Hermes was the ancient Greek God of commerce, wealth, luck, fertility, animals, sleep, language, thieves and travel. One of the most cunning and naughty Olympic gods, was the patron of the shepherds, invented the lyre and was, above all, the herald and messenger of Mount Olympus, so he came to symbolize the crossroads of borders in his guide role between The two kingdoms of the gods and humanity. For the Romans, the God was known as Mercury.
The history of Hermes is very long, as it is mentioned in the Linear B tablets of the Mycenaean civilization, at its peak between the 15th and 13th centuries BC. These tablets have appeared in Pylos, Thebes and Knossos. The ancient Greeks believed that Hermes was the son of Zeus and the nymph Maia (daughter of the Titan Atlas) and that he was born on Mount Cileno, in Arcadia. In mythology, Hermes was also the father of the shepherd god Pan and of Eudoros (with Polymele), one of the leaders of the Myrmidons, although the god had no wife in any Greek myth. The idea that Hermes represented movement is reflected in his role as leader of the Nymphs and the Graces (Carites).
As a messenger and herald, especially of Zeus, Hermes is implicated in many mythological episodes. Perhaps the best known is when he slew the many-eyed (some accounts say 100-eyed) monster, Argos, on the orders of Zeus to free Io. Hermes also freed Ares from his year-long prison in a cauldron, held captive by the twin giants Otus and Ephialtes. One of his most famous regular roles was to carry souls to the river Styx in the underworld, where the ferryman Charon took them to Hades. Hermes was also known as a trickster, occasionally stealing Poseidon's trident, Artemis's arrows, and Aphrodite's belt.
