In ancient Rome, the cult of the god Mercury was born when the State to establish trade relations with other nations.First Mercury was the god of grain and grain trade business, then he became the patron of shopkeepers and small sellers, retailers and commercial success.Mercury is the god depicted with a big purse.
officially in the pantheon of Roman gods Mercury, son of the supreme god Jupiter and the spring goddess Maia Mayestas was adopted about 495 BC.The Ides of May this year in Rome on the Aventine Hill was consecrated a temple dedicated to the deity, and on May 15 was the day of the festival in honor of the god Mercury.Traders trading praise God, sacrificed themselves and irrigated with water from the holy spring, washing away so guilty for lying and fraud.
Over time, the Greek god Hermes was identified with Mercury, and then the second was the herald and messenger of the gods, guide of souls, guardian of sailors and travelers.Since Mercury - god in the winged sandals, a winged hat road, with a rod-holding caduceus.
There is a myth about the appearance of the caduceus.When the god Mercury was still a newborn, he decided to steal cows of Apollo, whose second pass in Macedonia.Mercury, hiding from his mother, quietly out of the cradle and headed for the exit of the grotto.There he found a turtle, caught her and made from the shells and several bull his first string lyre, cittern.Musical instrument Mercury (God) took to bed, and he quickly like the wind, flew into the valley, where herds of Apollo.After a while the golden-haired and srebroluky God knew who stole his cows.To reconcile, Mercury gave it emits a beautiful sound of the lyre.And Apollo gave Hermes a cane.When the god of trade saw the snake's den and fighting snakes in it, he threw them into the cane.Reptiles wrapped around a staff, and there was the rod-Caduceus - a symbol of reconciliation.
ancient Romans believed that Mercury - god, symbolizing the transition from one state to another, and thus gives him various additional skills and responsibilities.Thus, it is sometimes called a steel psychopomps - conductor of souls, because it accompanies the dead from the realm of the living to the underworld Pluto.Swift-winged god helped people fall asleep, so there is one more name - Oneykopomp - suggestive of dreams.
Mercury - god of not only trade, but also the patron of deception, cunning and theft, because it allows all the money and goods to pass from one hand to another.Of course, Mercury - god mediator between mortals and the inhabitants of Mount Olympus.It transmits commands and desires of the people of the gods, and brings back the same prayers, gifts and sacrifices.Hermes was the god of eloquence, passing the audience thought the speaker.
Over time, he became the patron of fighters schools - gymnasium, because in the fight athletes share their own.Mercury also supports athletes and gymnasts.Statues depicting fast god, installed in all the places where sports were held.
Mercury - god of the most active and hardworking, he has a lot of responsibilities, but for this he was a favorite, and the inhabitants of Mount Olympus and the mortals.People immortalized the name of Mercury, named after him the fastest planet.
