Hermes is the messenger of the Gods. He is always moving because of his duty. This makes him the protector of the travelers. He guides both humans and Gods. He helps humans to pass from the lands of living to the lands of the dead. For this duty, he is known as psykhopompos (transmitter of the spirits).
Hermes is generally shown with winged boots that help him to fly. He holds his herald’s wand in hand and wears a traveler’s cap and cloak.
He is a sly and a cheater. This makes him The God of merchants, frauds, and thieves. He is manipulative, very good at speech and very clever. He is The God of the herd. He is especially concerned with the fertility of the herds. He is generally depicted in works of art with a ram on his back. He was known as the patron of athletics competitions and his statues were placed in stadiums.
He is along well with the humans. He brings luck and abundance to humans. An object found by a chance is called hermaion or hermaia dosis meaning “the gift of Hermes”.
He is also the god of boundaries and his name probably comes from the hermai (herms). Herms are stone pillars that are used to place on boundary points like roads, between stores, and between houses. The pillar gave its name to the god. Later on, they started to carve specific features to the herms. Herms are characterized by a face with a long beard and a phallus.
Source: The Penguin Book of Classical Myths by Jenny March
