This week a few new things have come to my attention. Firstly, whilst reading Vernant’s chapter on Hestia and Hermes in his Myth and Thought among the Greeks, (London 1983, 127-75), he states that Hermes is an extremely complicated character, because of all the epithets and roles he has in the Greek Pantheon. I believe that this directly links back to the Homeric hymn being written much later than all the other sources, and that as these other godly personas were linked into one whole the hymn was then written as Hermes became more important. Secondly, that Hermes was paired in the Greek pantheon with Hestia, she appears from all intents and purposes to be the exact Binary opposite of Hermes. That being there isn’t much to her as a character. Her only major role being that of the hearth, something that was located in every Greek dwelling place, and also her not appearing in myths very often, if at all. So for Vernant Hermes was the exact binary opposite of Hestia, Hermes being of movable space and Hestia being of fixed space. They were also depicted with each other, as well as being inside the home, Hestia as the hearth and outside, Hermes as the Herms, they were put together in at least one market place in ancient Greece, known from a source by Pausanias;
"The market-place of Pharai [in Akhaia] is of wide extent after the ancient fashion, and in the middle of it is an image of Hermes, made of stone and bearded. Standing right on the earth, it is of square shape and of no great size. On it is an inscription, saying that it was dedicated by Simylos the Messenian. It is called Hermes Agoraios (of the Market), and by it is established an oracle. In front of the image is placed a hearth, which also is of stone, and to the hearth bronze lamps are fastened with lead. Coming at eventide, the inquirer of the god, having burnt incense upon the hearth, filled the lamps with oil and lighted them, puts on the altar on the right of the image a local coin, called a 'copper,' and asks in the ear of the god the particular question he wishes to put to him. After that he stops his ears and leaves the marketplace. On coming outside he takes his hands from his ears, and whatever utterance he hears he considers oracular." Pausanias, Description of Greece 7. 22. 2
Hyde takes a more concise approach to his scholarly view on Hermes, stating that he is a trickster god, much akin to Loki or Coyote from other myths and cultures; he sees everything Hermes accomplishes as coming from a need to eat (Hyde 2008: 34-38). This shows that Hermes was simply just not happy with what he had been given in life, as the illegitimate son of Zeus and a possible courtesan mother Maia who was a nymph.
Another subject that came up during the lecture was that Apollo was a feared and powerful god, obviously arriving before Hermes on Olympus. I actually think that Hermes was a counter check to Apollo’s power as well, taking on some of his roles, and an even vaster array than that, though he is never considered a powerful warrior, he was able to trick Apollo in his Homeric Hymn. He took on Apollo’s shepherding of flocks and was able to get the ability to divination by pebbles. He was also able to move freely to Hades and back unhindered, something not many of the other gods could do.
Bibliography
Hyde, L, ‘Trickster Makes this World: How Disruptive Imagination Creates Culture’, Canongate Books, 2008
Shelmerdine, S, ‘The Homeric Hymns’, Focus Publishing, 1995
Vernant, J.P, ‘Myth and Thought among the Greeks’, MIT Press, 2006
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