Who Is Hermes (Mercury)?
The messenger god who gives Odysseus a magic herb
Hermes is the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and the son of Zeus and Maia. He is also a protector of travelers, merchants and shepherds, and is described carrying a golden wand.
In this story, he appears in the form of a young man as Odysseus heads alone to Circe's hall to rescue his men. He pulls the herb moly from the ground to protect him from magic, and tells him: when Circe strikes you with her wand, draw your sword and rush at her, and make her swear by the gods to do you no more harm. Moly has a black root and a milk-white flower, and is said to be hard for mortals to dig up.
In Roman mythology he is called Mercurius, known in English as Mercury, which is also the source of the planet Mercury's name.
