![]() Hera then tied the cow to an Olive tree and sent Argus to watch Io and keep her away from Zeus. Hera was however not deceived and demanded Zeus to give her the cow as a present. Hera came to know of the affair and as she tried to catch the lovers, Zeus transformed Io into a white cow. She was noticed and pursued by Zeus who fell in love with her. Io was a mortal Argive princess, and priestess of the Goddess Hera in the city of Argos. His name “Panoptes” meant “the all-seeing one” and his defining task was to guard the white heifer Io from Zeus. In Greek myths Argus Panoptes was a hundred-eyed giant who was the servant of Hera, the Queen of Olympus. Hermes obliged returning the remaining herd and offered his newly crafted lyre to Apollo for the 2 cows he had sacrificed. The God laughed and offered the young Hermes a place among the great Gods of Olympus, provided he returned Apollo’s stolen cattle first. Zeus who could see through the child’s stories was amused at the quick witted child, feeling affection for his mischievous offspring. Hermes defended himself playing his tricks, proclaiming his innocence with elaborate lies and outlandish oaths. Standing before the god of rule and law, Apollo told the story of how he had tracked down the thief. The God of war confronted Maia and the young Hermes, and finally the matter was taken to Zeus on Mount Olympus. She was right and Apollo arrived soon looking for his lost herd, guided by Battos, and Zeus in some myths. Satiated now he returned to his cradle where Maia discovered his mischief and reproofed him for his thievery from the Gods. Hermes sacrificed two of the animals in the fire, skinned them and hid the rest of the heard. Some myths say that he then went on to compose his first song, a hymn in celebration of his own birth.ĭetail from a statue of Apollo holding the lyre Finally tightening the piece with cowhide and fixing a yoke, he stretched across seven sheep-gut strings and completed his first invention, the musical Lyre. Knowing exactly what he was doing, he cut stalks of reed to measure, fitted them through the shell, and fastened their ends across the back. Then turning her over he scooped out the marrow from her mountain shell. The mischievous child picked up the creature with both hands and carried his lovely toy into the house. This was the fortunate event for the great inventor that would be Hermes. As he ventured out of the cave, Hermes came across a turtle waddling by and chewing on the thick grass in front of the dwelling. Still a newly born infant, Hermes crawled out of his cradle while his mother still lay asleep. Hermes and Maia – Detail from an Attic red-figure amphoraīeing the son of Zeus and Maia, Hermes was not born an ordinary child and would soon earn quite a reputation among the Gods. Know more of the Greek trickster God of the cunning with the 10 most famous myths featuring Hermes. A refreshing character, Hermes thus finds himself among numerous interesting Greek stories. Hermes is also among the few Olympians who has access to the Underworld, as the guide of the dead souls helping them into their afterlife. He is the patron of athletes, gymnasts and the God of the art of fighting. He is attributed for the invention of the alphabet, numbers, measures and weights. ![]() Hermes, the herald of the Gods, is also a great inventor. Other items associated with him include the herma (pile of stones, markers, possibly from where his name is derived), the tortoise, the satchel or pouch, winged sandals and helmet and the olive tree. Hermes’ main symbol is the caduceus, a winged staff intertwined with two snakes. ![]() In Archaic Greece (up-till 480 BC), he is usually depicted as a mature man, bearded, and dressed as a traveler or a herald, while later depictions mostly depict him to be an athletic young man without a beard. The image of Hermes evolved and varied along with Greek art and culture. ![]() For the mortals he is the protector of shepherds, thieves, merchants and travelers, and the God of eloquence, commerce, cunning, astronomy and music. Referred to as the ‘divine trickster’, Hermes is a playful mischief making God, known for his quick wit, practical jokes and musical talent. In Greek mythology, Hermes is among the most popular of the Olympian deities, who was later appropriated as the Roman God Mercury. ![]()
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