Hermes

Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World

by Arlene Allan

Hermes redresses the gap in modern English scholarship on this fascinating and complex god, presenting its readers with an introduction to Hermes’ social, religious and political importance through discussions of his myths, iconography and worship. It also brings together in one place an integrated survey of his reception and interpretation in contemporaneous neighbouring cultures in antiquity as well as discussion of his reception in the post-classical periods up to the present day. This volume is an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to explore the many facets of Hermes’ myth, worship and reception.

Genres: Mythology, History, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Religion

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2018

Reviews

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been looking forward to this book's release, but it kept getting pushed back. It contains a lot of really good content on the history of how Hermes was worshipped in Ancient Greece, and it is strongest (and a good read) for all of that. Sometimes, though, I felt like Allan was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material and that she could have benefitted from some brainstorming about alternative ways to structure that content, as it ended up being quite repetitive. I'd give this part of the content 4/5 stars.

The reason I gave it 3/5 stars was due to the latter part of the book, where adaptations, syncretisms, and appropriations were discussed. I felt like this section was a bit rushed, and it didn't include everything that it should have. Why, for example, is Professor Allan spending so much time on the Kōfuku-no-Kagaku New Religious Movement? It seems like she could have mentioned others alongside it, such as Western Neopaganism and the growing importance of Hermes for 19th and 20th century occultists during the resurgence of interest in antiquity. One of the good things about the section is that Allan invested considerable amount of time looking at comics, video games, and other popular media, and that section read very well.

The latter half of the book also felt very rushed. There were some things that looked like editorial errors, such as repeated words, phrases (and maybe even a sentence), inconsistent capitalization of BCE/CE, and it felt like a whirlwind survey.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allan covers a lot of miscellany not well covered by more generalist treatments of Hermes, so if learning about this Greek divinity is of interest or importance to you, I highly recommend this work.

My favorite part of the book is how extensively she covers the day to day worship and character of Hermes in Athenian life, going into detail on specific elements Hermes was petitioned for. (I love the detail that people in court cases would curse their opponents by writing their names and and a petition to the god on a strip of lead.)

It also got me to check out Aristophanes at last, so tip of the hat for that.

[Manddra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that covers many aspects of the god. It cover what we know from myths and archaeology and there is a section at the end that is focused on modern pop culture, as well as similar deities such as Mercury. A good introduction with lots of references to keep researching.

[Vendula Kreplová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hermes je můj oblíbený bůh, ale tato kniha mu bohužel nedělá to nejlepší jméno. Ne že by obsahovala zkreslené informace, to ne. Nabídne pár užitečných informací, ale je psaná natolik suchým, školometským stylem, že nedokáže uchvátit.