The Homeric Hymns to Hermes and Demeter each tells the story of the conflicts Hermes and Demeter face upon birth. The ancient Greek Myths served to explain the unexplainable. Before modern advancement in technology and scientific research, natural phenomena boggled the minds of humans. It was through story telling and myths many of the "truths" about life were revealed. The source of many mysterious workings of life were written down in ancient Greek myths as the workings of divine beings. Within the myths themselves, the story behind the creation of these divine beings revealed an intrinsic part of their nature. Many of the immortals faced hardship and overcame struggles in a way which describes their representation and implications within the Greek culture of the time these myths were written. The Homeric Hymns to Hermes and Demeter reveal the births of both these deities.
             The Hymn to Hermes tells the story of Hermes' childhood and birth. Hermes is the god of merchants, weights and measures, oratory, and thieves among many other things. Hermes is most popularly known for his cunning and shrewdness, which he exercises to his advantage in the Hymn to Hermes. His shrewdness is first seen through the manner in which he steals Apollo's herd.
             "Through the sandy place he drove them on a beguiling route, turning their hoofprints round. Mindful of the artful ruse, he reversed their hoofs, setting the front part backward and the back part forward and opposite to his own course... He made a bundle of fresh-grown seasonable branches and snugly tied them as sandals under his feet, leaves and all..." (Hymn to Hermes 75-84)
             Hermes cunningly made reed sandals for the entire herd and put them on backwards so the tracks would not point toward the destination point. Hermes' displays his wittiness shortly after birth. Though it was an impressive attempt, Hermes's actions will inevitably re...