"Hermes: Guide of Souls"
by Brenda Sutton

You dwell in the compelling road of no return, by the Kokytos*,
and you guide the souls of mortals to the nether gloom...
you frequent the sacred house of Persephone as guide throughout
the earth of ill-fated souls
which you bring to their heaven when their time has come,
charming them with your sacred wand and giving them sleep
from which you rouse them again.

— Orphic Hymn

*A tributary of the Styx in the Underworld

A good guide shows up on time and is easy to spot, even in a crowd, and Hermes is the best of guides. He is easy to identify with his snake-entwined staff, a gift from Apollo, called the kadukeus. (Originally, this staff was a herald's wand called a kerykeion and signified commerce. Mortal heralds, who claimed hereditary divine descent from Hermes via Zeus and Maia, were more than simple messengers. These ambassadors fulfilled vital political, military and religious functions. All doors and gates unlocked for them, their tasks were beyond compromise, their word beyond reproach. The office of herald took on mystical importance, and those who carried the kerykeion were honored in Homeric society.)

Life on the road isn't easy, and Hermes dresses for his job in the wide-brimmed style of cap called a petasos. Farmers and travelers in classic times donned this floppy hat for protection from the rain, wind and sun, though theirs were usually made of leather or wool. Hermes' petasos, being that of a god, is fashioned of gold and has magical wings that compliment his winged boots. He also wears the proper traveler's half cloak or chlamys; anything longer would get tangled in the fancy footgear. His totems include the cockerel, herald of the morning, a ram or goat symbolizing fertility, and a tortoise from whose shell he invented the lyre. The wily but beneficent god is celebrated on the fourth day of every month, and also receives special honors on the last day of the Anthesteria festival in early spring. Hail him as Agreiphontes (slayer of the many-eyed Argus); Enodios (wanderer); Eriounios (luck bringer); and CaridwthV (giver of joy).

Tarot One, the Magician, is called the Lord of Chance after Hermes, the patron of serendipity, beneficial synchronicity, and accidental encounter. An unexpected find was known as a hermeia— a "gift of Hermes." Indirect communication with this god is recommended, for direct discourse usually mean a message from more powerful gods than Hermes (rarely a good thing) — or he's come to usher you elsewhere (also not a good thing.) Being the god of tricksters, chance and marketplaces, his oracular system of divination called the kledon refected his complex and whimsical character:

"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... 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, Guide to Greece 7.22.2

Splendid Hermes,
busy guide, minister, and messenger,
giver of good things,
guileless and glorious,
greet me with a smile as I depart this earthly life.
May I walk in gratitude with thee
along the pathway to the next world.

The lekythos (pitcher-shaped jar) pictured above is a fine example of a Greek grave gift from about 430 BCE. Most "white-ground" artwork has not survived, as the fragile paint rubs off easily. This lekythos once held olive oil, and portrays an appropriate image. It shows the god Hermes seated on a rock awaiting a woman preparing to leave for the Underworld. Behind her is faintly visible the cylindrical marker of her own grave tied with black ribbons. Here the god Hermes serves his function as Psychopompos Guide of Souls, safely leading her into the realm of the dead. Hermai or herms, rural boundaries or mile-stones carved with the head and phallus of Hermes, guide travelers in life, ensure fertility of the herds and flocks, and bring luck. They were erected at boundaries, crossroads and in gymnasia.

Detail of Hermes from a painting of Zeus dispatching the messenger gods Iris and Hermes. It is probably an illustration of a scene described in the Iliad. Hermes is shown holding a herald's wand or kerykeion and wearing winged boots and cloak or chlamys.

Sarpedon, the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, fought and died in the Trojan War. This vase painting shows Hermes supervising at center as the deities Sleep (Hynos) and Death (Thanatos), both dressed as warriors, lift up Sarpedon's bleeding body to prepare it for the funeral. All the characters are marked with their names.

Prayers and songs to Hermes
Poetic epithets of Hermes
More info on Hermes

Brenda Sutton is the publisher of Mythic Passages, Operations Director, Corporate Secretary, and Office Administrator for Mythic Imagination Institute. She is an award-winning singer/songwriter with the internationally reknown band Three Weird Sisters. She works in a support and consultant capacity for the non-profit music organization Interfilk, and maintains their website. She is freelance writer whose work has appeared in newspapers and magazines. She is also the mother of five, grandmother of two.