Hermes
(Mercury)

And Maia, daughter of Atlas, came to Zeus
And to his holy bed, and bore to him
Glorious Hermes, herald of the gods.
-- Hesiod, Theogony (trans. Dorothea Wender)

The principle traits of Hermes are swiftness and secrecy. On the day that he was born in a cave in Arcadia, he extricated himself from his swaddling clothes. Venturing out of the cave, he came upon a tortoise, from which -- along with the intestines of sheep -- he fashioned the lyre. After entertaining himself with an impromptu song, he quickly bored. Seeking other diversion, he made off to Thessaly where he found his brother Apollo neglecting his herds. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Hermes absconded with fifty cows, reversing their hoof prints, so as to mislead his brother. Hermes, then, returned to his swaddling clothes, but he could not fool Apollo, who had followed the tracks and the odor of burning fat. Hermes refused to confess his guilt or reveal the whereabouts of the cattle. Instead, to Apollo's queries, he replied,

Not a sight did I see, not a fact did I learn, not a word
Did I hear from another's lips; I could not reveal the least
Information, I could not at all collect an informer's fee.
-- Homeric Hymns (trans. Michael Crudden)

Apollo appealed to Zeus, who made the Leader of Thieves confess. Then, to appease his angry brother, Hermes offered the lyre in exchange for the stolen cattle, an arrangement that pleased Apollo and altogether patched up the rift between them. In the events of this single day, we see that Hermes is associated with music, theft, speed, and trade.

Naturally, Hermes is the chosen messenger of the Gods. His service in this capacity is the next best thing to e-mail. However, Hermes also delivers parcels and persons. When the gods decide to allow Priam, King of Troy, to visit Achilles in the Myrmidon camp, it is Hermes who carries Priam through the enemy lines. And when the fates determine that it is time for a mortal to enter into the kingdom of Hades, it is Hermes who escorts the soul to its destination.

Perhaps, it is because of his constant commerce between the realms of the dead and the living that Hermes knows the means to detain death. He is often credited with providing the magic plant or potion that prevents some untimely metamorphosis. The Caduceus (image to the right) is one of the symbols of Hermes.

In the Homeric Hymns, Hermes is the Slayer of Argos, the protector of Arcadia who had many eyes and was appointed by Hera to restrain Io. Zeus, however, sent Hermes to free Io, which he did by slaying Argos with a rock. Hera, then, transplated the eyes of Argos onto the peacock.