Mercury
Publié le 22/02/2012
Extrait du document
(Mercurius) Roman The god of
trade and commerce and the supporter of success.
Evidence of a cult to Mercury in Rome goes back
to the sixth century b.c., and there is some evidence
that he was a figure in early Etruscan mythology.
According to Italian myth, Mercury was the father
of Faunus, one of the oldest Roman gods. However,
Mercury was one of the earliest Roman gods to
come under the influence of Greek mythology (see
Hellenization) and very little information on him
survives from before the 400s b.c.
As Rome grew and became prosperous, the people
needed a god for the merchants and business class
in their growing society. They knew of the Greeks'
Hermes, who, with many other responsibilities, was
the god of trade and commerce, of travelers, and of
the marketplace. The Romans gave Mercury these
traits and adapted for him many of the stories about
Hermes. Mercury, however, was given no responsibility
over fertility.
Mercury was the god of travelers by land and
sea and of good luck, music, astronomy, weights and
measures, and trade. He was also the god of thieving.
Merchants honored Mercury more than any other
Romans did and celebrated a festival to him at his
temple on the Aventine Hill. The word Mercury
comes from the Latin word for "merchandise."
Mercury, as he took on the details of the stories of
the Greek Hermes, became known as the son of Maia
(1) and Jupiter, whom he served as a messenger. He
was also known as the father of Evander, an early
king in central Italy, and of the Lares, who were
lesser gods of crossroads. (See lar.) Artists portrayed
Mercury wearing a broad-brimmed hat and winged
sandals and carrying a purse, the symbol of profit.
In astronomy, Mercury is the closest planet to the
Sun in the solar system. Visible to the ancients as a
rapidly moving star, it received its name for the speed
with which it traveled around the Sun.
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