View source for Mercury (mythology)

{{Short description|Roman god of trade, merchants and travel}}
{{Redirect2|Alipes|Mercurius||Alipes (horse)|and|Alipes (centipede)|and|Mercury (disambiguation)|and|Mercurius (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Roman
| name = Mercury
| image = Amsterdam Royal Palace 2747 (cropped).jpg
| member_of = the ''[[Dii Consentes]]''
| alt = ''Mercurius'' by [[Artus Quellinus the Elder]]
| caption = ''Mercurius'' by [[Artus Quellinus the Elder]]
| deity_of = God of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery, merchants, thieves
| abode = 
| symbol = [[Caduceus]], winged sandals, winged hat, tortoise, ram and rooster
| day = [[Wednesday]] (''dies Mercurii'')
| consort = [[Larunda]]
| planet = [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]
| parents = [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] and [[Maia (mythology)|Maia]] or [[Caelus]] and [[Dies (deity)|Dies]] ([[Cicero]] and [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]])<ref name=parents>[[Cicero]], ''De natura Deorum'' 3.56; also [[Arnobius]], ''Adversus Nationes'' 4.14.</ref>
| siblings = 
| children = [[Lares]]
| mount = 
| other_names = 
| Greek_equivalent = [[Hermes]]
| Etruscan_equivalent = [[Turms]]
| equivalent1_type = Egyptian
| equivalent1 = [[Thoth]] or [[Anubis]]
| equivalent2_type = Celtic
| equivalent2 = [[Lugus]]
}}
[[File:Fresco of Mercury-Hermes, Pompeii.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Fresco]] of Mercury-Hermes in [[Pompeii]], 1st century]]
{{Ancient Roman religion}}
'''Mercury''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɜːr|k|j|ʊr|i}}; {{langx|la|Mercurius}} {{IPA|la|mɛrˈkʊrijʊs||La-cls-Mercurius.ogg}}) is a major god in [[Religion in ancient Rome|Roman religion]] and [[Roman mythology|mythology]], being one of the 12 [[Dii Consentes]] within the ancient [[Roman pantheon]]. He is the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication (including [[divination]]), travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery, and thieves; he also serves as the guide of souls to the underworld<ref>Glossary to Ovid's Fasti, Penguin edition, by Boyle and Woodard at 343</ref><ref>Rupke, The Religion of the Romans, at 4</ref> and the "messenger of the gods".

In Roman mythology, he was the son of [[Maia]], one of the [[Pleiades (Greek mythology)|seven daughters]] of the [[Titans|Titan]] [[Atlas (mythology)|Atlas]], and [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]].<ref name=parents /> In his earliest forms, he appears to have been related to the [[Etruscan mythology|Etruscan deity]] [[Turms]]; both gods share characteristics with the [[Greek mythology|Greek god]] [[Hermes]]. He is often depicted holding the [[caduceus]] in his left hand. Similar to his [[Interpretatio graeca|Greek equivalent]] Hermes, he was awarded a [[magic wand]] by [[Apollo]], which later turned into the [[caduceus]], the staff with intertwined snakes.
[[File:Mercury-in-repose-Villa-of-the-Papyri-Herculaneum-1908-Barker.jpg|thumb|alt=alt=Illustration of bronze statue of a nude male youth, seated on a rock with one leg outstretched, leaning on the opposite thigh, from the 1908 volume Buried Herculaneum by Ethel Ross Barker; caption reads "Mercury in Repose"|[[Seated Hermes]], excavated at the [[Villa of the Papyri]].]]

