the birth and youth of PhaethonHermes begins the story of Phaethon: Helios marries Clymene, daughter of Oceanos, and their son grows up playing at driving his father's chariot with a toy car. As a youth he begs to drive the chariot of the sun, and Helios warns him that even the gods do not wield one another's powers, citing the fate of Zagreus.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 41.119–211Book 41: Eros is born at Beroe; the birth of BeroeMeadows and vines burst up around Aphrodite, and she gives birth to Eros, who leaps at once to her breast. The poet hails Beroe as nurse of cities and says she is also called Amymone. In a younger story Aphrodite bears her to Adonis with Hermes and Themis attending, the beasts rejoice, and Aphrodite foresees that a boar will bring Adonis' death.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 4.0–105Book 4: Harmonia refuses; Aphrodite comes as PeisinoeElectra tells Harmonia of Zeus's wish, and Harmonia protests against marrying a wandering stranger. Aphrodite, disguised as a neighbour girl called Peisinoe, then flatters her, praises Cadmos's beauty and suggests he may be a god.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 8.333–418Book 8: The thunderbolt and the birth of DionysosZeus warns Semele that his thunder is not gentle, but gives way to the Fates and comes to her with lightning. Semele takes hold of the thunderbolts and is burnt to ashes. Hermes carries the unborn child, washed in fire, to his father. Zeus then calms Hera and gives Semele a place among the gods.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 38.0–102Book 38: An omen at midday; Idmon and Hermes interpret itThe truce lasts until the seventh year of the war, when a darkness at midday and an eagle carrying a snake that slips into the Hydaspes appear as omens. Idmon, asked by Erechtheus, says they foretell Deriades' drowning in his father's river, and Hermes tells Dionysos that the omen means his own victory, as the sun returns after darkness. Dionysos asks to hear the story of Phaethon.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 5.122–228Book 5: Harmonia's necklace; the children of CadmosThe gods bring wedding gifts, and Aphrodite gives Harmonia a serpent-shaped necklace that Hephaistos had made. Harmonia bears four daughters, Autonoe, Ino, Agaue and Semele, and a son, Polydoros. Cadmos gives Autonoe to Aristaios.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 13.1–82Book 13: Iris summons Dionysos to the Indian warZeus sends Iris to Rheia to tell Dionysos that he must drive out Deriades and the Indians and teach all nations the rites of the vine. She reminds him that Hermes, Apollo and Zeus himself had to labour for heaven. Pyrrhichos is sent to gather the host, and the poet begins the catalogue with the Boeotians led by Actaion.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 14.0–104Book 14: Rheia arms the gods; Cabeiroi, Telchines, Cyclopes and PansRheia summons all the gods and nature spirits. The Cabeiroi, the Cretan Corybants, the Telchines of Rhodes, the Centaurs and the Cyclopes come to join Dionysos, though Polyphemos stays behind for love of Galateia. The twelve horned Pans are named, and old Seilenos arrives with his three sons.

9 more passages of Nonnus of Panopolis that name Hermes

Aratus (1)

Aratus, Phaenomena 266–420The Lyre, Orion, Argo and the southern constellationsAratus describes the Lyre that Hermes made from a tortoise, the Bird, Hydrochoüs, Aegoceros, the Archer and the Scorpion, with warnings for sailors when the Sun is in Aegoceros and in the Bow. He then places Orion and the Dog Seirius, the Hare, the ship Argo, Cetus, the River Eridanus and the Southern Fish. He explains that an early observer grouped the stars into figures so that they might be known by name, and ends with the Water and the Altar, a sign of storms at sea.

Bacchylides (1)

Bacchylides, Dithyrambs 19.1–20.11Dithyrambs 19–20: Io and Argus; Idas and MarpessaDithyramb 19 tells of Io, driven by the gadfly, and asks whether Hermes slew the watcher Argus or lulled him to sleep. She came to the banks of the Nile and bore Epaphus, and from that race sprang Cadmus and Dionysus. Dithyramb 20, a fragment, tells how the maidens of Lacedaemon sang of Idas bringing home Marpessa in a chariot given by Poseidon.

Orpheus (attributed) (2)

Orpheus (attributed), Orphic Hymns 27–31Hymns 27-31: the Mother of the Gods, Mercury, Proserpine, Bacchus, the CuretesThe Mother of the Gods is invoked as the great nurse of all, honoured with the drum, and Mercury (Hermes) as the messenger of Zeus and son of Maia, patron of gain and graceful speech. Proserpine is addressed as the only-begotten daughter of Zeus and honoured wife of Pluto. Bacchus appears as a two-horned, ivy-crowned god of two forms, and the Curetes as leaping armed dancers.
Orpheus (attributed), Orphic Hymns 57–61Hymns 57-61: the Terrestrial Hermes, Cupid, the Fates, the Graces, NemesisHermes of the earth is invoked as the god whom Fate set to dwell on the dread path that leads to deepest hell, and Cupid as the pure and lovely source of sweet delight. The Fates are addressed as the daughters of Night and are named Atropos, Lachesis and Clotho. The Graces are called on as the descendants of Jove, with Eunomia, and Nemesis as the almighty queen by whom the deeds of mortal life are seen.