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the pin around which the knot had been tied. In either case, Alexander
took quick and decisive action to solve an intractable problem.Mercurial (adjective)- Liable to sudden and unpredictable change; volatile; erratic.
- Animated, lively, quick-witted.
z The word mercurial is related to Hermes, the Greek god of
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with the Roman god Mercury. Hermes was the son of Zeus and
Maia and was a trickster from the day he was born.
ż Within minutes of his birth, Hermes grew into a small boy
and snuck out of his cradle. Outside, he came upon a herd
of cows owned by Apollo, god of the sun. Hermes stole the
cattle and returned home. He then slaughtered two of the beasts
and strung the cow gut across a tortoise shell to fashion a new
instrument—the lyre.ż Apollo tracked Hermes down and hauled him before a council
of the gods on Mount Olympus, accusing the boy of the
theft and slaughter of his cattle. In his own defense, Hermes
explained that the day before, when he had been born, he was
too young to know right from wrong. But 24 hours later, he had
matured, gained wisdom, and realized the error of his ways.ż Hermes asked for forgiveness and promised that he would
return the rest of the cattle; regarding the two cows he had
killed, Hermes said that he would cut them up into 12 equal
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pointed out that there were only 11 Olympian gods, Hermes
declared that he himself was the 12th!ż A bit later, Apollo demanded to have Hermes’s tortoiseshell
lyre. Hermes said that he would give Apollo the lyre if he could
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