神話

他是边界及穿越边界的旅行者之神，亦掌管牧羊人与牧牛人，辩论与灵舌，诗与文字，体育，重量与度量，发明与商业，他也是狡猾的小偷和骗子之神。^[1]《荷马诗颂》裡描述他是一个

赫耳墨斯是神界与人界之间的信使，这是他与伊里斯共同担当的职责。

赫耳墨斯发明了钻木取火^[2]，他还发明了乐器排萧和里拉琴。赫耳墨斯也是各种竞技比赛及拳击的发明人，也因此成为运动员的保护神。现代神话收集家经常把赫耳墨斯和其他民族文化裡的耍诡计的神相提并论。

赫耳墨斯还是亡灵的接引神，他帮助死去的灵魂到达冥界。在许多希腊神话故事裡，赫耳墨斯是除了哈得斯和珀耳塞福涅之外唯一可以在冥界自由出入的神。

赫耳墨斯的代表动物是公鸡和乌龟，他的身上戴有皮包或是皮夹，脚穿插翼凉鞋，头戴翼帽，手拿信使的权杖，也叫做双盘蛇带翼权杖。赫耳墨斯因为他的机智与狡猾也成为盗贼之神，他出生的第一晚就已经做了小偷，从母亲迈亚那裡溜出去偷他哥哥阿波罗的神牛。

赫耳墨斯对他的父亲宙斯十分忠诚，当宙斯的爱人之一宁芙仙子伊俄被赫拉捉住，并且派了百眼巨人阿耳戈斯看守的时候，是赫耳墨斯出手解救了她。他给巨人唱悦耳动听的歌，讲冗长乏味的故事以哄他入睡之后，用月牙形的弯刀砍下了他的头。

赫耳墨斯在罗马神话中对应于墨丘利（拉丁语：Mercurius），是九大行星中的水星。墨丘利继承了赫耳墨斯的许多特征，比如商业的守护神。

他雙腳長有雙翼、因此行走如飛，並成為在奧林匹斯山擔任宙斯和諸神傳令的使者，為諸神傳送消息，並完成宙斯交給他的各種任務。

赫耳墨斯經常化為凡人下界幫助需要保護的人，精力充沛，多才多藝，希臘人相信鑽木取火是他發明的，据说他还发明过七弦琴、赛跑、拳擊術等等。

[象征

1861年起，赫密士的头像图用作希腊国家郵政局的象征。

Hermes ( /ˈhɜrmiːz/; Greek Ἑρμῆς) is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherdsand cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics and sports, of weights and measures, of invention, and of commerce in general.[2] His symbols include the tortoise, the rooster, the winged sandals, the winged hat, and thecaduceus.

In the Roman adaptation of the Greek religion (see interpretatio romana), Hermes was identified with the Roman god Mercury, who, though inherited from the Etruscans, developed many similar characteristics, such as being the patron of commerce.

The Homeric hymn to Hermes invokes him as the one "of many shifts (polytropos), blandly cunning, a robber, a cattle driver, a bringer of dreams, a watcher by night, a thief at the gates, one who was soon to show forth wonderful deeds among the deathless gods."[3]

He protects and takes care of all the travelers, miscreants, harlots, old crones and thieves that pray to him or cross his path. He is athletic and is always looking out for runners, or any athletes with injuries who need his help.

Hermes is a messenger from the gods to humans, sharing this role with Iris. An interpreter who bridges the boundaries with strangers is ahermeneus. Hermes gives us our word "hermeneutics", the study and theory of interpretation. In Greek a lucky find was a hermaion. Hermes delivered messages from Olympus to the mortal world. He wears shoes with wings on them and uses them to fly freely between the mortal and immortal world. Hermes was the second youngest of the Olympian gods, being born before Dionysus.

Hermes, as an inventor of fire, is a parallel of the Titan, Prometheus. In addition to the lyre, Hermes was believed to have invented many types of racing and the sports of wrestling and boxing, and therefore was a patron of athletes.

According to prominent folklorist Yeleazar Meletinsky, Hermes is a deified trickster.[6] Hermes also served as a psychopomp, or an escort for the dead to help them find their way to the afterlife (the Underworld in the Greek myths). In many Greek myths, Hermes was depicted as the only god besides Hades, Persephone, Hecate, and Thanatos who could enter and leave the Underworld without hindrance.

Hermes often helped travelers have a safe and easy journey. Many Greeks would sacrifice to Hermes before any trip.

In the fully-developed Olympian pantheon, Hermes was the son of Zeus and the Pleiade Maia, a daughter of the Titan Atlas. Hermes' symbols were the rooster and the tortoise, and he can be recognized by his purse or pouch, winged sandals, winged cap, and the herald's staff, the kerykeion. The night he was born he slipped away from Maia and stole his elder brother Apollo's cattle.