"The mythology and information about the Roman God Mercury
A major deity and one of the 12 Olympian Gods
Jurisdiction: Mercury was described as being the Roman God of Finance, gymnasts, thieves merchants and commerce and the Messenger of the Gods
Mythology: Mythical Family Tree or Relatives: He was believed to be the Messenger of the Gods. Mercury was the son of Jupiter and of Maia who was the daughter of the Titan Atlas. The month of May was named after his mother Maia
Depiction / Description / Symbol: winged sandals, a winged hat and carried a magic wand.
Name of equivalent Greek God: Hermes
Matralia was the "Festival of Mercury" and celebrated during the summer
Roman Mythology and Information about Mercury
Mercury (Hermes), was the son of Jupiter and Maia. He presided over commerce, wrestling and other gymnastic exercises He was also the god of thieves and everything which required skill and dexterity. He was the messenger of Jupiter, and wore a winged cap and winged shoes. He bore in his hand a rod, or magic wand, entwined with two serpents, called the Caduceus. This Roman god is said to have invented the lyre. Four hours after his birth he found the shell of a tortoise, made holes in the opposite edges of it, and drew cords of linen through them making the musical instrument was complete. There were nine cords in honor of the nine Muses. He gave the lyre to Apollo and received from him in exchange for the magic wand, the caduceus."
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"Mercury did not appear among the numinous di indigetes of early Roman religion. Rather, he subsumed the earlier Dei Lucrii as Roman religion was syncretized with Greek religion during the time of the Roman Republic, starting around the 4th century BC. From the beginning, Mercury had essentially the same aspects as Hermes, wearing winged shoes talaria and a winged petasos, and carrying the caduceus, a herald's staff with two entwined snakes that was Apollo's gift to Hermes. He was often accompanied by a cockerel, herald of the new day, a ram or goat, symbolizing fertility, and a tortoise, referring to Mercury's legendary invention of the lyre from a tortoise shell.
Like Hermes, he was also a messenger of the gods and a god of trade, particularly of the grain trade. Mercury was also considered a god of abundance and commercial success, particularly in Gaul. He was also, like Hermes, the Romans' psychopomp, leading newly-deceased souls to the afterlife. Additionally, Ovid wrote that Mercury carried Morpheus' dreams from the valley of Somnus to sleeping humans.[4]
Mercury's temple in the Circus Maximus, between the Aventine and Palatine hills, was built in 495 BC. This was a fitting place to worship a swift god of trade and travel, since it was a major center of commerce as well as a racetrack. Since it stood between the plebeian stronghold on the Aventine and the patrician center on the Palatine, it also emphasized the role of Mercury as a mediator.
Because Mercury was not one of the early deities surviving from the Roman Kingdom, he was not assigned a flamen ("priest"), but he did have a major festival on May 15, the Mercuralia. During the Mercuralia, merchants sprinkled water from his sacred well near the Porta Capena on their heads."
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