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garments of a traveller, and carry a purse or pouch.

As a messenger to mortals, Hermes helped them out, assisting travellers on their journeys. Hermes would also give gifts to man, in some stories he gave fire, he introduced the musical scale, astronomy, dice, weights and measure as well as all the arts. As the fastest of the gods, it is of no surprise that Hermes is also credited in introducing many sports including gymnastics, boxing and athletics.

As befits one of the twelve main Olympians, there are numerous tales about Hermes, and as always with Greek tales there are different versions of the same tale. It was Hermes who assisted Perseus in his quest to face the Gorgon Medusa, providing him with Hermes' own winged sandals. In addition Hermes also loaned Perseus a helmet of invisibility, which enabled Perseus to avoid the Medusa's sisters.

Hermes was always considered the most loyal to Zeus, and to back this image, it was Hermes who retrieved Zeus' tendons from Typhon. In addition when the giants revolted against Mount Olympus, Hermes donned the helmet of invisibility to defeat the giant Hippolytus. As the messenger of the gods Hermes would appear in a number of tales, and it was Hermes who Zeus sent to speak to Prometheus about a prophecy of rebellion against Zeus.

Hermes' loyalty is also displayed in the tale of Io, the lover of Zeus. Io was turned into a cow, before Hera, the wife of Zeus, had the giant Argos guard the heifer. It was Hermes who slew the one hundred eye giant, after lulling Argos to sleep with his flute; Hermes used his sword to decapitate the giant, thus allowing Io to wander the world. The eyes of Argos were then set upon the plumage of the peacock by Hera.

Hermes also appears frequently in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. According to Homer it was Hermes who guided King Priam through the Greek forces in order to retrieve the body of Hector, his son. In the Odyssey, it is Hermes who is sent by Zeus, to tell Kalypso to let Odysseus go, and later Hermes assists Odysseus himself, providing antidotes to ensure the release of Odysseus shipmates from the goddess Kirke.

Hermes, gained many nicknames by his actions, most famously he was Argeiphontes, the slayer of Argus, and Logios, the orator. But in addition he was known as; Dolios, the schemer; Epimelius, the keeper of flocks; Eriounios, luck bringer; and Pschopompos, conveyor of souls.

It is perhaps not surprising that as one of the original phallic gods, associated with fertility, Hermes was credited

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