The messenger god Mercury was adopted into the Ancient Roman pantheon of gods, from Greek religion, as early as the 4th century BC. Merged with the Etruscan god Turms, Mercury was the god of trade, of boundaries, of shepherds, and the messenger god, relaying messages between gods, between gods and mortals, and guiding souls between worlds. Worship of Mercury/Hermes can be traced back to the 15th-13th century BC, with his name found on Linear B inscriptions. Often depicted in Roman art as youthful and beardless, much of his iconography was carried over from the Greek tradition into the Roman, including the winged sandals (talaria), hat (petasos), the purse, and the caduceus. As a messenger and herald, Mercury/Hermes appears in numerous mythological episodes, such as the killing of Argos.
To find out more about Roman gods, please visit our relevant blog post: Roman Gods in Mythology.