==Etymology==
The name "Mercury" is possibly related to the Latin words ''[[wikt:merx|merx]]'' ("merchandise"; cf. ''merchant'', ''commerce'', etc.), ''{{Lang|la|mercari}}'' (''to trade''), and ''{{Lang|la|merces}}'' (''wages''); another possible connection is the Proto-Indo-European root merĝ- for "boundary, border" (cf. [[Old English]] "{{Lang|ang|mearc}}", [[Old Norse]] "{{Lang|non|mark}}" and Latin "{{Lang|la|margō}}") and Greek {{Lang|grc|οὖρος|italic=no}} (by analogy of {{Transliteration|el|Arctūrus}}/{{Lang|grc|Ἀρκτοῦρος|italic=no}}), as the "keeper of boundaries," referring to his role as bridge between the upper and lower worlds.{{Original research inline|date=February 2025}}

==History==
Mercury did not appear among the {{Lang|la|[[numinous]]}} ''{{Lang|la|[[di indigetes]]}}'' of early [[Religion in ancient Rome|Roman religion]]. Rather, he subsumed the earlier [[Dei Lucrii]] as Roman religion was [[syncretism|syncretized]] with [[Religion in ancient Greece|Greek religion]] during the time of the [[Roman Republic]], starting around the 4th century BC.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} His cult was introduced also by influence of [[Etruscan religion]] in which [[Turms]] had similar characteristics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/turms_(Enciclopedia-dell%27-Arte-Antica)/ |title=TURMS in "Enciclopedia dell'Arte Antica" |last=Parise |first=N.F }}</ref> From the beginning, Mercury had essentially the same aspects as [[Hermes]], wearing winged shoes ([[talaria]]) and a winged hat ({{Transliteration|el|[[petasos]]}}), and carrying the [[caduceus]], a herald's staff with two entwined snakes that was [[Apollo]]'s gift to Hermes. He was often accompanied by a [[rooster]], herald of the new day,<ref name=":0">[http://exploratorium.galloromeinsmuseum.be/Default.aspx?query=search=deeplink%7C/record/uniqid=obj_3631&showtype=record Exploratorium: Beeldje van Mercurius]</ref> a ram or goat, symbolizing [[fertility]], and a tortoise, referring to Mercury's legendary invention of the [[lyre]] from a tortoise shell.

Like Hermes, he was also a god of messages, eloquence and of trade, particularly of the [[grain trade]]. He was the patron of travelers and the god of thievery as well. Mercury was also considered a god of abundance and commercial success, particularly in [[Gaul]], where he was said to have been particularly revered.<ref>Caesar, Gallic War, at 55</ref> He was also, like Hermes, the Romans' [[psychopomp]], leading newly deceased souls to the afterlife. Additionally, [[Ovid]] wrote that Mercury carried [[Morpheus (mythology)|Morpheus]]'s dreams from the valley of [[Somnus]] to sleeping humans.<ref name="Littleton">Littleton, C. Scott (Ed.) (2002). ''Mythology: The Illustrated Anthology of World Myth and Storytelling'' (pp. 195, 251, 253, 258, 292). London: Duncan Baird Publishers. {{ISBN|1-904292-01-1}}.</ref>

Archeological evidence from [[Pompeii]] suggests that Mercury was among the most popular of Roman gods.<ref>Beard, Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town at 295–298</ref> The god of commerce was depicted on two early bronze coins of the Roman Republic, the [[Sextans (coin)|sextans]] and the {{Lang|la|[[semuncia]]}}.<ref>Sear, David R. (2000). ''Roman Coins and Their Values&nbsp;– The Millennium Edition''. Volume I: The Republic and The Twelve Caesars, 280BC-AD96 (pp. 187–189). London: Spink. {{ISBN|1-902040-35-X}}</ref>

