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Mercury (/ ˈ m ɜːr k j ʊr i /; 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 ...
In Roman iconography, it was depicted being carried in the left hand of Mercury, the messenger of the gods. Some accounts assert that the oldest imagery of the caduceus is rooted in Mesopotamia with the Sumerian god Ningishzida; his symbol, a staff with two snakes intertwined around it, dates back to 4000 BC to 3000 BC. [3]
However, his main symbol is the caduceus, a winged staff intertwined with two snakes copulating and carvings of the other gods. [10] In Roman mythology and religion many of Hermes's characteristics belong to Mercury, [11] a name derived from the Latin merx, meaning "merchandise," and the origin of the words "merchant" and "commerce." [3]: 178
The origins of the planetary symbols can be found in the attributes given to classical deities. The Roman planisphere of Bianchini (2nd century, currently in the Louvre, inv. Ma 540) [2] shows the seven planets represented by portraits of the seven corresponding gods, each a bust with a halo and an iconic object or dress, as follows: Mercury has a caduceus and a winged cap; Venus has a ...
Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000-year-old clay head that once belonged to a Roman figurine of the god Mercury. The unusual find provides new context about life in Roman Britain.
A 19th-century engraving of talaria. The Talaria of Mercury (Latin: tālāria) or The Winged Sandals of Hermes (Ancient Greek: πτηνοπέδῑλος, ptēnopédilos or πτερόεντα πέδιλα, pteróenta pédila) are winged sandals, a symbol of the Greek messenger god Hermes (Roman equivalent Mercury).
Mercury, messenger of the gods and bearer of souls to the underworld, and one of the Dii Consentes. Roman counterpart of the Greek god Hermes. Minerva, goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, industries and trades, and one of the Dii Consentes. Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Athena. Mithras, god worshipped in the Roman empire; popular with ...
A 19th-century ship's figurehead depicting Brennus wearing a winged helmet. A winged helmet is a helmet decorated with wings, usually one on each side. Ancient depictions of the god Hermes, Mercury and of Roma depict them wearing winged helmets, and in the 19th century the winged helmet became widely used to depict the Celts.