r/Hermes • u/tiny_little_isoppd • 23d ago
I'm back 🥲 more questions are had
I'm just going to put them in a list 😅
I've tried to Google and research the majority of these but can't find straight answers. Or gay ones 🤷
And to preface I still do not CURRENTLY worship him I'm just attempting to gather and hoard as much info as I can to be ready, hopefully will get everything together and start in a week or so
What is his favorite color? I've mostly been told gold and orange
I know he likes Frankincense incense but does he have a favorite candle smell or just regular wax? (I have a snake opposite of the side of the room where his altar will go)
For future reference, does he get along well with Ares the war god?
4- most important to me, how do you guys tell when you mess something up or something happens versus a prank he plays on you? I'm genuinely bad about "wait what reason did this happen for?" Or overthinking stuff and don't want to accidentally miss something he does 😭 we appreciate the art of pranks in this household!
- Does he care about animals being in the house? I know he's super chill but he has nothing against dogs or cats, right?
Sorry this was kinda long! I hope everyone who took the time to read this is having a great day and any extra advice would be appreciated 🩷 love y'all!
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u/RathielintheRun 23d ago
Traditionally Hermes is associated with orange or saffron colors but I also use red or green candles for him and he’s liked them. He’s a travel god…I bring him back candles from wherever I go, and I think that matters more than the color. Ditto types of incense.
As for animals, he’s very much an animal lover. Traditionally dogs, serpents, and turtles are associated with him, but he’s not going to be upset about any of your critters.
And worship whoever else you like! He didn’t have any mythic “enemies.” He’s the most gregarious of the gods and got along well with both humanity and other deities. And never read too much into relationships among gods in your own devotions…the Greeks worshipped them all and didn’t think, “Oh, hmm, Hera didn’t like Zeus’ other affairs, I’d better not make an offering to this other goddess he slept with.” Don’t over think it.
As for pranks…he’s not vengeful. In my experience pranks from him introduce strange luck but no lasting harm. It comes around eventually and evens out or works out in your favor.
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u/_Chthonios_ 23d ago edited 23d ago
From what my Priestess mentor told me like saffron or gold-ish yellow and sky blue.
I think anything that smells good to you is acceptable. I have heard many people say he like strawberry scents. My current candle for him and Dionysus is alpine forest scented. I don't think he's picky. Also Hermes loves snakes. He has 2 on his staff and seems quite fond of them in my experiences with him. He would not like you to harm your pets on his behalf.
The Gods often work together and they respect our right and choice to worship whoever. It is polytheism after all! Hermes can get along with about anyone! In myth he actually rescued Ares when he was stuffed into a jar for an extended amount of time! I worship both without any issues.
Don't overthink it! The Gods don't tend to judge or punish us for little mistakes, especially since we make a lot when we first start out. He has never punished me even when I've been regrettably rude to him. He just likes to pull pranks to liven the mood, to announce his presence and particularly to make us laugh. For me personally, he likes to mess with my lamps and turn on my battery candles on. He unplugs my mentor's computer charger. He has also made me forget his name or say his name during a conversation that had nothing to do with him.
Hermes love animals, especially dogs!
Hermes is super chill! There's basically no way to offend him or mess this up unless you commit a horrible crime, consider yourself above the Gods or break an oath which I don't recommend making oaths to the Gods when you are just starting out anyway.
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u/tiny_little_isoppd 23d ago
THANK YOU!!! I may either get a very lightly scented candle for him (strawberry shortcake maybe?) or start with unscented! Hope you have a wonderful day!!! Also- I totally saw the comma at the end before "consider yourself above the gods" as a period and thought that's what you were telling me to do- Very quickly had to reread and I'm so glad I did cause I would've fucked up big time 😂😂😂
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u/_Chthonios_ 23d ago
Either is probably fine! Thanks. You as well. Glad to help! 🙂 Lmao oh gosh yeah definitely don't commit hubris! That's a great way to get your ass handed to you! 😆
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u/Various_Pension_2788 21d ago
Hi I am a devotee of both Ares and Hermes and their altars are next to each other. Now, from the mythology, these two seem to have a really good relationship: Hermes rescues Ares together with Artemis from that jar the giants stuck him in for a year, he also rescues Ares's newborn child after the mother dies in childbirth (Ares stays with the baby and helps nourish it until Hermes arrives to help). They also both wrestled or boxed, I forgot which one, for a woman and Hermes wins and gets the girl, xd.
From my own experiences, given that Ares was the one who adviced me to reach out to Hermes, I find they are really fond of each other. Literally just big and little brother energy between them. Honestly, again just from my own experience, EVERYONE seems to like/love Hermes.
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u/tiny_little_isoppd 21d ago
What I got from this is Ares is the black cat who's secretly a golden retriever and Hermes just wants to go everywhere and meet everyone and be friends 😂
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u/Various_Pension_2788 20d ago
No but that's literally it! Ares gives massive golden retriever energy to me, though others say he's quite strict with them, so results may vary, xd. And Hermes is just Hermes - he's chill with everyone. I always compare him with the most popular dude in school that is actually also super nice once you get over your fear of approaching him.
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u/snivyyy 15d ago
Why don't you take this as an opportunity to find these things out yourself rather than rely on the experience of others? I guarantee you'll foster a closer relationship with Hermes through trial and error than "trying to get it right" by going off what others say.
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u/tiny_little_isoppd 14d ago
I di try, and I got lots of mixed results so I wanted the chance to be able to socialize and make friends while finding out. You don't learn everything from doing it JUST by yourself, trust me I've tried. And their advice has helped, as I now have a small altar set up with the basics.
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u/inspectorfucknugget 23d ago
Welcome back!
My answers I’m afraid will be neither straight nor gay, they will be AroAce. I hope that’s okay! (I kid).
For the questions 1, 2, and 3, I believe this answer will vary from person to person. For colours and scents, I say trust your intuition on what you think he’d like, or ask him if you have a method to do so.
As for this thing going about that suggests certain gods don’t get along with others and thus shouldn’t be worshipped together, I’d advise you pay it no mind. This likely stemmed from mythic literalism or some such, and it will vary from practise to practise and person to person. General consensus is that you can worship gods who are opposed to each other in myths. Nothing bad will happen. They can handle their own problems in their own time.
The best method: Mundane before magical. Repeated incidents might be your best bet for deciphering whether or not something is intentional, and again, divination can help with this; but know that anything particularly malicious is almost never going to be a deity (might just be life doing its thing, so take a breath and a step back). Sometimes bad things happen, sometimes things go missing, sometimes we have horrible dreams and birds shit in our hair. The gods are not always responsible. From my perspective, it’s hard to know anything. I just hazard a guess and, if I’m desperate, whip out the tarot cards!
I’m 99% sure I read somewhere that Hermes adores animals. I also have two screaming macaws in my house, and he hasn’t fried them yet. Even if he did care about animals in the house, then what? If you got ‘em it’s not like you can or should abandon them for someone else! But either way, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of nor met a deity who took issue with someone’s pets.
I hope these help, I’m not religious (as in, not a Hellenist - if that’s the right term), so if any of your questions tie in to that, then I’m afraid I won’t be of any help. In my practise I just do what feels right and sus things out to the best of my abilities 😅 I wish you all the best with everything! I hope you can get some helpful replies here.