CHAPTER12
HERMES
THE BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD OF HERMES
The Homeric Hymn to Hermes (18) concentrates upon the story (repeated at the
beginning of the much more lengthy and important hymn that follows) of how
Zeus became the father of Hermes as the result of his union with Maia, one of
the Pleiades, the daughters of Atlas and Pleione.f
l sing about Hermes, the Cyllenian slayer of Argus, lord of Mt. Cyllene and
Arcadia rich in flocks, the messenger of the gods and bringer of luck, whom
Maia, the daughter of Atlas, bore, after uniting in love with Zeus. She in her
modesty shunned the company of the blessed gods and lived in a shadowy cave;
here the son of Cronus used to make love to this nymph of the beautiful hair in
the dark of night, without the knowledge of immortal gods and mortal humans,
when sweet sleep held white-armed Hera fast.
So hail to you, son of Zeus and Maia. After beginning with you, I shall turn
to another hymn. Hail, Hermes, guide and giver of grace and other good things.The more famous Homeric Hymn to Hermes (4) tells the story of the god's
birth and childhood with delightful charm and disarming candor; here is a most
artful depiction of this mischievous divine child, who invents the lyre and steals
Apollo's cattle:f
Sing, O Muse, of the son of Zeus and Maia, lord of Mt. Cyllene and Arcadia rich
in flocks, the messenger of the gods and bringer of luck, whom Maia of the beau-
tiful hair bore after uniting in love with Zeus. She in her modesty shunned the
company of the blessed gods and lived within a shadowy cave; here the son of
Cronus joined in love with this nymph of the beautiful hair in the dark of night,
without the knowledge of immortal gods and mortal humans, while sweet sleep
held white-armed Hera fast. But when the will of Zeus had been accomplished
and her tenth month was fixed in the heavens, she brought forth to the light a
child, and a remarkable thing was accomplished; for the child whom she bore
was devious, winning in his cleverness, a robber, a driver of cattle, a guide of
dreams, a spy in the night, a watcher at the door, who soon was about to man-
ifest renowned deeds among the immortal gods.
Maia bore him on the fourth day of the month. He was born at dawn, by
midday he was playing the lyre, and in the evening he stole the cattle of far-
shooting Apollo. After he leaped forth from the immortal limbs of his mother,