Family & Infancy
Who were the parents of Hermes?
Zeus and the nymph Maia.
At what specific road locations were statues of Hermes common because he protected travelers?
Crossroads
What many-eyed giant did Hermes slaughter, earning him a reputation as a giant-killer?
Argus
What magic flower with a black root and white blossom did Hermes give Odysseus to protect him from Circe's potion?
Moly
What is the name of Hermes' Roman equivalent, which is linked to the Latin word for merchandise (merx)?
Mercury
What animals did Hermes steal from his half-brother Apollo on the first day after his birth?
Fifty cows
To what underworld realm did Hermes guide the souls of the dead?
Hades
Which goddess did Hermes rescue from the underworld to bring back to her mother, Demeter?
Persephone
Which elderly Trojan king did Hermes secretly guide through enemy lines to ransom Hector's body in the Iliad?
King Priam
Where did Roman merchants sprinkle water from Mercury's sacred well during the festival of Mercuralia?
On their heads
What did the infant Hermes tie to the cows' tails to erase their footprints?
Leaves
Through what unique legal agreement did Hermes manage to achieve his immortality?
A contract
What is the name of the herald's staff or wand frequently carried by Hermes?
caduceus
In what ancient 14th-century BC script can the earliest written versions of Hermes' name be found?
Mycenaean Linear B inscriptions.
On which two specific Roman Republic coins was Mercury's likeness featured?
The sextans and the semuncia
What was Hermes' sacred number, which also marked the day of the month his birthday was celebrated?
Four
What vital human communication tool was Hermes credited with inventing due to his role as a messenger?
Language
What two musical instruments is Hermes celebrated for inventing?
The lyre and the flute.
According to a 10th-century AD Byzantine Greek lexicon, what object was Hermes' statue depicted as weighing?
A purse
Hermes was combined with which Egyptian god to form the mystical figure Hermes Trismegistus?
Thoth
At what specific mountain in Arcadia was Hermes born and initially worshiped?
Mount Cyllene
Besides thieves and merchants, Hermes was also worshiped as the god of what nighttime visions?
Dreams
What two types of plant materials did Hermes use to weave his sandals when hiding his tracks?
Myrtle twigs and tamarisk leaves
While early art showed Hermes as a bearded man, later 5th-century BC art changed to portray him as what type of young competitor?
A nude young athlete
What specific Latin name is used for the teacher figure in the Corpus Hermeticum dialogues?
Mercurius Termaximus