==Syncretism==
When they described the gods of Celtic and Germanic tribes, rather than considering them separate deities, the Romans interpreted them as local manifestations or aspects of their own gods, a cultural trait called the ''{{Lang|la|[[interpretatio romana]]}}''. Mercury, in particular, was reported as becoming extremely popular among the nations the [[Roman Empire]] conquered; [[Julius Caesar]] wrote of Mercury being the most popular god in Britain and Gaul, regarded as the inventor of all the arts.<ref>De Bello Gallico 6.17</ref> This is probably because, in the Roman [[syncretism]], Mercury was equated with the [[Celtic mythology|Celtic god]] [[Lugus]], and in this aspect was commonly accompanied by the Celtic goddess [[Rosmerta]]. Although Lugus may originally have been a deity of light or the sun (though this is disputed), similar to the Roman Apollo, his importance as a god of trade made him more comparable to Mercury, and Apollo was instead equated with the Celtic deity [[Belenus]].<ref name="Littleton"/>

Romans associated Mercury with the [[Germanic paganism|Germanic god]] {{Lang|de|[[Odin|Wotan]]}}, by ''{{Lang|la|interpretatio romana}}''; 1st-century Roman writer [[Tacitus]] identifies him as the chief god of the Germanic peoples.<ref>Germania 9</ref> This association of Mercury and Wotan is seen in the English language day-name Wednesday and the French Mercredi.

==Names and epithets==
Mercury is known to the Romans as {{Lang|la|Mercurius}} and occasionally in earlier writings as {{Lang|la|Merqurius, Mirqurios}} or ''{{Lang|la|Mircurios}}'', had a number of [[epithets]] representing different aspects or roles, or representing syncretisms with non-Roman deities. The most common and significant of these epithets included the following:

*''Mercurius Artaios'', a syncretism of Mercury with the Celtic god [[Artaios]], a deity of bears and hunting who was worshipped at [[Beaucroissant|Beaucroissant, France]].<ref name="Green">Green, Miranda J. (1992). ''Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend'' (pp. 148–149). London: [[Thames and Hudson]]. {{ISBN|0-500-01516-3}}.</ref>
*''Mercurius Arvernus'', a syncretism of the Celtic [[Arvernus]] with Mercury. Arvernus was worshipped in the [[Rhineland]], possibly as a particular deity of the [[Arverni|Arverni tribe]], though no dedications to Mercurius Arvernus occur in their territory in the [[Auvergne (province)|Auvergne region]] of central France.<ref name="Green"/>
*''[[Mercurius Cimbrianus]]'', a syncretism of Mercury with a god of the [[Cimbri]] sometimes thought to represent Odin.
*''Mercurius Cissonius'', a combination of Mercury with the Celtic god [[Cissonius]], who is written of in the area spanning from [[Cologne|Cologne, Germany]] to [[Saintes, Charente-Maritime|Saintes, France]].<ref name="Green"/>
*''Mercurius Esibraeus'', a syncretism of the [[Iberians|Iberian]] deity [[Esibraeus]] with the Roman deity Mercury. Esibraeus is mentioned only in an inscription found at [[Medelim]], Portugal, and is possibly the same deity as Banda Isibraiegus, who is invoked in an inscription from the nearby village of [[Bemposta (Abrantes)|Bemposta]].<ref>Alarcão, Jorge de (1988). ''Roman Portugal''. Volume I: Introduction (p. 93). Warminster: Aris and Phillips.</ref>
*''Mercurius Gebrinius'', a syncretism of Mercury with the Celtic or Germanic [[Gebrinius]], known from an inscription on an altar in [[Bonn|Bonn, Germany]].<ref name="Green"/>
*''Mercurius Moccus'', from a Celtic god, [[Moccus]], who was equated with Mercury, known from evidence at [[Langres|Langres, France]]. The name Moccus ("pig") implies that this deity was connected to boar-hunting.<ref name="Green"/>
*''Mercurius Sobrius'' ("Mercury the Teetotaler"), a syncretism of Mercury with a [[Carthaginian (people)|Carthaginian]] god of commerce.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Potter |first1=David |title=Review of "Rome and Carthage at Peace" by R.E.A.Palmer |url=http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/1998/1998-08-02.html |journal=Bryn Mawr Classical Review |access-date=Feb 9, 2019}}</ref>
*''Mercurius Visucius'', a syncretism of the Celtic god [[Visucius]] with the Roman god Mercury, attested in an inscription from [[Stuttgart|Stuttgart, Germany]]. Visucius was worshipped primarily in the frontier area of the empire in Gaul and Germany. Although he was primarily associated with Mercury, Visucius was also sometimes linked to the Roman god [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]], as a dedicatory inscription to "Mars Visucius" and Visucia, Visicius' female counterpart, was found in Gaul.<ref name="Green"/><ref>Espérandieu, E. (1931). ''Recueil Général des Bas-relief, Statues et Bustes de la Germanie Romaine''. Paris and Brussels.</ref>

