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Medical Mythology: Hermes (Mercury)
Medical Mythology: Hermes (Mercury) Marc A. Shampo, Ph.D., and Robert A. Kyle, M.D.
In Greek mythology, Hermes (the Romans knew him as Mercury), the son of Zeus and Maia, was the messenger of the gods and the mediator between the realm of the dead and the kingdom of the living. He was born in a cave in Arcadia (a region in southern Greece) and is depicted as wearing winged sandals and a traveler's hat and carrying a magic wand. The wand was a caduceus (a winged staff with two snakes wound around it). According to myth, Hermes received the wand from Apollo. In ancient belief, all sceptors and staffs were essentially identical. They symbolized the indestructible vitality of the earth. The form, however, was not always the same. Sometimes the wand was a single staff, sometimes it was two-
Mayo Clin Proc 67:800, 1992
pronged with the prongs bound together, and sometimes it was a stick or twig. Legend states that Hermes found two snakes that were fighting. In an attempt to intervene and stop the fighting, Hermes thrust his wand between the two snakes. Immediately, the snakes stopped fighting and wound themselves around the wand. Thus, the wand ofHermes became a symbol of the settlement of all quarrels. The staff of Hermes had additional significance. As a magic wand, it awakened men from sleep, led them to Hades, and brought them back to earth. The wings that later appeared at the top of the wand were intended to denote the speed of Hermes as a messenger ofthe gods. Although the caduceus of Hermes was not a medical symbol, the emblem has been used as such since the Renaissance. Hermes, carrying a caduceus and standing on the globe, is the badge of the Royal Corps of Signals in England. In art, Hermes was initially portrayed as a full-grown, bearded man clothed in a long tunic and often wearing a hat and winged boots.. From the latter part of the 5th century, however, he was portrayed as a beardless youth or young athlete. Because of his role of messenger, Hermes became the god of roads and the protector of travelers. In philately, Hermes, a symbol of speed with his winged sandals and magic wand, is usually shown on airmail stamps. He has been pictured on stamps from many countries, such as this airmail stamp issued by Austria in 1961.
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In Greek mythology, Hermes (the Romans knew him as Mercury), the son of Zeus and Maia, was the messenger of the gods and the mediator between the realm of the dead and the kingdom of the living. He was born in a cave in Arcadia (a region in southern Greece) and is depicted as wearing winged sandals and a traveler's hat and carrying a magic wand. The wand was a caduceus (a winged staff with two snakes wound around it). According to myth, Hermes received the wand from Apollo. In ancient belief, all sceptors and staffs were essentially identical. They symbolized the indestructible vitality of the earth. The form, however, was not always the same. Sometimes the wand was a single staff, sometimes it was two-
Mayo Clin Proc 67:800, 1992
pronged with the prongs bound together, and sometimes it was a stick or twig. Legend states that Hermes found two snakes that were fighting. In an attempt to intervene and stop the fighting, Hermes thrust his wand between the two snakes. Immediately, the snakes stopped fighting and wound themselves around the wand. Thus, the wand ofHermes became a symbol of the settlement of all quarrels. The staff of Hermes had additional significance. As a magic wand, it awakened men from sleep, led them to Hades, and brought them back to earth. The wings that later appeared at the top of the wand were intended to denote the speed of Hermes as a messenger ofthe gods. Although the caduceus of Hermes was not a medical symbol, the emblem has been used as such since the Renaissance. Hermes, carrying a caduceus and standing on the globe, is the badge of the Royal Corps of Signals in England. In art, Hermes was initially portrayed as a full-grown, bearded man clothed in a long tunic and often wearing a hat and winged boots.. From the latter part of the 5th century, however, he was portrayed as a beardless youth or young athlete. Because of his role of messenger, Hermes became the god of roads and the protector of travelers. In philately, Hermes, a symbol of speed with his winged sandals and magic wand, is usually shown on airmail stamps. He has been pictured on stamps from many countries, such as this airmail stamp issued by Austria in 1961.
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