Role Of Hermes In The Odyssey

Hermes is an Olympian god who plays many roles in Greek mythology, and even appears in The Odyssey. He is the messenger of the gods, the personal agent of Zeus, and rules over a wide range of things. For example, Hermes is the god of travelling. One reason I chose Hermes is because he is the god of travelling, and travelling is something I enjoy doing. The second reason I chose Hermes is because he is crafty. I have discovered many of these interesting facts and the roles of Hermes using www.theoi.com

First of all, in The Odyssey Hermes plays the role of a messenger when he goes to Calypso’s island and delivers the message from Zeus that she must release Odysseus. He also protects Odysseus from Circe’s tricks and magic by giving him a plant called moly. The moly allowed Odysseus to be safe from Circe’s spells. In other parts of Greek

mythology, Hermes is the god of roads, travel, hospitality, writing, language, athletic contests, astronomy, crafty thoughts, etc.

He also herds animals and even guides the dead to Hades. Hermes is also the personal agent of Zeus. Hermes delivers many things from the gods ranging from an everyday letter or message to dreams about omens. Hermes’ role of being the god of travel and roads means that he protects people as they travel from place to place, while also promoting safe travelling and protection for guests. Being the god of writing and language shows that he favors learning and persuasive speech. Hermes is also the god of crafty thoughts, which somewhat describes his character. His crafty thoughts helped him become the star of many myths. One of the most famous myths about Hermes occurred when he was just a newborn. In this myth, Hermes, as a newborn, stole some of Apollo’s cattle. In order to avoid getting caught, Hermes placed boots on the cattle to cover their tracks. Apollo travelled to Pylos in hopes of finding word that someone

knew where his cattle were. The people of Pylos told Apollo that they had seen a boy driving cattle, but did not know where he had gone. Eventually, Apollo found out who had taken his cattle and goes to charge him. Apollo and Hermes end up making a deal where Apollo trades a lyre for the cattle. Another myth about Hermes claims that he assisted Perseus, a king and hero, slay Medusa. It is even said that Hermes lent Perseus his winged shoes. In a third myth, Hermes was sent by Zeus to go fetch Persephone, the goddess of Hades.
Altogether, there are many reasons why Homer might have included Hermes in The Odyssey. One reason I think Hermes is included in The Odyssey is because he is the god of roads and travel. As I have said before, being the god of roads and travel requires them to protect the traveller so I believe Homer included Hermes to protect Odysseus during his journey. I also think Homer included Hermes in The Odyssey because in some situations, Odysseus would most likely not have made it back home without Hermes intervention. For example, if Hermes would not have given Odysseus the moly, Odysseus would have been turned into a pig and kept on Circe’s island. A lesson of life that can be learned by Hermes is to always guide people down the right path, and keep the people close to you safe.