==In ancient literature==
In [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Aeneid]]'', Mercury reminds [[Aeneas]] of his mission to found the city of Rome. In Ovid's ''[[Fasti (poem)|Fasti]]'', Mercury is assigned to escort the nymph [[Larunda]] to the underworld. Mercury, however, falls in love with Larunda and makes love to her on the way. Larunda thereby becomes mother to two children, referred to as the [[Lares]], invisible [[household god]]s.

==Temple==
[[Temple of Mercury|Mercury's temple in Rome]] was situated in the [[Circus Maximus]], between the [[Aventine Hill|Aventine]] and [[Palatine Hill|Palatine]] Hills, and was built in 495 BC.<ref>[[Livy]], ''[[Ab urbe condita libri (Livy)|Ab urbe condita]]'', [[s:From the Founding of the City/Book 2#21|2:21]]</ref>

That year saw disturbances at Rome between the patrician [[Roman Senate|senators]] and the [[Plebs|plebeians]], which led to a [[First secessio plebis in 494 BC|secession of the plebs]] in the following year. At the completion of its construction, a dispute emerged between the consuls [[Appius Claudius Sabinus Regillensis]] and [[Publius Servilius Priscus Structus]] as to which of them should have the honour of dedicating the temple.

The [[Roman Senate]] referred the decision to the popular assembly, and also decreed that whichever was chosen should also exercise additional duties, including presiding over the markets, establish a merchants' guild, and exercising the functions of the {{Lang|la|[[pontifex maximus]]}}. The people, because of the ongoing public discord, and in order to spite the senate and the [[Roman consul|consuls]], instead awarded the honour of dedicating the temple to Marcus Laetorius, the [[Primus pilus|senior military officer]] of one of the legions. The senate and the consuls, in particular the conservative Appius, were outraged at this decision, and it inflamed the ongoing situation.<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Livy]] |title=[[Ab Urbe Condita Libri|Ab urbe condita]] |at=[[s:From the Founding of the City/Book 2#27|2.27]] }}</ref>

The dedication occurred on 15 May, 495 BC.<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Livy]] |title=[[Ab Urbe Condita Libri|Ab urbe condita]] |at=[[s:From the Founding of the City/Book 2#21|2.21]]}}</ref>

The temple was regarded as a fitting place to worship a swift god of trade and travel, since it was a major center of commerce as well as a racetrack. Since it stood between the plebeian stronghold on the Aventine and the [[Patrician (ancient Rome)|patrician]] center on the Palatine, it also emphasized the role of Mercury as a [[mediation|mediator]].{{citation needed|date=October 2013}}

==Worship==
Because Mercury was not one of the early deities surviving from the [[Roman Kingdom]], he was not assigned a ''{{Lang|la|[[flamen]]}}'' (priest), but he did have his own major festival, on 15&nbsp;May, the [[Mercuralia]]. During the Mercuralia, merchants sprinkled water from his sacred well near the [[Porta Capena]] on their heads {{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}.

