The Talaria of Mercury () or The Winged Sandals of Hermes (, or , ) are winged

sandal Sandals are an open type of shoe, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can sometim ...

s, a symbol of the Greek messenger god

Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...

( Roman equivalent Mercury). They were said to be made by the god

Hephaestus Hephaestus ( , ; wikt:Hephaestus#Alternative forms, eight spellings; ) is the Greek god of artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, fire, metallurgy, metalworking, sculpture and volcanoes.Walter Burkert, ''Greek Religion'' 1985: III.2. ...

of imperishable gold and they flew the god as swift as any bird.

Etymology

The Latin noun , neuter plural of signifies "of the

ankle The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The ...

". It is not quite certain how the Romans arrived at the meaning of "winged sandals" from this, possibly that the wings were attached at the ankles, or the sandals were tied around the ankles.

Attestations

In ancient Greek literature, the sandals of Hermes are first of all mentioned by

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

(; , "immortal/divine and of gold"), though not described as "winged". The description of the sandals being winged first appear in the poem '' Shield of Heracles'' (c. 600 – 550 BC), which speaks of (), literally "winged sandals". The Homeric hymn to Hermes from a somewhat later date (520 BC) does not explicitly state the sandals were winged, though they allowed him to leave no footprints while committing his theft of Apollo's cattle. According to one estimation, it was around 5th century BC when the winged sandals came to be regarded as common (though not indispensable) accoutrements of the god Hermes. One later instance which refers to the sandals being winged is the '' Orphic Hymn'' XXVIII to Hermes (c. 2nd/3rd century AD).

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...

wears Hermes' sandals to help him slay

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...

. According to

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...

, Hermes gives them to him directly. In a better-attested version, Perseus must retrieve them from the Graeae, along with the

cap of invisibility In classical mythology, the Cap of Invisibility (Ἅϊδος κυνέη ''(H)aïdos kyneē'' in Greek, lit. dog-skin of Hades) is a helmet or cap that can turn the wearer invisible, also known as the Cap of Hades or Helm of Hades. Wearers of the ...

and the (sack).

Latin sources

The term ''talaria'' has been employed by

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

in the 1st century, and prior to him, in perhaps eight instances by various Latin authors (Cicero, Virgil, etc.). The term is usually construed as "winged sandals", and applied almost exclusively to the footwear worn by the god Hermes/Mercury or the hero Perseus.

Medieval interpretation

In the case of the ''talaria'' worn by the swift runner

Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...

(Ovid, ''Metamorphoses'' X.591) some translators in the past steered away from recognizing them as footwear, and chose to regard them as " long robes, reaching to the ankle", starting with Planudes in the 14th century. This interpretation was also endorsed in the 17th century by Nicolaas Heinsius's gloss, and persisted in the 19th century with Lewis and Short's dictionary entry for this particular passage. But there are "insuperable" reasons against this "robes" interpretation, for Ovid clearly states in the foregoing passages that Atalanta had disrobed to engage in the foot-race. Also in the medieval Irish versions of the ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...

'' (''Imtheachta Aeniasa'') and the ''Destruction of Troy'' (''Togail Troí''), Mercury wears a "bird covering" or "feather mantle" (), which clearly derives from Mercury's ''talaria'', such as described by

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

.eDIL, s.v.
énchendach
. "bird-covering, feather mantle.. utin the following exx. the meaning seems transferred, wings, feathers; a winged thing.. rogab ercuira enceandaigh uime...┐ gabaid a luirg n-encheandaighi ina laim (i.e., the talaria and caduceus), Aen. mtheachta Aeniasa766–7 .. encennach Mercúir, cumma imthéit muir ┐ tír, LL 220 b26 = TTr. ogail Troi258 ." Sometimes, it has been interpreted that Hermes feet are winged, rather that the wings being part of his sandals.

Explanatory notes

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * Gantz, Timothy (2004). ''Mythes de la Grèce archaïque'', Berlin. pp. 541–543.

External links

* {{Greek religion, state=collapsed Objects in Greek mythology Mythological clothing Hermes Flight folklore Sandals