He was the son of Zeus and Maia. He was a helpful, cunning, and joking god. He was the gods' messenger and took the dead into the Underworld. He was the god of inventions (the lyre, letters and numbers) and the protector of traders, thieves, shepherds, and of the streets. Hermes was shown as an handsome young boy with a caduceus in his hands and on his feet were winged sandals. The planet Mercury is dedicated to him and his name is given to the third day of the week in the countries with Latin based languages.
