Mercury (mythology)

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Mercurius ( Germanized Mercury) was a god in the Roman religion. Its name comes from the Latin word merx, goods back. He was equated with the Greek Hermes. Its origin and other properties have been transferred to him. He is considered the " gods ", the god of merchants and thieves.

God of merchants

In Rome, it is a public cult was established as a protector of this city is so important for grain trade. 495 BC, the Romans consecrated a temple for him at the Circus Maximus ( the Aventine ) that simultaneously a guild of merchants was created, whose members called themselves Mercuriales. On Foundation Day of the temple and of the guild, on 15 May, the merchants sacrificed to the god and his mother Maia and sprinkled from a source dedicated to him at the Porta Capena main and goods with water.

Features

Among the attributes of Mercury is one of the Caduceus ( caduceus ), a winged helmet, winged sandals, and often a purse, which he holds in his right hand.

Worship in the Roman provinces

In the Roman Empire during the imperial period Mercurius was spread by the trade to the west and north. In the Celtic and Germanic provinces, finally, the worship of Mercury was even stronger than in Rome itself This is indicated through hundreds of finds, which are mainly on account of inscriptions on stones consecration of bronze. The presentation on these stones, which were found in the Germanic Rhine provinces, Roman on the shape and the expression itself, but the Namenskomposite are of Germanic origin connected to the foundation's purpose and a particular group of persons, whether individual strains or a local reference.

Weekday

According to Mercury, the fourth (now third ) day of the week Wednesday named Mercurii this. This has resulted in some Romance languages ​​(Italian mercoledì; French: mercredi; Spanish: miércoles ) and in Albanian as e Merkure preserved.

According to Tacitus ( Germania ) sat late antique and early medieval chroniclers like the Germanic god Wodan / Odin with Mercury, which, for example, as a wednesday in English and in Swedish onsdag today can understand in the name of the day.

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