Roman Mercury
Hermes
Messenger of the Gods, Travellers & Trade
The swift and clever messenger of the gods, patron of travellers, merchants, shepherds and thieves, and the guide of souls to the underworld.
- Caduceus
- Winged sandals
- Traveller’s hat
The fallen god
Hephaestus was born lame, and in one version Hera was so ashamed of her son that she threw him from Olympus. He fell into the sea and was raised by the sea nymphs Thetis and Eurynome. In another, Zeus hurled him from the heavens for taking Hera’s side in a quarrel, and he fell for a whole day before landing on the island of Lemnos.
The divine craftsman
In his workshop, sometimes placed beneath volcanoes, Hephaestus made the palaces of the gods, Zeus’ thunderbolts and sceptre and the armour of Achilles. He built golden handmaidens who could think and speak, and the bronze giant Talos to guard Crete. At Zeus’ command he also shaped Pandora, the first woman, from clay.
Key myths
- His revenge on Hera with a golden throne that trapped her
- Catching Aphrodite and Ares in an invisible net
- Forging the shield of Achilles
- Creating Pandora
Worship
Smiths and craftsmen held him in special honour. The best-preserved temple in Greece, overlooking the Agora of Athens, was dedicated to him and Athena, and Athenians honoured him with torch races at his festival, the Hephaisteia.
Epithets
The Greeks called on their gods by many titles, each one a different side of their power.
- Klytotechnes, famed for his art
- Amphigyeeis, lame in both legs
- Polymetis, of many skills
Keep exploring
More gods of the pantheon
- Roman Bacchus
Dionysus
God of Wine, Festivity & Theatre
The god of wine, ecstasy and theatre, twice born and the only Olympian with a mortal mother.
- Thyrsus
- Grapevine
- Ivy
- Roman Jupiter
Zeus
King of the Gods, Sky & Thunder
Ruler of Mount Olympus and god of the sky, thunder, law and order, who overthrew the Titans and divided the cosmos with his brothers.
- Thunderbolt
- Sceptre
- Oak tree
