Hermes the Thief: The Evolution of a Myth

by Norman O. Brown

Hermes -- trickster and culture hero, divine child and patron of stealthy action, master of magic words, seducer and whisperer -- is a vital and complex figure in Greek mythology. Shepherd, craftsman, herald, musician, athlete, merchant -- who is this tricky shapechanger confronting man at every truth? In this classic, prescient work (first published in 1947, and foreshadowing all subsequent work greeting the return of the gods), Brown asks, "Is Hermes the Thief the prototype, from which, by extension and analogy, the Trickster was derived? Or is the notion of trickery the fundamental one, and theft merely a specific manifestation of it?"

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Mythology, Philosophy, Religion

175 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1969

About the author

Norman Oliver Brown was an American classicist who is known for his translation and commentaries on the works of Hesiod. A student of Carl Schorske and Isaiah Berlin, he taught classics at Wesleyan University, University of Rochester, and UC-Santa Cruz.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brown reconstructs the archaic history of the myth of the Greek god Hermes and analyzes how the myth changed in its Homeric, Hesiodic, and later representations. As he traces it from its purported beginning in tribal thought through the art and literature of Classical Greece, Brown challenges the view of much traditional scholarship that The Homeric Hymn to Hermes represents one of the oldest versions of the myth. The book is well researched, and in addition to philological and literary critical methods, Brown employs recent anthropological theory and economic analysis in his argument. As one gets a sense of how strong Brown’s reading of changes in the myth is, one begins to wonder how the earlier scholars Brown refutes could have gotten it so wrong. By the end of the book, the trickster god who is familiar to many readers as the guy with wings on his feet who delivers Zeus’s messages comes to emblematize a particularly interesting socio-economic moment in the history of ancient Greece.

Acquired Oct 28, 1987
Cheap Thrills, Montreal, Quebec

[Craig Werner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only for those who have a deep focused interest in Hermes, and even then only after you've read Kerenyi. A lot of information about how the myth relates to changing class relations in Greece, nothing I hadn't already encountered about Hermes himself

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a deep dive into the historical accounts of the figure of Hermes, his many faces of a magician, trickster, technologist, inventor... The book is using very clean arguments, is well written and meticulously researched. It's mostly centred around Hesiod's and Homer's writings and their interpretation in the setting of their contemporary culture and politics. It's not a spiritual, nor mystical book, its scope is very limited, it focuses only at the analysis various aspects of Hermes related myths in the ancient Greece - and it does it extraordinarily well.

[E Smith]

read one summer while leaning against a tree in the parking lot of a grocery store where i made bread. seems appropriate. the story of the hymn to hermes is just so out that it deserved a brilliant if complex analysis. honestly, who else but hermes would have demanded credit for inventing a way to walk with brush tied to your feet?

[Melissa H.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading the first half of this book, as it was discussing the translation and etymology of words used in hymns and myths relating to Hermes, and in it's discussion of the growth of the Greek culture and civilization that led to the changes in myth and in the aspects of the gods themselves. The point of the book did seem to derail though towards the middle of the second half, turning into detective work on pinpointing the authorship and time period of the primary myth the text is discussing. Still very interesting to read if you (like me) enjoy history for the sake of history, but I feel somewhat like I was left without a resolution to the original theme of the book.
All in all I still recommend this book for anyone interested in the myths and cults of Hermes, in Greek history, or in trickster gods and culture heroes.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent information, and a bibliography quite worth mining if I can dust off enough German to read the cited sources.

[MH · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reevaluation and close reading of Homer's Hymn to Hermes and a look at how the representations of the god changed as Greek culture changed, from a rural thief and trickster to an urban, middle class merchant with a definite place in the Olympian hierarchy. It's a slim book which still makes room for generous footnotes, and Brown's writing is lean but thorough, using hymns, poetry, visual arts, and religious iconography to make his case (and keeping everything connected with period-specific Greek culture while he does so). Although he assumes his reader has a familiarity with the subject that a layman like me doesn't always have, it's still enjoyable, interesting and surprisingly readable.

[Astralgravy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great information on the evolution of Hermes as a mythological character in the beginning of the book, but the latter part dealing with the dating of the Homeric hymn to Hermes-albeit important and well-researched- tends to drag. This book has some great footnotes too, but with a good deal of them in untranslated Greek and German. I found this the most frustrating aspect of the book. Overall, a great read, but a bit of a scramble in the latter half for a casual reader.

[Ragnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read. The guy traces the evolution of Hermes as a god from village mage to Zeus's Herald, and makes a convincing argument for the Homeric Hymn to Hermes being from an Athenian poet who was parodying Hesiod and Homer. Also introduces me to a few protomyths for Hermes and Pandora I was unaware of, making me really grateful I picked this one up.

[Rjyan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprehensive, but strictly historical. After reading "Love's Body" I had hoped for more deep, psychological insights on Hermes, but this is just all about the historical minutiae.