Revisiting Mercury

Known in some circles as Hermes

Saturdays are perfect days for mythological surprises. Surprise—we’re talking about Mercury again!

The smallest true planet in our Solar System has the inside track in the race around the sun and completes a full orbit in just 88 Earth days, faster than any of its peers. No wonder this little gem is named for a Roman god of speed. Behold Mercury:

You may recall that we’ve previously visited this planet—etymologically speaking, of course—and the words related to Mercury like mercurial and mercuric. Let’s return to explore the rich vocabulary derived from Mercury’s Greek counterpart, Hermes Trismegistus.

Hermes Trismegistus (thrice-greatest) was either a Greek scholar, a Greek god, or a combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. Imaginary in all of these scenarios, Hermes was celebrated as a profound mystic, teacher, and inspiration for the philosophical and religious system known as Hermeticism. As befits a deity of writing, Hermes still appears in many words today:

hermaphrodite (noun) - an organism having both male and female reproductive organs
BREAKDOWN: a portmanteau of Hermes + Aphrodite
—hermaphroditic means possessing both male and female reproductive organs; intersex

hermeneutic (adj) - relating to the meaning of texts and the ways in which they are understood; interpretive
—hermeneutics is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially pertaining to religious and philosophical texts

hermetic (adj) - of or pertaining to ancient mystical and alchemical writings or teachings; completely sealed or airtight
—hermetically means, in a chemical sense, sealed by means of fusion

“If there were a god of New York, it would be the Greek's Hermes, the Roman's Mercury. He embodies New York qualities: the quick exchange, the fastness of language and style, craftiness, the mixing of people and crossing of borders, imagination.” —James Hillman