God Hermes in Greek mythology is considered the messenger of the gods. He is called the patron saint of travelers and the guide of souls of the dead. Hermes' father is Zeus, and his mother is the beautiful nymph of the Mayan mountains. Hermes is usually depicted as a young man who has a hat (the edges are bent at the hat), in golden sandals ( winged sandals ) and with a golden rod (the rod is magical, it is a gift from Apollo, it is decorated with two snakes).
It is believed that divine will is most often expressed in a dream, so Hermes with the help of his magic wand sent prophetic dreams to people.
God Hermes is a mediator between the world of the dead and the world of the living. He possesses resourcefulness and dexterity, and also has the gift to open any bonds unnoticed. These qualities allow Hermes to be the patron of thieves and rogues, because it was not without reason that the cunning Moses was his grandson.
In addition, it is believed that Hermes invented a very interesting musical instrument - the lyre. He was a prankster, a merry fellow who loved practical jokes. It was he who, for fun, stole the scepter from Zeus, the golden arrows with a bow from Apollo and the trident from Poseidon. It is worth noting that he used them only when it came to something noble. Hermes will surpass anyone in cunning, cunning and ingenuity, not for nothing that thieves and cheaters consider him his patron.
As for the people, they appreciated Hermes for giving them the measures of weight and length that were invented by the centaur Chiron. I gave them numbers and alphabet, and also taught literacy. Hermes was revered as the patron saint of young athletes.
In honor of him, even stadiums were built, which were intended for various competitions of athletes, as well as schools in which they were engaged in gymnastics. These schools were decorated with sculptures of Hermes.
An interesting myth is that, thanks to Hermes, the love of Io and Zeus took place. Io was the lover of Zeus. The fact is that Zeus was very afraid of Hera’s wrath, so he turned Io into a white heifer, but Hera unraveled his cunning plan and asked for this heifer as a gift. She assigned Io the guard of giant Argos to Io, his body was covered with eyes, and at the same time only two eyes were sleeping, respectively, he watched constantly. So the god Hermes was able to outwit Argos and kill him, thereby freeing Io. A liberated woman wandered through Egypt, Asia, and Greece; she was pursued by the gadfly sent by Hera. Only in Egypt, Io was able to regain her appearance, gave birth to a son, Epaphus, who later became the ancestor of many heroes such as Amphitron, Perseus, Heracles, and others. When Io wandered and came to the Caucasus, she met Prometheus there, who predicted the great future that awaits the descendants of Io and Zeus.
Hermes - the god of what? In the days of the so-called classical mythology, its role is understood differently. He is already becoming the patron of heroes, not thieves. Hermes gives Perseus a sword with which he kills Medusa Gorgon. Hermes reveals to Odyssey the secret of magic grass, with its help he was saved from Kirk's spell. He guards during the wanderings of heroes.
God Hermes was honored and at the festival in memory of the dead and the awakening of spring, this holiday was called Anfesteria. In gratitude, Zeus gave him a constellation called Lyra. Hermes is the god to whom in Roman mythology corresponds the god Mercury, who is the patron of commerce and various crafts.