Mercury (mythology) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mercury |
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| God of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery, merchants, thieves | |
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Mercurius by Artus Quellinus the Elder
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| Planet | Mercury |
| Symbol | Caduceus, winged sandals, winged hat, tortoise, ram and rooster |
| Day | Wednesday |
| Personal information | |
| Consort | Larunda |
| Children | Lares |
| Parents | Maia and Jupiter or Caelus and Dies (Cicero and Hyginus) |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek equivalent | Hermes |
| Hinduism equivalent | Budha |
| Norse equivalent | Wodin |
Mercury is a major god in Roman religion and mythology, being one of the 12 Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon.
He is the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication (including divination), travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves; he also serves as the guide of souls to the underworld.
He was considered the son of Maia, one of the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas, and Jupiter in Roman mythology.
In his earliest forms, he appears to have been related to the Etruscan deity Turms; both gods share characteristics with the Greek god Hermes.
He is often depicted holding the caduceus in his left hand. Similar to his Greek equivalent Hermes, he was awarded a magic wand by Apollo, which later turned into the caduceus, the staff with intertwined snakes.
Related pages
- Hermes - Greek mythology version of Mercury.
Images for kids
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Mercury portrait on a bronze Semuncia (215–211 BC)
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Seated Hermes, excavated at the Villa of the Papyri.
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Mercury as the winged messenger on a 1949 St. Lucia stamp issued in connection with the Universal Postal Union
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Hendrik Goltzius: Mercury, with his symbols
