In ancient Rome, the cult of the god Mercury originated when the state began trade relations with other peoples. At first, Mercury was the god of grain business and trade in grain, then he became the patron of shopkeepers and small sellers, retail trade and commercial success. The god Mercury was depicted with a large purse.
Officially, in the pantheon of the ancient Roman gods, Mercury, the son of the supreme god Jupiter and the spring goddess Maya Mayestas, was adopted around 495 BC. On the Ides of May of this year, a temple dedicated to the deity was consecrated in Rome on the Aventine Hill, and May 15 became the day of the festival in honor of the god Mercury. Traders praised the god of trade, made sacrifices and irrigated themselves with water from a sacred spring, thus washing away the guilt of lying and fraud.
Over time, the Greek god Hermes was identified with Mercury, and then the second became the messenger and herald of the gods, the guide of souls, the guardian of sailors and travelers. Since then, Mercury has been a god in winged sandals, a winged travel cap, with a caduceus wand inhands.
There is a myth about the appearance of the caduceus. When the god Mercury was still a newborn, he decided to steal the cows from Apollo, which the second grazed in Macedonia. Mercury, hiding from his mother, quietly got out of the cradle and headed for the exit from their grotto. There he found a tortoise, caught it and made his first cithara lyre out of a shell and several bull strings. The musical instrument Mercury (god) took to bed, and he quickly, like the wind, flew into the valley where the flock of Apollo was grazing. After some time, the golden-haired and silver-armed god found out who had stolen his cows. To reconcile, Mercury gave him a lyre that makes beautiful sounds. And Apollo gave the cane to Hermes. When the god of trade saw the serpent's lair and the snakes fighting in it, he threw his cane at them. The reptiles wrapped themselves around the staff, and so the caduceus rod appeared - a symbol of reconciliation.
The ancient Romans believed that Mercury is a god, personifying the transition from one state to another, and therefore endowed him with various additional skills and responsibilities. So, he was sometimes called the Psychopomp - the conductor of souls, because he accompanies the dead from the kingdom of the living to the underworld of Pluto. The swift-winged god helped people fall asleep, so another name appears - Oneikopomp - inducing dreams.
Mercury is not only the god of trade, but also the patron of deceit, resourcefulness and theft, since all this allows money and goods to pass from one hand to another. Of course, Mercury is the intermediary god between mere mortals andinhabitants of Olympus. He conveys to people the commands and desires of the gods, and brings back prayers, gifts and sacrifices. Hermes was also the god of eloquence, conveying the thoughts of the speaker to the audience.
Over time, he became the patron of wrestlers' schools - gymnasiums, because during the struggle, athletes exchange their strength. Mercury also supported athletes and gymnasts. Statues depicting the fast god were installed in all places where sports were held.
Mercury is the most active and hardworking god, he has a lot of responsibilities, but for this he was a favorite of both the inhabitants of Olympus and mortals. People immortalized the name of Mercury by naming the fastest planet after it.
