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Olympian Gods » Hermes, the Messenger of the gods » Myths about Hermes

The Caduceus of Hermes

The Caduceus of Hermes. Detail by the painting

In Ancient times, the caduceus was the main symbol of god Hermes and one of the most classic symbols of healing. It was a wooden stick made out of laurel or olive wood and usually had two wings just above the top.


The caduceus was given to Hermes by his father Zeus, when he proclaimed Hermes as the official messenger of the gods. Whenever the gods and mortals saw Hermes holding the caduceus, they knew that he would announce an official message.

According to the legend, the caduceus once split two poisonous snakes that fighted. From the moment they wrapped around the caduceus, they stopped fighting and started looking at each other peacefully.


The caduceus is called "kerykion" in Greek, deriving from the word "keryx", which means "herald" in Greek.




Myths and Fables about Hermes

Hermes and the Cattle of Apollo
Hermes and the Cattle of Apollo
Hermes and the Crocus Flower
Hermes and the Crocus Flower
The Caduceus of Hermes
The Caduceus of Hermes



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