CLA 210 Chapter 7 Hermes and Hestia
Questions and Answers
Hermes's Hills - answer PARENTAGE Zeus and the nymph Maia
OFFSPRING Pan (with the nymph Penelopeia), Hermaphroditus (with Aphrodite), the
ancestor of the Tanagran people (with the nymph Tanagra), Ceryx (with Agraulos), and
Eudorus (with Polymele)
ATTRIBUTES Cap, winged sandals, wand
SIGNIFICANT CULT TITLES
Agonius (Of Contests)
Charidotes (Luck-Bringer)
Criophorus (Ram-Carrier)
Cynagches (Dog-Strangler)
Enodius (Of the Road)
Epimelius (Guardian of Flocks)
Psychopomp (Escort of Souls)-Hermes was represented in two distinctly different ways:
as a fully human man (sometimes a beardless youth or a bearded adult) or as a statue.
-These statues consist of a square stone pillar, called a herm (Figure 7.1), which
features a head and a phallus. Herms are thought to derive from piles of rocks, called
"Hermes's hills," typically found at the sides of roads
-One of the many ancient scholiasts (scholars) who comments on this passage gives
the following explanation of a Hermes's hill: in the distant past, Hermes made roads
safe for travelers, who consequently honored him as the purifier and guardian of roads
by throwing stones into a pile called Hermes's hill.
-The scholiast adds that, even in the Roman Empire, such piles of rocks could be seen
on roads; they eventually were used to mark distances.
-From the ancient scholiast's comments, subsequent scholars have concluded that
Hermes was a patron of travelers, both when they travel through the countryside and
after death, when their souls travel to the Underworld.
-He was also a patron of messengers, who often traveled long distances.
-Indeed, Hermes was himself a messenger: he brought messages from gods (most
often from Zeus) to mortals and other gods. He also conveyed messages from human
beings on earth to the souls of the dead in the Underworld.
To and from Olympus and on Earth - answer -Hermes is frequently depicted as a
messenger who brings messages from Zeus on Olympus to earth.
-First, however, Hermes puts on his characteristic travel gear: his traveler's cap, which
in some instances can render him invisible; his winged sandals, which suggest he
moves quickly; and his wand, which marks him as inviolable as a messenger (Figure
7.2). Hermes's wand, called a "caduceus" (a Latin alteration of the Greek kerykeion), is
a staff with two snakes wrapped around it.
-Hermes was venerated by travelers as well as messengers, because he helped all who
travel dangerous roads.
, -As he guides and protects Priam's travels, Hermes is evasive, like a cat burglar; he
open bolts with no noise and disrupts no soldier's sleep.
-He is also a benevolent and beautiful young man, and he thus conjoins male beauty
and excellence with nighttime tricks, rather than excellence on the battlefield in daylight.
To and from the Underworld - answer -Hermes's hills were not only found on
roadsides but also thought to have been used as grave markers. This usage connects
Hermes's hills to his function as a messenger and escort from Olympus and earth alike
to the Underworld.
-Similarly, Hermes was often called on in curse tablets that were placed in the graves of
the recently deceased (or in other places associated with pathways to the Underworld,
such as caves) to solicit the assistance of their souls.
-In curse tablets, Hermes is often grouped with other deities associated with the
Underworld (such as Persephone or Gaia) and is called to facilitate communication
between those living on earth and those below.
-The association of Hermes with the Underworld was also evident during an Athenian
festival called the Anthesteria (Flower Festival), which although primarily dedicated to
Dionysus also served to worship Hermes.
-Presumably, Hermes would escort the dead as they departed from the land of the living
at the festival's end. Hermes's cult title Psychopomp (Escort of Souls) indicates his role
in accompanying the dead as they go to the underworld—a function he performed not
only during the festival but also for all who died throughout the year (Chapter 4.1). As
Psychopomp, Hermes's presence as escort seems to be a gift or aide to the souls of the
newly dead.
-Whether Hermes's hills served as road or grave markers, their connection to Hermes
explains his role as messenger and escort among the gods on Olympus, human beings
on earth, and the souls of the dead as they travel to the Underworld. As herald,
messenger, and escort, Hermes offers welcome assistance to those he serves or
accompanies.
Ithyphallic Herms - answer -Many scholars reason that Hermes's hills were replaced
by herms Figure 7.3). Although such a development cannot be proven, it is the case
that herms most often are found outdoors—at the gates and doors of cities, houses, and
temples.
-Specifically, the erect phallus of the herm suggests his connection to fertility, especially
that of flocks of certain animals, and his role as a protector.
Fertility - answer -Hermes's oversight of fertility is limited to goats, sheep, and swine.
-Hermes falls in love with and impregnates a girl named Polymele. She gives birth to a
son, Eudorus (Iliad 16.179). Because Polymele means "rich in flocks" and is often used
to describe lands that have good pasturage for herds, and because Eudorus means
"generous," both mother and son seem to represent this aspect of Hermes's identity.
-Hermes is also connected to good luck and to lucky finds; this aspect of the god may
be an extension of his origins as a fertility god.
-Hermes increases one's possessions, whether flocks or other material goods. He is
called Charidotes (Luck-Bringer) and is associated with sudden windfalls
