Quick-witted, cunning, athletic, these are all character traits we associate with Hermes. He was the second youngest of the Olympian Gods and his responsibilities included being the messenger and the deal maker. He was the protector and patron of travelers, shepherds and thieves. Hermes, with his winged cap and sandals could travel to the ends of the earth in the blink of an eye. Although you may not be familiar with the name, you have probably seen him before; he is the man shown running on the FTD logo.
Hermes was the son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. Legend says that right after birth his characteristics of fascination and trickery were expressed. He was born in the morning and by the afternoon he invented the lyre and by the evening had already swindled cattle from Apollo. Apollo saw through his scheme and demanded Hermes to return the cattle. Hermes was already one step ahead and began to play his lyre, which enchanted Apollo. He was able to, in exchange for the lyre, keep the cattle, have Apollo’s gold staff as well as his gift of prophecy and they became best friends fr...
Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia, daughter of Atlas. In literature, he was connected to the protection of cattle and sheep as well as vegetation. He is also the messenger of the gods, transporter of the dead, protector of travelers and a god of dreams. Hermes was a patron of music and the god of eloquence. He was described as graceful and swift in motion, having worn winged sandals. He also had wings on his hat and on his magic wand. He became Zeus's Messenger. He is described as the shrewdest and most cunning of all the Gods. He is connected to treasure and good luck. His bird was the vulture and the dog as his animal. His sacred number was four.
“Apollo is considered the god of music, prophecy, oracles, healing, plague and disease, song, poetry, archery, and the protection of the young. He is always depicted as a handsome young male with long flowing hair, with his bow and his lyre in hand. His Mother and Father are Zeus and Leto. (Leto is a female titan.) Apollo has a twin sister named Artemis. She is the goddess of hunting, wilderness, and wild animals. Apollo was not only a very skilled musician he was also very skilled with his Silver bow.” (1)
If you know anything about Greek Mythology you know who Hermes is, a messenger, guide, and most of all a thief. He represents a sort of leniency in the Gods of old Greek Mythology. Whilst the other Gods are strict, and stubborn, Hermes is coy, mischievous and a child at heart, he is the protector of all those who push the boundaries of unacceptable behavior, the majority of high school students included. But, most of these things are common knowledge. There is so much more to the herald of the Gods than we give him credit for.
Hermes, God of Thieves, could be considered a major character in Homer’s “The Odyssey”. The Coen Brothers, director and producer of the film “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou”, took the idea to take characteristics from Hermes and gave the thieving qualities to George Nelson, the cunning thief in their movie. That’s not all the Brothers borrowed though; The events involving Nelson are extremely similar but different in all the right ways. For example, “The Odyssey” states that Odysseus’ crew killed other people's
Hermes, although apart of the Greek gods, is not held in such a high regard to the Greeks as juxtaposed to the function of the role Coyote plays within Native American myths. For Native Americans, a majority of their culture sees Coyote as the sole figure and leading god, since he is seen as the creator and example-setter, regardless if it is for something good or bad. Hermes, on the other hand, does not have as much of an impacting influence on Greek myths as the god Zeus does, who is the main Greek mythological figure. That being said, that is not intended to deem Hermes is insignificant; it merely defines the functioning mythological systems and values of the different cultures. One could assume that both cultures isolate and individualize the trickster characters, not quite accepting either as a “normal” or common member of society, despite their impact they place on the culture as a
Zeus, most likely the most renowned god of all gods, the mighty god of lightning has taken part in some of the most widely known myths of all times. Zeus has taken part in many Greek and Roman myths alike, either as Zeus or as his Roman counterpart of Jupiter. Unlike most gods in mythology though, Zeus is the main character in almost all of the myths he is mentioned in. Whether the myth is about his epic clash against the Titans, his fight against the Giants or even about his extramarital affairs, Zeus always seems to come out of these conflicts unaffected and triumphant. When examining Zeus’ character though, it is important to note that Zeus is a god that exhibits human characteristics throughout most of his myths. Growth is one of the many human attributes that Zeus portrays in many of his myths.
Odysseus’ character , as seen in the Iliad, is much like that of a Homeric hero. A hero in Homer’s world entails many attributes other than physical strength including, but not limited to, courage, honor, respect, intelligence, and good morals. Throughout The Odyssey, some of these character traits are illustrated, and some are slightly changed.
Odysseus was the most prominent hero of the Greeks who fought in the Trojan War. Some of the qualities of a hero usually include: courage, bravery, dedication, sacrifice, intelligence, and perseverance. Odysseus had all the qualities of a hero throughout his journey. In the Odyssey written by Homer, the text suggests that the main character, Odysseus maintains his identity despite the experiences he faces throughout his journey towards home. Odysseus had a heroic identity before he was separated from his family and the people of Ithaca, and throughout his journey he continues to keep his past heroic identity.
Some characteristics of Hermes include his ingenuity, knowledge, creativity, and is known to be very cunning. He is also quite good at gymnastics. Hermes is an incredibly clever god. He found a tortoise outside of his cave and displayed his godly talent by placing strings over the shell, inventing the first lyre. As a child he was very precious, even for a god. But he caused a great deal of trouble. But one day, he went too far and learned a very important lesson.
Apollo is one of the most widely renowned Greek god in ancient history, and one of the few gods to have both the same Greek and Roman name (Apollo). An online article, “Apollo,” said that he started out as the god of herdsmen, and “Apollo's identification as god of music, archery, and medicine came after his oracle was established at Delphi” ( “Apollo”). The article on GaleNet also mentioned that much later, he was commemorated as the god of the sun. Apollo is known for his powers in prophesying and his musical abilities with the lyre, a type of harp. He is also acknowledged as an athlete, particularly an archer, and a healer. He is said to have been the god to teach mortals the art of medicine. Apollo is an amazing character in Greek mythology,
Hermes is a greek god, he has beautiful sandals on which allow him to swiftly travel across the land as he is the messenger god. He also has a wand that allows him to put people to sleep, or when he wills, awaken them.
Picture this: a hero of great legends who travels to the underworld and back to get directions to his home from a blind prophet. It sounds like quite an impossible journey, but that is exactly what makes Odysseus all the more fascinating. The Odyssey, an epic poem orally transmitted by Homer, a Greek poet who wrote The Iliad, had to contain some variety of attributes that Greeks valued in a person. That one embodiment of what the Greeks found intriguing in a character is Odysseus. Odysseus is known as what is called an epic hero. An epic hero is a protagonist of a story that represents the most important attributes of a civilization. Odysseus, being based in ancient Greece, is the embodiment of intelligence, loyalty, and strength.
There are many know gods and goddesses. Hermes was a well known god in mythology. He was known as the fastest god. Today his picture is still used for advertising sports. Hermes had and ordinary and complicated life of stealing, being fast and being a messenger.
...he heroic figure in Greek literature by living out the destiny that the gods set out for him.