3. ChapterOne:Family
Parents
Zeus
Maia
Siblings
No direct siblings from Maia
Many half siblings from Zeus who were:
Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe, Eileithyia, Athena, Persephone, Dionysus, Artemis, Apollo, the Fates, the
Graces, the Muses, the Hours, Justice, Lawfulness, Peace, Heracles, Perseus , And other mortal children
Children and wives
He had both mortal and divine offspring
Many mortal, nymph, and goddess wives
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4. ChapterTwo:Responsibilities
• Taking care of and protecting those in need
• Hermes especially had to watch over those he was god of.
• He was god of: travelers, luck, thievery, shepherds, music, eloquence, commerce,
merchants, young men, crossers of boundaries, and dreams.
• Messenger of the gods
• Zeus was impressed with Hermes’ cleverness and made him his personal herald.
• Soon enough, Hermes became messenger of all gods/goddesses on Mount Olympus.
• Bringer of souls to the underworld
• The dead souls were led by Hermes to the underworld.
• He had the perfect personality for the job.
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5. Chapter Three: Powers and
Symbols
• Powers
• Hermes could fly.
• Brings sleep and dreams to mortals
• Symbols
• Winged cap
• Winged sandals
• Caduceus
• Personality
• Skilled thief, nocturnal prowler, adventurous, mischievous,
shrewd, cunning, etc.
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6. Funfacts
• Hermes has the same characteristics of the god Mercury in Roman mythology.
• Hermes invented many instruments including the lyre and the flute.
• Invented the alphabet, numbers, astronomy, music, the art of fighting, gymnastics,
the cultivation of the olive tree, measures, weights, and more!
• Within his first day in the world, Hermes invented the lyre, stole a herd of cattle,
went to court on Mount Olympus, and became Zeus’ messenger.
• Ερμής is Hermes in the Greek language.
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7. Glossary
• Mortal: subject to death; having a transitory life.
• Divine: godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity; immortal.
• Nymph: one of a numerous class of lesser deities of mythology, conceived of as beautiful
maidens inhabiting the sea, rivers, woods, trees, mountains, meadows, etc., and frequently
mentioned as attending a superior deity.
• Goddess: a female god or deity.
• Mount Olympus: a mountain in NE Greece, on the boundary between Thessaly and
Macedonia: mythical abode of the greater Grecian gods. 9730 feet (2966 meters).
• Underworld: the imagined abode of departed souls or spirits; Hades.
• Caduceus: the staff carried by Mercury as messenger of the gods.
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8. Bibliography
Church, Alfred John, and Homer. The Odyssey for Boys and Girls. New York: Macmillan, 1906.
Print.
"FactCite." FactCite. Lincoln Library FactCite, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.factcite.com/myth/greekandroman/8000216.html>.
"Hermes." Myths and Legends. New York: Macmillan Library Reference USA, 2000. 160-61.
Print.
Leadbetter, Ron. "Hermes." Hermes. Pantheon.org, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hermes.html>.
Napoli, Donna Jo, and Christina Balit. "Hermes; Messenger of the Gods." Treasury of Greek
Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters. Washington:
National Geographic Society, 2011. 96-99. Print.
Philips, Carter F. "World Book Online Reference Center | Online Reference Book| Online
Encyclopedia." World Book. World Book Online, Winter 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar254100&st=hermes+in+greek+
mythology>.
"Zeus." FactCite. Lincoln Library FactCite, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.factcite.com/myth/greekandroman/8000485.html>.
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