Hermes and the Political Arena

Arlene Allan

University of Otago

In Thoukidides 6.27 the historian states that the night-time mutilation of the city’s Hermai was interpreted by the state as evidence of a conspiracy to overthrow the democracy. From this statement many scholars have proclaimed Hermes the god of Democracy without explanation, apparently assuming that the association between Hermes and the rule of the demos informing the state’s concern rests on Hermes’ identity as a third-function deity (in Dumézil’s Indo-European tripartite model); that is, modern interpreters take Hermes to be a god concerned with the producers and laborers in society and charged with their oversight and protection. On this view, Hermes has little or no interest in the political concerns of the elite in the city, being primarily, if not solely, a god of  hoi polloi.

In contrast to this almost orthodox interpretation of Hermes, I argue that this god had and maintained a far stronger connection to politics and all forms of government than has been recognized previously. This connection is exemplified, first, through a brief overview of the symbolic significance of Hermes’ whip and golden staff and his connection with the mortals who wield  power through possession of these same items. Then, it is more fully demonstrated through a closer examination of the component parts of the political arena and Hermes’ relationship to each.

The result of this investigation reveals that Hermes’ principle role in the life of polis-dwellers is to see to the orderly transfer and, then, maintenance of the authority to govern according to the will of Zeus.