Mercury (mythology)

Mercury
God of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery, merchants, thieves
Member of the Dii Consentes
Mercurius by Artus Quellinus the Elder
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)[1]
Consort	Larunda
Children	Lares
Equivalents
Etruscan	Turms
Greek	Hermes
Egyptian	Thoth or Anubis
Celtic	Lugus

Religion in ancient Rome
Marcus Aurelius (head covered) sacrificing at the Temple of Jupiter
Practices and beliefs
libation votum temples festivals ludi funerary practices imperial cult mystery religions
Priesthoods
Pontifices Augures Vestales Flamines Fetiales Epulones Fratres Arvales
Deities
Dii Consentes Capitoline Triad Aventine Triad Indigitamenta underworld gods agricultural gods childhood gods divine emperors
Related topics
Glossary of ancient Roman religion Roman mythology Ancient Greek religion Etruscan religion Gallo-Roman religion Interpretatio Graeca Decline
v t e

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 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^[2][3] and the "messenger of the gods".

In Roman mythology, he was the son of Maia, one of the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas, and Jupiter.^[1] 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.