The Romans had a different name for the god Hermes. They called him Mercury. Mercury was the son of Jupiter. He ruled over everything that required skill and speed. He wore a cap and shoes with wings on them. In ancient times, messengers often wore caps with Mercury's wings stitched to them.
There are many different metals. One metal, called quicksilver, later came to be known as mercury. Quicksilver is a silver colored liquid. It is found in some thermometers. Quicksilver tends to split apart into drops. The drops roll around very quickly and are hard to catch. The planet Mercury moves quickly and is hard to spot. The similarity eventually led to the metal's name change.
