Mercury (mythology)
| Mercury | |
|---|---|
God of commerce, eloquence, messages, communication, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery, financial gain, merchants, thieves | |
| Member of the Dii Consentes | |
| Planet | Mercury |
| Symbol | Caduceus, winged sandals, winged hat, tortoise, ram and rooster |
| Day | Wednesday (dies Mercurii) |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Jupiter and Maia or Caelus and Dies (Cicero and Hyginus) |
| Consort | Larunda |
| Children | Lares |
| Equivalents | |
| Etruscan | Turms |
| Greek | Hermes |
| Egyptian | Thoth or Anubis |
| Celtic | Lugus |
| Religion in ancient Rome |
|---|
| Practices and beliefs |
| Priesthoods |
| Deities |
| Related topics |
Mercury (/ˈmɜːrkjʊri/; Latin: Mercurius [mɛrˈkʊrijʊs] ⓘ) is a major god in Roman religion and mythology, being one of the 12 Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon. He is the god of boundaries, commerce, communication (including divination), eloquence, financial gain, languages, luck, thieves, travelers, and trickery; he is also the guide of souls to the underworld.
In Roman mythology, he was the son of Maia, daughter of the Titan Atlas, and Jupiter. In his earliest forms, he appears to have been related to the Etruscan deity Turms; both gods share characteristics with the Greek god Hermes. He is often depicted holding the caduceus in his left hand. Similar to his Greek equivalent Hermes, he was awarded a magic wand by Apollo, which later turned into the caduceus, the staff with intertwined snakes.