Hermes
“…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.”
God of boundaries and the travelers who cross them
God of Orators and wit, of literature and poets
Liminal Points
Messenger from the Gods
An interpreter who bridges the boundaries with strangers
Hermeneutics is the art of interpreting esoteric meaning
The escort to the Underworld – The only God other than Hades and Persephone who could enter and leave the Underworld without hindrance
Son of Zeus and Maia – the Eldest Pleiade
Loyal to Zeus
Rooster and Tortoise are his symbols
Epithets
Mercury, Roman equiv.
Charidotes, giver of charm
Diaktoros, the messenger
Eriounios, luck bringer
Psychopompos, conveyor of souls
He is seen to be manifest in any kind of interchange, transfer, transcendence, transition.
Herma – wayside marker pile of stones, each traveler added a stone to the pile.