Hermes
Ἑρμῆς · Roman 메르쿠리우스 (Mercury)
The messenger who moves between gods and mortals, this world and the next.
On the day he was born he stole Apollo's cattle — then made a lyre from a tortoise shell and used it to win Apollo over.
As god of boundaries and roads, he was worshipped by travelers, merchants, and thieves alike — all three, after all, cross boundaries.
Guiding the souls of the dead down to the underworld is his job as well.
SourcesHomeric Hymns, Hymn to Hermes
Commonly confused
The staff with two snakes often seen in hospital logos — the caduceus — belongs to Hermes. The true symbol of medicine is the staff of Asclepius, wound with a single snake.