ENG2D-Unit 1 Mythology/News Report I

ENG2D-Unit 1Mythology/News Report I Activity 1: Assignment 1: Mythology Research Project

HERMES By: Aneka-Fay Smith

Back story • Hermes was the son of Zeus Maia (Lightning god and daughter The Titan Atlas.) Hermes was born in a cave on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia in southern Greece. He grew up so fast that in only a few hours he wandered out of the cave, killed a tortoise and used seven strings of sheep gut across it to build the first lyre and taught himself how to play very quickly.

Still Back story • That same day, the baby Hermes slipped out of his mother's sight and went searching for adventure. When he found himself in the pastures of the gods, Hermes impulsively stole 50 cows from Apollo. Though he had been in the world less than a day, Hermes already had smart, trickster mind. He disguised his tracks by crafting together “shoes” made of bark from a fallen oak tree. To make it even harder to track him, he confused the cows to make them walk backward in a sandy trail that would leave no tracks.

Still back story • Hermes came across an old man names Battusand wasn’t sure if he could trust the stranger. He disguised himself and returned, offering a reward for any news of the stolen cattle. Battus quickly sold him out, telling him what he knew, so Hermes punished the old man by turning him to stone.

… • At the river Alpheus, Hermes stopped to sacrifice two of the cows. He burned the hooves and heads to leave no trace of his actions. After hiding the cows, Hermes returned home, slipped through the keyhole, and lay down to sleep. Despite his attempted deception, Hermes did not fool Maia. His mother warned him that the gods would be angry at his pranks.

Apollo searched throughout the world, but could not find his cows. An omen led him to the cave where he found Hermes. The omen swore he was innocent, swearing by his father's head that he had not stolen the cows. According to the story, he did not even know what a cow was.

Apollo, told on Hermes to Zeus and charged him with theft.Even though Zeus found Hermes amusing, Zeus commanded Hermes to confess and lead Apollo to the herd. When Apollo spotted the two slaughtered cows, Hermes explained that he had divided the meat into 12 equal portions for the gods. Curious, Apollo asked who the twelfth god was. “Me, of course,” he said, this was the very first sacrifice of flesh to the gods.

While Apollo gathered his herd together, Hermes began playing on his new lyre. Hermes liked the music, the song that flattered Apollo for his cleverness, nobility, and generosity, the older god offered to exchange the entire herd of cattle for the younger god's lyre.

Hermes agreed, and immediately began building another musical instrument for his amusement. He used a reed-pipe this time. Equally charmed by this instrument, Apollo asked Hermes to name his terms for it. Hermes agreed to trade it for Apollo's golden staff and with it, the honor of being the god of herdsmen and shepherds as well as instruction from Apollo's old nurses in how to use pebbles to divine the future.

When Zeus called Hermes to Olympus to chide him for stealing and lying, Hermes promised he would never again lie if Zeus named him as his messenger and herald. Zeus quickly accepted this offer, and told his son that his duties would also include protecting travelers, promoting trade, and negotiating treaties.

To ensure rapid delivery of his messages, Zeus presented Hermes with golden winged sandals as swift as the wind. He also gave the young god a round hat to protect him from rain and a herald's staff. Zeus's brother Hades soon asked Hermes to serve as his herald as well. As the herald of death, Hermes thereafter gently collected and guided the dead to the Underworld.

You may Also know… • You may also know Hermes from the classic Disney movie Hercules .

And • You may also recognise his winged sandals from other greek stories, and in the movie Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief.

ENG2D-Unit 1 Mythology/News Report I