232 Pages 21 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    232 Pages 21 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Hermes redresses the gap in modern English scholarship on this fascinating and complex god, presenting its readers with an introduction to Hermes’ social, religious and political importance through discussions of his myths, iconography and worship. It also brings together in one place an integrated survey of his reception and interpretation in contemporaneous neighbouring cultures in antiquity as well as discussion of his reception in the post-classical periods up to the present day. This volume is an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to explore the many facets of Hermes’ myth, worship and reception.

    List of Figures

    Series Foreword

    Acknowledgements

    Abbreviations and Conventions

    Map of Greece

    Genealogical table

    Foreword: Why Hermes?

    Introducing Hermes

    Origins and Name

    Image

    Myth

    Cult

    Making Connections, Building Relationships

    Overview

    PART 1: KEY THEMES

    Chapteer 1: Talents

    Mêtis

    Stealth

    Creativity

    Propriety

    Overview

    Chapter 2: Transmissions

    Divine Messenger, Zeus’ Herald

    Leader of Dreams

    Hermeneus/Hermeneutês

    Didaskalos

    Rhêtor (Orator)

    Overview

    Chapter 3: Transitions

    Divine Guide

    Protector of Persons

    Protector of Places

    Protector of Property

    Maturation

    Overview

    Chapter 4: Transactions

    Dôtor Eaôn: ‘Giver of Good’

    Hermes Agoraios

    Hermes Phêlêtês

    Overview

    Chapter 5: Transgressions

    The Thief

    The Trickster

    Verbal Deception

    Visual Deception

    Immodesty and Excess

    Trickster Tricked

    Gamer and Player

    Overview

    Chapter 6: Transcendence

    Zeus’ Herma

    Zeus’ Spokesman

    Zeus’ Delighter

    Zeus’ Networker

    Zeus’ Humane Face

    Overview

    Chapter 7: Translations

    Hermes goes West

    Roman Mercury

    Literary Mercury

    Political Mercury

    ‘Interpretatio Romana’

    Hermes goes East

    Mesopotamian/Babylonian ‘Hermes’

    Egyptian Hermes

    Overview

    PART 2: AFTERWARDS

    Chapter 8: Transformations I: Other Mercurys

    Allegorical Hermes/Mercury

    Astrological Hermes/Mercury

    Magical Hermes/Mercury

    Alchemical Hermes/Mercury

    Overview

    Chapter 9: Transformations II: Popular Culture

    Visualising Hermes

    Comics and Animation

    Stage and Screen

    Poetry and Prose

    Appropriations

    Philosophy

    Psychology

    Etymology

    Commerce

    Emblems and Advertisers

    Mass Communication

    Further Reading

    Bibliography

    Index

    Biography

    Arlene Allan is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Classics at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Her research and teaching interests include Ancient Greek socio-religious history, Athenian drama and the interface between Graeco-Roman religion and early Christianity. She is co-author, with Ian C. Storey, of A Guide to Ancient  Greek Drama (2005, rev’d 2nd edn 2014) and sole author of several articles and book chapters in these subject  areas.

    "Hermes, messenger of the gods, guide for the dead, deity of the marketplace, all-round trickster and protector of thieves, is hard to pin down. If there is one quality that defines him, though, it is his gentleness, his lightness of touch. Arlene Allan herself covers a lot of ground lightly, offering a svelte introduction to the ancient cults of Hermes, his role in myth, and his reception from antiquity to the present. I thoroughly recommend this book."

    - Barbara Graziosi, Durham University, UK

     

     

    "Allan succeeds in categorizing and illustrating the many and varied aspects of Hermes/Mercury to the reader. She has comprehensively searched the ancient literary sources for references to this deity and presents them clearly ... she has managed to show the different facets of the God Hermes from his childhood on. The book is recommended for all who want to learn about Hermes and Mercury and are interested in the figure’s reception from the Middle Ages to the present day."

    - Bärbel Ruhl, University of Marburg, Germany, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2019