==In popular culture==
{{see also|Planets in astrology#Mercury}}

Mercury features in the first published comic book story of [[Jack Kirby]], ''Mercury in the 20th Century'', published in ''[[Red Raven Comics]]'' 1, 1940.<ref>Marvel Visionaries, Jack Kirby, Marvel Comics, 2004</ref>

The United States' so-called [[Mercury dime]], issued from 1916 to 1945, actually features a Winged [[Liberty (goddess)|Liberty]] and not the god Mercury, but despite wearing a [[Phrygian cap]] instead of a winged helm, the coin bears his name due to resemblance.<ref>{{cite web |title=1916-1945 Mercury silver dime value |website=Coinflation |url=http://www.coinflation.com/coins/1916-1945-Silver-Mercury-Dime-Value.html}}</ref>

The United States E-6B aircraft flown by the United States Navy is a communications platform named after the god.

{{clear}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Mercury Semuncia 200BC.jpg|Mercury portrait on a bronze {{Lang|la|[[semuncia]]}} (215–211 BC)
File:Casa dei vettii, vestibolo, oechus affrescato sul peristilio, issione legato alla ruota da vulcano alla presenza di giunone 02.jpg|Mercury-Hermes, antique fresco from [[Pompeii]]
File:Figurine van Mercurius met drie falli in brons, 100 tot 250 NC, vindplaats- Tongeren, zuidwestgrafveld, Paspoel, 1880-1882, Romeinse Kassei-Linderstraat-Koninksemsteenweg, collectie Gallo-Romeins Museum Tongeren, GRM 2545.jpg|Bronze figurine of Mercury with three phalluses, with rooster in the left hand and money bag in the right hand, 100 to 250 A.D., found in [[Tongeren]], ca 8.8&nbsp;cm [[Gallo-Roman Museum, Tongeren|Gallo-Roman Museum (Tongeren)]]
Wiki.Vojvodina III Ulica Grčkoškolska 090.jpg|[[Đorđe Jovanović (sculptor)|Đorđe Jovanović]]: A statue of Mercury on top of the Central credits bureau building in [[Novi Sad]], [[Serbia]], 1896
File:Mercury by Hendrick Goltzius.jpg|[[Hendrik Goltzius]]: ''Mercury'', with his symbols
File:Jupiter geeft Mercurius opdracht Argus te doden Centraal Museum 2559.jpg|[[Jan Gerritsz van Bronckhorst]]: ''Jupiter Gives Orders to Mercury to Kill Argus''
File:Hermes-Mercury.jpg|A statue of the Greek god Hermes at [[Hart House (University of Toronto)|Hart House]], Toronto
File:Mercury on island of Källskär, view from side.JPG|A statue of Mercury on the island of Källskär in [[Kökar]], [[Åland]]
File:St. Lucia 1949 Mi 136 stamp (75th anniversary of the UPU. Hermes over globe).jpg|Mercury as the winged messenger on a 1949 [[St. Lucia|Saint Lucia]] stamp issued in connection with the [[Universal Postal Union]]
File:Venus and Mercury dli 9219900204 cor.tif|Alfred Salmon after [[François Boucher]], "Venus Entering Her Bath-Cupid's Lesson," 19th century, [[engraving]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist|25em}}

==External links==
* [https://iconographic.warburg.sas.ac.uk/category/vpc-taxonomy-000096 The Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (images of Mercury)]
*{{Commons category-inline|Mercurius (deus)}}

{{Roman religion}}
{{Authority control}}

{{subject bar |commons=y |commons-search= Mercurius (deus) |q=y |portal1=Mythology |portal2=Ancient Rome }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercury (Mythology)}}
[[Category:Mercury (mythology)| ]]
[[Category:Commerce gods]]
[[Category:Deities in the Aeneid]]
[[Category:Messenger gods]]
[[Category:Roman gods]]
[[Category:Trickster gods]]
[[Category:Hermes]]
[[Category:Abundance gods]]
[[Category:Mercurian deities]]
[[Category:Planetary gods]]
[[Category:Fortune gods]]
[[Category:Psychopomps]]
[[Category:Metamorphoses characters]]
[[Category:Dii Consentes]]