The glyph at the centre, the branches of Mercury's symbolism around it: gods (gold), archetypes (blue), traditions (green) and narratives (red). Tap a branch and its explanation opens on the right.
HermesGreek
Son of Zeus and the Pleiad Maia; on the day he is born he climbs out of his cradle, steals Apollo's cattle and makes the lyre from a tortoise shell. Messenger of the gods, patron of travellers, merchants, thieves and orators; the psychopomp who leads souls to Hades. Hermes in the Greek family tree →
ThothEgyptian
Ibis-headed god of writing, reckoning, the calendar and magic; scribe of the gods, the one who records the verdict at the scales of Maat. He wins five extra days from the Moon at senet. The Greeks identified him with Hermes; the root of Hermes Trismegistus. Thoth in the Egyptian family tree →
NabuBabylonian
Son of Marduk, scribe of the tablets of destiny, lord of Borsippa. In Babylonian astronomy the planet Mercury is the star of Nabu; he carries writing and prophecy. Nabu in the Mesopotamian family tree →
Odin and LokiNorse
The Romans matched the Germanic Wodan with Mercurius; Wednesday (Woden's day) is Mercury's day. Odin stands for runes, poetry and shape-shifting; the trickster Loki is Mercury's boundless, gender-changing, lying face. Loki in the Norse family tree →
Coyote and RavenNorth America
In Native American tales Coyote and Raven are the tricksters who bring fire, light and death to the world; they establish order by breaking the rules. The purest form of Mercury's trickster archetype.
BudhaHindu
In Vedic astrology Mercury (Budha) is born of the secret union of the Moon god Chandra with Tara; the planet of intelligence, learning and trade, Wednesday (Budhavara) is his day. Not to be confused with the Buddha.
Messenger of the godsKerykeion, winged sandals
Mercury carries the message but is not the message: he is the intermediary, the translator, the interpreter. The mind moving information from one place to another, speech and writing, is Mercury's work in the chart.
God of boundariesHerm stones, thresholds
The herm stones set up on Greek roads and at doors belong to Hermes: boundary, threshold, crossroads. Mercury stands between two realms; between the living and the dead, gods and mortals, buyer and seller.
Merchants and thievesMercatus, merx
The name Mercurius shares its root with Latin merx (goods) and mercari (to trade). Commerce, bargaining, profit and fraud are in the hands of the same god; Hermes protects merchants and thieves alike.
Guide of soulsPsychopomp, the unconscious
Hermes is the only Olympian who leads the souls of the dead down to Hades; he also brings Persephone back from the underworld. In depth psychology Mercury is the mediator between consciousness and the unconscious: dream, intuition, the thought that stands on the threshold.
Speech, the lie, cunningLogos and dolos
Hermes lies, breaks oaths and laughs when caught; Zeus does not punish him for it but makes him the messenger. Mercury's tongue serves truth and falsehood with equal skill; oratory, rhetoric and persuasion are his domain.
Hermes TrismegistusHermetica, alchemy
'Thrice-great Hermes', born in Hellenistic Egypt from the fusion of Hermes and Thoth; the legendary author of the Corpus Hermeticum and the Emerald Tablet ('as above, so below'). Astrology, alchemy and magic under one roof.
QuicksilverThe Mercurius of alchemy
The flowing metal takes its name from the planet (quicksilver, argentum vivum). In alchemy Mercurius is the transforming principle between sulphur and salt: volatile, changeable, of both sexes. In the body the nervous system, tongue and hands belong to Mercury.
The Magician (Tarot I)Le Bateleur, Hod
In the tarot the Magician stands at his table with the tools of the four elements, one hand to heaven and one to earth: the mediator. In the Golden Dawn attribution it is Mercury's card; in Kabbalah the sephira Hod (Splendour), the sphere of intellect and speech.
Gemini and VirgoThe signs it rules
Mercury rules two signs: in airy Gemini the mind that talks, connects and scatters; in earthy Virgo the mind that sifts, classifies and corrects. The twinship of Castor and Pollux tells of Mercury's double nature. The Dioscuri →
Apollo's cattleHomeric Hymn
One-day-old Hermes steals fifty of Apollo's cows by driving them backwards so the tracks mislead, sacrifices two, returns to his cradle and lies there like an innocent baby. Caught, he hands over the lyre and keeps the herd: the first exchange, the first bargain.