Domain: Messenger, commerce, communication, travelers, thieves Symbol: Caduceus, winged sandals, winged hat, rooster Greek Equivalent: Hermes
Overview
Mercury is the Roman god of commerce, communication, and travelers, and the messenger of the gods. Swift and eloquent, he governs trade, profit, and the passage of messages between mortals and the divine, and — like his Greek counterpart Hermes — he also guides the souls of the dead down to the underworld as a psychopomp. His very name binds him to exchange: the Latin merx and mercari, "merchandise" and "to trade," stand behind both his name and the English words "merchant," "commerce," and "mercantile."
His attributes mark him as a god of swiftness and speech. He carries the caduceus, the herald's staff entwined with two serpents; wears the winged sandals (talaria) that carry him faster than thought and the winged traveller's cap (petasus); and often bears a purse or money-bag that underscores his commercial character. The rooster, herald of the dawn, is sacred to him. Fittingly, he was honored under titles that catch his double role in words and money, as Mercury the speaker and Mercury the man of business.
His worship centered on trade. The Mercuralia, on May 15th, was above all a merchants' festival: traders drew water from his sacred spring near the Porta Capena and sprinkled themselves and their wares with it, praying for forgiveness of past deceptions and for profit in those to come. His temple on the Aventine Hill, dedicated in 495 BCE, stood as the cult center of the merchant class and was closely tied to the guild of traders whose interests he protected.
Against the Greek Hermes, Mercury is weighted toward commerce and eloquence and away from the trickster mischief so prominent in Greek myth — the infant who stole Apollo's cattle on the day of his birth. The Roman god keeps the speed, cunning, and the role of divine messenger and guide of souls, but wears them with a more dignified, businesslike air: the patron of honest gain rather than the sly thief of the cradle.
Related
- Hermes - Greek equivalent
- The Magician - The Mercury-ruled Major Arcana card of communication, eloquence, and exchange
- Roman Mythology Index