CLAS 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Polymele, Penelope, Phallus
Week 5
● Hermes and Hestia
○ Similar because they are both gods of protection
○ Hermes was a traveller while Hestia’s job was to stay in one place and protect
○ Hermes (Mercury)
■ Born of Zeus and Maia
■ Offspring:
● Pan (with Penelopeia)
● Hermaphroditus (with Aphrotite)
● Ceryx (with Agraulos)
● Eudoros (with Polymele)
■ Attributes: cap, robe, winged sandals,wand
■ Epithets:
● Psychopomp (Escort of Souls)
● Criophoros (Ram Carrier)
● Enodios (of the Road)
● Hodios (patron of travellers)
■ Rituals/Sanctuaries
● Antheteria -- festival in Athens for Dionysus in which Hermes
escorted souls of the dead back to the underworld after they visit
earth for a little bit.
● Kato Syme -- On Crete. Games for t]young men under Hermes’
tutelage. Hermes’ way of helping them into manhood.
● Tanagra -- Purification festival in commemoration of Hermes
■ First and foremost, he was the messenger. Brought communications from
Zeus to earth
■ Relationship between him and Persephone because they both go back
and forth between earth and the underworld
■ Herm
● “Hermes’ hills”
○ Hermes -- protector of travelers so travelers piled rocks
along roads for him
● Ithyphallic
○ Fertility
○ Good luck/increase of possessions
○ Protector
■ Similar Roman god: Priapus -- ithyphallic diety
● Fertility god, protector of the flocks, fruit plants, gardens
■ Beardless Hermes
● Passage from boyhood to manhood
○ Hestia (Vesta)
■ Born of Cronos and Rhea
■ Offspring: none
Document Summary
Similar because they are both gods of protection. Hermes was a traveller while hestia"s job was to stay in one place and protect. Antheteria -- festival in athens for dionysus in which hermes escorted souls of the dead back to the underworld after they visit earth for a little bit. Tanagra -- purification festival in commemoration of hermes. First and foremost, he was the messenger. Relationship between him and persephone because they both go back and forth between earth and the underworld. Hermes -- protector of travelers so travelers piled rocks along roads for him. Similar roman god: priapus -- ithyphallic diety. Fertility god, protector of the flocks, fruit plants, gardens. Amphidromia -- ritual runs around the domestic hearth (hestia)with two-week old infant to ask hestia to help it live. Prytany building -- public building that housed the pure fire constantly burning on a hearth.
