Hermes: The Trickster
Hermes, son of Zeus, is one of the twelve Olympian Gods in Greek Mythology. He's described as: "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" in the Homeric Hymn dedicated to Hermes (ll. 1-29). Of all of his attributes, I find that he being a deceptive trickster stands out the most. Greek Mythology tells the story of other deceptive characters, but none of them come close to the level of Hermes.
Hermes was a devious character since the day of his birth when he stole the cattle of Apollo. When confronted by Apollo, Hermes told him: "I cannot give news of them, nor win the reward for news. Am I like a cattle-liter, a stalwart person? This is no task for me: rather I care for other things: I care for sleep, and milk of my mother's breast, and wrappings round my shoulders, and warm baths" (Homeric Hymn, ll. 260-277). Here, Hermes denies that he had......
View the rest of this paper...
Approximate Word Count: 651
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)
Why should you join Frat Files?
- - It's safe, secure, and private.
- - Instant access to over 100,000 papers. New papers are added hourly.
- - Fast and reliable customer support.
Similar Essays
-
Hermes: The Trickster
Hermes: The trickster. Hermes, son of Zeus, is one of the twelve Olympian
Gods in Greek Mythology. He's described as: "blandly cunning ... -
The Trickster
... The Trickster of Greek mythology was a God by the name of Hermes. Once again
we see a sort of bridge between the average man and the gods. ... -
Greek Myths
... Each story conveys a different characteristic that a trickster displays. In
the story of Hermes, the characteristic displayed is cunning. ... -
The Trickster In Myth
... The Trickster in Myth Trickster myths, a significant part of most cultures if not
all ... The ancient Greeks had Hermes, the Chinese the Monkey King, and the Native ... -
Stuff
... the ancient Greeks had similar stories dealing with the character Hermes (Doty and ...
It seems as though the trickster story hent this human characteristic in ...
Frat Files
Members
Information
