Mayanic has asked me about the god Hermes. Although he was worshipped throughout Greece his cult centre was at Arcadia. Hermes was the son of Zeus and a messenger for his father. He wore shoes with wings on them which enabled him to travel freely between the divine and mortal worlds and he became known as the fastest of the gods.
Hermes was also the god of boundaries and the travellers that cross them. Many Greeks would sacrifice to him before they travelled so they would have a safe journey. He also escorted people into the Underworld. In Homer's Iliad we are told that Hermes helped the Trojan King Priam to sneak into the Greek camp and convince Achilles to return to Priam his son Hektor's body.
Hermes was originally depicted as an older, bearded god but during the 6th century BC he was portrayed as a young, athletic god and these new statues were placed in gymnasia throughout Greece and Hermes became known as the god of athletics.
2008-02-28 @ 17:32