Hermes in The Odyssey

Who is Hermes?

Hermes appears as the fleet-footed messenger of the gods, dispatched by Zeus to carry orders and to assist mortals at crucial moments. He opens Odysseus’s long return when Zeus appoints him to tell Calypso to release the hero; he delivers the command with calm authority and ensures Odysseus receives the means to depart. Later Hermes provides Odysseus with vital supernatural assistance by guiding him in his encounter with Circe—delivering the protective herb moly and instructing how to resist her magic—thus enabling Odysseus to rescue his men and continue the voyage to the underworld. At the poem’s end Hermes again acts as a boundary-crosser by escorting the slain suitors’ shades to the asphodel fields in Hades, offering a ritualized movement between worlds. Across these scenes Hermes functions as an efficient intermediary between gods and mortals, a guarantor of divine will, and a facilitator who unsticks events so the human plot can proceed.

In the book: We first meet Hermes as the gods’ swift messenger, dropping from the sky to a remote island to deliver Zeus’s orders and nudge the story back into motion. He’s quick-witted, good-humored, and clearly on the side of travelers, the one who can cross any boundary and get things unstuck.

Personality

swift

He flies from Olympus to Calypso’s island to deliver Zeus’s order, arriving promptly to set Odysseus’s departure in motion.

impartial

He speaks Zeus’s command to Calypso without debate, enforcing the gods’ will despite Calypso’s protest about divine double standards.

resourceful

He provides Odysseus with the herb moly and practical instruction to confront Circe and reverse her enchantments on his men.

boundary-crosser

He escorts the suitors’ ghosts to the asphodel meadows in Hades, guiding shades between the world of the living and the dead.

Character arc

Hermes remains consistent in role and temperament from his first to his last appearance; he does not undergo personal transformation but functions as a stabilizing professional of the divine order. In Book 1 the gods decide to act on Odysseus’s behalf and Hermes is nominated as the agent to carry out the decision; in Book 5 he executes that duty by confronting Calypso and securing Odysseus’s release. In Book 10 he shifts from envoy to tactical helper, giving Odysseus the means to resist Circe and recover his crew, blending messenger duties with protective intervention. Finally, in Book 24 he performs a funerary function, shepherding the dead suitors to Hades and thereby concluding one social cycle of punishment and reckoning. Rather than changing, Hermes’s arc is one of repeated, reliable performance: he appears whenever the plot requires lawful transmission of divine will, practical aid to a traveler, or facilitation of transitions between realms, underscoring the gods’ active management of human affairs.

Relationships

• Zeus Hermes acts as Zeus’s chosen messenger, carrying and enforcing the king of gods’ commands without hesitation.
• Calypso He delivers Zeus’s decree to Calypso, compelling her to release Odysseus despite her protestations.
• Odysseus He aids Odysseus directly—ordering Calypso to free him and later giving Odysseus the herb moly to resist Circe’s magic.
• Circe He intervenes in Odysseus’s encounter with Circe by supplying protective means and instructions that neutralize her spells.
• Athena He complements Athena’s efforts to help Odysseus by carrying out discrete, practical divine tasks she either plans or supports.
• The Suitors After their deaths, Hermes guides the suitors’ shades to Hades, performing a ritual passage for the wrongdoers.

Quotes by Hermes

“She will mix a mess for you to drink, and she will drug the meal with which she makes it, but she will not be able to charm you, for the virtue of the herb that I shall give you will prevent her spells from working.”

Book 10Hermes warns Odysseus about Circe’s potions and gives him the herb moly as protection.

Why Hermes matters

Hermes embodies the poem’s concern with boundaries—between gods and humans, life and death, hospitality and offense—and with the necessity of communication and enforcement of divine law. As messenger and guide he makes the gods’ decisions effective in the mortal world and supplies travelers with the means to survive supernatural threats. His interventions emphasize that human fortunes hinge on divine will and properly executed rites; by shepherding the dead he also affirms the poem’s ritual order. Hermes’s steady professionalism highlights the balance of mercy, justice, and duty that underpins the story’s moral universe.

Chapters with Hermes

• Book 1
• Book 5
• Book 8
• Book 10
• Book 14
• Book 24

More The Odyssey characters

• OdysseusProtagonist
• TelemachusMajor character
• AthenaMajor character
• PenelopeMajor character
• ZeusMajor character
• LaertesMinor character
• The SuitorsAntagonist
• AntinousAntagonist