God Mercury was a major Roman god associated with financial gain, commerce, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery, and thieves. He was equivalent to the Greek god Hermes. As a messenger of the gods, Mercury was often depicted with winged sandals and a winged hat. He was worshipped during the Mercuralia festival in Rome, where merchants would sprinkle water from his sacred well. Mercury's temple in Rome was located in the Circus Maximus between two hills and was built in 495 BC.
2. Who is God Mercury?
A major God in Roman religion and mythology.
God of: financial gain, commerce, travelers, boundaries, luck,
trickery, thieves.
Greek equivalent: Hermes
3. Hermes
Parents: Zeus and the Pleiad Maia.
Children: Pan, Hermaphroditus, Abderus, Autolycus, Eudorus,
Angelia and Myrtilus.
Symbol: Talaria, caduceus, tortoise, lyre, rooster, Petasos
4. Back to Mercury
Parents: Maia and Jupiter
Children: Lares
Symbol: Caduceus, winged sandals,
winged hat, tortoise, ram and rooster
6. In popular culture
Mercury was a main character on Space Sentinels in 1977.
The now-defunct Mercury car brand from Ford Motor Co. was
named after the Roman god.
7. History
Like Hermes, he was also a god of messages, eloquence and trade,
particularly of the grain trade.
Mercury was also considered a god of abundance and commercial
success, particularly in Gaul, where he was said to have been
respected.
8. Worship
Because Mercury was not one of the
early deities surviving from the
Roman Kingdom, he was not
assigned a flamen, but he did have
his own major festival, on 15 May,
the Mercuralia.
During the Mercuralia, merchants
sprinkled water from his sacred well
near the Porta Capena on their
heads.
9. Temple
Mercury's temple in Rome was
situated in the Circus Maximus,
between the Aventine and Palatine
hills, and was built in 495 before
Christ.
That year saw disturbances at
Rome between the patrician
senators and the plebeians, which
led to a secession of the plebs in
the following year.