The glyph sits at the centre and the branches of Mercury's symbolism are arranged around it. Gods are shown in gold, archetypes in blue, traditions in green and narratives in red. Tap a branch and its explanation opens below the map.
HermesGreek mythology
Hermes is the son of Zeus and the Pleiad Maia. According to the Homeric Hymn, on the day he is born he climbs out of his cradle, steals Apollo's cattle and makes the lyre from a tortoise shell. The Greeks knew him as the messenger of the gods, and he also protected travellers, merchants, thieves and orators. Because he leads the souls of the dead to Hades he is called the psychopomp, the guide of souls. Hermes in the Greek family tree →
ThothEgyptian mythology
Thoth is the ibis-headed god who governs writing, reckoning, the calendar and magic in Egypt. As scribe of the gods he records the verdict when the heart is weighed at the scales of Maat. In one myth he plays a board game like draughts with the Moon and wins the five extra days of the year. The Greeks identified him with Hermes, and the figure of Hermes Trismegistus grew out of that identification. Thoth in the Egyptian family tree →
NabuBabylonian mythology
Nabu is the son of Marduk and is known as the scribe of the tablets of destiny. His cult centre is the city of Borsippa. In Babylonian astronomy the planet Mercury is counted as the star of Nabu, and both writing and prophecy fall within his domain. Nabu in the Mesopotamian family tree →
Odin and LokiNorse mythology
The Romans matched the Germanic god Wodan with Mercurius. The match survives in the name of the weekday, since Wednesday, Woden's day, is the day of Mercury. Odin stands for runes, poetry and shape-shifting. The trickster Loki carries Mercury's other face, the one that ignores boundaries, changes sex and lies. Loki in the Norse family tree →
Coyote and RavenNorth American tales
In Native American tales Coyote and Raven are the tricksters who bring fire, light and death to the world. They break the rules, and by breaking them they establish order. Mercury's trickster archetype takes its purest form in these two figures.
BudhaVedic astrology
In Vedic astrology Mercury is called Budha. According to the story, Budha is born from the secret union of the Moon god Chandra with Tara. He is the planet of intelligence, learning and trade, and Wednesday (Budhavara) is his day. Despite the similar name he should not be confused with the Buddha.
Messenger of the godsKerykeion and winged sandals
Mercury is the god who carries the message, not its source. He works as an intermediary and an interpreter. In the chart Mercury's work is the mind moving information from one place to another. Speech and writing are the tools of that movement.
The WordA world founded on speech
In the Memphite theology Ptah conceives the world in his heart and brings it into being by speaking it with his tongue. Thoth is the god who puts that word into writing, and the power of magical formulas comes from his mouth. In Babylon Nabu writes the tablets of destiny, so binding speech belongs to him. Greek philosophy names the same power logos and counts Hermes as its god. In this branch a spoken word is not a transfer of information but an act.
Craft and skillTechne and the making of tools
According to the Homeric Hymn, Hermes makes the lyre from a tortoise shell on the day he is born and later invents the shepherd's pipe. The Greek word techne covers both art and manual skill, and that field falls to Mercury. Hephaestus gives shape in the fire while Hermes designs the tool and teaches its use. Writing, measure, calculation and the musical instrument are products of the same branch of skill.
God of boundariesHerm stones and thresholds
The herm stones set up on Greek roads and at doorways belong to Hermes. They mark the boundary, the threshold and the crossroads. Mercury likewise always stands between two realms. He manages the passage between the living and the dead, between gods and mortals, and between buyer and seller.
Merchants and thievesMerx and mercatus
The name Mercurius shares its root with the Latin words merx (goods) and mercari (to trade). Commerce, bargaining, profit and fraud all gather in the hands of the same god. That is why Hermes protects merchants and thieves alike.
Guide of soulsPsychopomp and the unconscious
Hermes is the only Olympian who leads the souls of the dead down to Hades. He is also the one who brings Persephone back from the underworld. In depth psychology Mercury is read as the mediator who moves between consciousness and the unconscious. Dreams, intuition and the thought that waits on the threshold belong to that mediation.
Speech, the lie, cunningLogos and dolos
Hermes lies, breaks oaths and laughs when he is caught. Zeus does not punish him for it, and instead makes him the messenger. Mercury's tongue serves truth and falsehood with equal skill. Oratory, rhetoric and persuasion therefore fall within his domain.
Hermes TrismegistusHermetica and alchemy
In Hellenistic Egypt the fusion of Hermes and Thoth produced 'thrice-great Hermes', Hermes Trismegistus. Tradition attributes the Corpus Hermeticum and the Emerald Tablet to him, and the line 'as above, so below' comes from the Emerald Tablet. In this tradition astrology, alchemy and magic sit under one roof.
QuicksilverThe Mercurius of alchemy
The flowing metal takes its name from the planet, and it is also called quicksilver or, in Latin, argentum vivum. In alchemy Mercurius is the transforming principle that stands between sulphur and salt. It is volatile, changeable and of both sexes. In the body the nervous system, the tongue and the hands are assigned to Mercury.
The Magician (Tarot I)Le Bateleur, the card of the mediator
In the tarot the Magician stands at his table with the tools of the four elements. He raises one hand to heaven and points the other to earth, and in this way he shows the role of the mediator. In the Golden Dawn attribution the card is given to Mercury. The card is numbered one, because at the start of any work intention and instrument stand side by side.
HodThe eighth sephira in the Kabbalah
On the Tree of Life Hod, meaning Splendour, is the sphere of Mercury. It stands for mind, language and the giving of form. Facing it on the Tree is Netzach, the sphere of Venus, and together they hold the balance between measure and feeling. The work of Hod is to name the raw feeling that comes from Netzach and put it in order. The Golden Dawn tradition links this sphere to the number eight and to the eight-pointed star.
MagiciansThe magical papyri and the magician's trade
The Greek magical papyri found in Egypt often invoke Hermes at the head of a formula. In these texts the magician is the go-between who speaks with the god, and he works with words, names and letters. Lilly counts astrologers, scribes and those who deal in magic among the people of Mercury. In the Renaissance Ficino and Agrippa continue the same tradition and place natural magic in Mercury's field.
Gemini and VirgoThe signs it rules
Mercury rules two signs. In airy Gemini it shows the mind that talks, makes connections and scatters easily. In earthy Virgo the same mind sifts, classifies and corrects. The twinship of Castor and Pollux tells of this double nature. The Dioscuri →
Apollo's cattleHomeric Hymn
According to the Homeric Hymn, Hermes is one day old when he steals fifty of Apollo's cows, driving them backwards so that the tracks mislead. He sacrifices two of them, then returns to his cradle and lies there like an innocent baby. When he is caught he hands Apollo the lyre and keeps the herd for himself. Tradition remembers this exchange as the first bargain in mythology.