Mercury
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Mercury is god of trade and profit, merchants and travelers, but originally
of the trade in corn. In later times he was equated with the Greek Hermes.
He had a temple in Rome near the Circus Maximus on the Aventine Hill which
dates back to 495 BC. This temple was connected to some kind of
trade fair. His main festival, the Mercuralia, was celebrated on May 15
and on this day the merchants sprinkled their heads and their merchandise
with water from his well near the Porta Capena. The attributes of Mercury
are the caduceus (a staff with two intertwined snakes) and a purse (a symbol
of his connection with commerce).
Mercury is also known as Alipes ("with the winged feet"). Mercury was named by the Romans after the messenger of gods because it seemed to be moving much faster than any other planet. It is the closest planet to the Sun and the second smallest. The core makes up 70-80% of Mercury. It has such a thin atmosphere that in a single day it reaches temperatures of up to 750 degrees F. At night, it gets as cold as -300 degrees F. |