Mercury - Reston,VA
N 38° 57.529 W 077° 21.413
18S E 295782 N 4314848
The focal point of Fountain Square at the Reston Town Center in Reston, VA, is the sculpture of Mercury atop the marble fountain.
Waymark Code: WMJ7DY
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 10/06/2013
Views: 10
In Roman mythology, Mercury was the messenger of the gods and the protector of merchants, commerce, trade and financial gain, among other things like being the guide to the dead and protector of travelers, liars and thieves. Mercury was the youngest son of Jupiter and favored by Jupiter to because of Mercury's playful, friendly nature. He was smart, interesting, sociable, respected and loyal. Because of these qualities, Jupiter appointed Mercury to be the messenger of the gods. Among the gods, Mercury was always pulling pranks, like stealing Venus' girdle, Diana's arrows, and Mar's spear. However, he was so likeable that these gods always forgave him and continued to befriend him. Since he was always moving quickly from one place to another, Mercury is depicted as a runner with a hat or helmet with wings on each side his head and with shoes or sandals with wings near his ankles. His symbol of authority, his caduceus, was a short staff entwined by two snakes and topped with a set of wings. The belief was that he traveled so fast, his staff needed wings to stay up with him.
Mercury's relationship with humans was also important. Being the messenger of the gods, he represents "wisdom transmitted to man from divine sources." In science and medicine, Mercury had a planet named after him. The element mercury, which is a metal that is liquid at room temperature and thus fluid and moves easily, is given his name. The caduceus he carries is used to represent the element of mercury and of the healing sciences. He is also attributed as the father of several household goddesses. Sports teams often depict wings on their uniforms or corporations, especially those of the medical trade, embed a winged image into their logos.
In Greek mythology, Mercury was referred to as Hermes.
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