Mercury was known to play tricks on his fellow Olympian gods, such as often playing tricks with them. To protect himself he often carried around a winged helmet created for him by Vulcan and accompanied by either a caduceus (staff with two snakes entwined into its coils), or his symbolic animal–cockerels or rams representing fertility.
As with Hermes, this deity escorted the dead to Hades and oversaw some forms of public divination. Additionally, he served as patron to thieves, travellers, and merchants.
He is the messenger of the gods
Mercury is the god of commerce and communication, commonly depicted wearing winged sandals with caduceus staff in hand to deliver messages between gods. He is patron saint of travellers, merchants and thieves and known for helping souls travel between the afterlife and this realm.
Mercury was born to Jupiter, the king of gods. He has many half-siblings including Minerva and Proserpina as goddesses who share his DNA. Mercury is considered to be the god of crossroads and roads and often gets confused with Hermes (Greek messenger of gods), although both entities share similar duties regarding trade and transport.
Roman mythology depicted Mercury as a deceptively clever deity who enjoyed playing practical jokes on the gods who sent him messages. One story involved him creating the lyre from tortoise shell and tendon material; another involved an incident of theft: as a child Mercury stole Apollo’s oxen; upon hearing of this theft Apollo summoned Mercury back up Mount Olympus demanding an apology, and Mercury obliged by returning both items as well as giving Apollo his lyre as penance.
Mercury may have had an unpredictable side, but he could also be seen as kind and helpful – helping Jupiter rescue Io from Juno’s jealous wife’s jealousy by disguised her as a cow and placing her under Argus, who had one hundred eyes! Mercury helped distract Argus with music on his pipes as well as boresome stories to relax him until Io was safe from Juno’s clutches.
Ancients believed Mercury to be a god who moved quickly with swift feet and quick thoughts; hence its nickname of mercurial. Heraclides of Heraclea Pontus claimed Mercury and Venus orbited around the sun; however, recent research disproves this theory as Mercury is only considered minor planet in our solar system and has very low gravitational force; hence its fast movement through outer regions and close distance from Earth.
He is the god of commerce
Mercury, the god of business and communication, serves as patron to merchants and shopkeepers as he transports messages quickly to deliver quickly to travelers or merchants. Furthermore, he protects travelers against theft while simultaneously safeguarding merchants against thieves. As with Hermes, the Greek messenger god, Mercury can also be considered a trickster and thief; however, unlike Hermes he can help people communicate more efficiently as he serves as god of eloquence, athleticism, and astronomy. Mercury is often depicted as an elegantly dressed figure wearing winged sandals and carrying the caduceus staff used to resolve conflicts between parties. His persuasive speech may account for how his name came about – hence its root word being mercury! Romans adopted many elements from other cultures and gave Mercury epithets associated with Celtic deities as part of an approach called syncretism; this happened whenever Rome conquered new nations. Mercurius Artaios and Mercurius Avernus refer to Celtic gods associated with bears and hunting; Mercurius Moccus references boar-related deities from this culture.
Mercury’s family tree remains unclear, although it is believed he is the son of Jupiter (King of the Gods) and Maia, one of Atlas’ daughters. He is half-siblings with Minerva and Vulcan. Additionally, Mercury fell in love with Proserpina, daughter of Pluto; similar to Hermes he has other lovers and was once associated with Perseus as a hero.
The Romans gave Mercury many of Hermes’ characteristics, turning him into an immensely versatile deity. Mercury represented trade, financial gain, travel, protection of dead persons, messengers of gods, animals and plants as well as quick temper. Thus originating the terms mercurial and mercantile which describe him – often depicted wearing winged shoes!
Like Hermes, Mercury is often considered the god of magic and medicine. He invented the lyre which he gave Apollo in exchange for two stolen oxen from him; additionally he is famously remembered for stealing two from Apollo himself! Additionally his famous theft from Mount Olympus inspired the name Wednesday – Latin for “mercredi” means Mercury’s day!
He is the god of eloquence
Mercury, or oratory’s god, is depicted as a winged messenger with a caduceus. Mercury acts as the messenger and guide of the dead as well as being connected with dreams and dream interpretation. He protects thieves, travelers and merchants. Mercury was born from Zeus (chief god) and Maia (nymph from Pleiades) who became his parents; their offspring being depicted wearing sandals with caps over his sandals carrying caduceus (herald’s staff with two intertwined snakes); his presence signalled his arrival; other characters including cockerel (herald of new day), goat or ram symbolizing fertility as well as tortoises who helped create his invention of lyre using tortoises as companions!
Mercury arrived late to Roman mythology, yet quickly established himself as one of its central figures. Like his Greek counterpart Hermes, Mercury served as messenger between gods and humanity while protecting thieves and travellers. Ovid chronicled an amusing tale in which Mercury stole cattle belonging to Apollo and later called upon Jupiter for arbitration – when Apollo learned of this theft he summoned Jupiter himself who ordered Mercury to give back the herd as well as return the lyre as payment in exchange for forgiveness from Jupiter.
Mercury played an especially prominent role in Roman mythology when it came to leading souls of deceased mortals into Hades after death, unlike Hermes did in Greek mythology. Mercury served as psychopompos, or guide of souls into Hades after their demise, while also serving as messenger to both gods and humans, including prophecies. Furthermore, he patronised messengers and merchants.
Early Roman worship of Mercury was integrated with that of Vulcan, god of metalworking and fire, as well as Celtic Lugus. Over time, however, Romans began to separate Mercury from these deities and restrict him solely as god of commerce.
He is the god of the underworld
Romans knew him as Mercury and often associated him with winged sandals, hats, and herald’s staff called a caduceus as symbols that represent his role as messenger between heaven and earth. These items serve as reminders that he serves both communication and commerce – two areas in which Mercury excelled immensely as well as quickly moving between both realms to deliver messages between heaven and earth – also making him god of communication and commerce as well. Merchants and travellers also revere him and often associate him with Hermes.
Mercury derives its name from Latin “mercurius,” which translates to “quicksilver.” Perhaps this reflects his planet’s rapid orbiting of our sun in less than one second! A temple dedicated to Mercury was built near Circus Maximus and on Aventine Hill. Dedication took place in 495 BCE during an uprising by common people against aristocratic senators.
Mercury was the son of Jupiter (king of the gods) and Maia, one of Atlas’ Plejade daughters. He had several half-siblings including Minerva – goddess of wisdom – and Vulcan, god of fire and forge. Later in Roman mythology Mercury would become the messenger between living people and those in their afterlives.
As a child, Mercury was widely thought of as being mischievous and crafty. One story recounts him stealing cattle from a farmer named Battus; after promising not to reveal it publicly when Battus did reveal what had occurred, Mercury became angry enough to turn him into stone! Additionally, Mercury is known for making a tortoiseshell lyre for himself as well.
Mercury could traverse freely between mortal and divine realms, as was demonstrated by his ability to act as the messenger between Jupiter and Ceres (who was kidnapped by Pluto), as well as accompany her daughter Proserpina on her annual journey into Hades’ underworld realm. This proved particularly important during Mercury’s work with Ceres as her captor was Pluto – making his role even more crucial.