Comparison Between Apollo And Hermes

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Comparison between Apollo and Hermes

It is the nature of brothers to fight. It is rare to see brothers that get along well like best

friends would do. They are always competing for power and strive to show that they are superior

to one another. However, always, there is the older brother who is always on the top. This is how

it is and how it will ever be. If you do not believe it, you will be shocked to know that it happens

even among gods. A good instance of this type of love between brothers can be seen between

Apollo and Hermes who are half-brothers. They are seen as the typical elder and younger brother.

The way they argue, compete and act is similar to what brothers do. They compete for the position

of the highest god. Although this is not an issue between mortal brothers on earth, it is the biggest

cause, in the myths of the Greeks, of the differences between Apollo and herms. To do a test of

this, we take a look at an extraordinary criteria list, like comparing the power that each god has,

Timai, Metis and their fame in Olympus. As we use these criteria to analyze who is a more

powerful god, we see that Apollo, the elder brother, is the more powerful and godlike one.

The first criterion for use in comparing these half-brothers is their Metis and Power. Since

he was young, the Olympians feared Apollo as they considered him to be a more powerful and

great god. "When he comes, a trembling seizes the gods in Zeus' abode; And as he approaches

near, they all leap from the seats" (Homer, Hymn to Apollo, 2-3). This is from the three lines that

open the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, which begins with showing Apollo as a great god who has a

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lot of power. This hymn shows that the gods in the home of Zeus tremble, and this is something

worth noting because, for the gods in the house of the most powerful god to be afraid, it shows

that Apollo has quite a lot of power. This kind of fear and respect is not given to Hermes. The birth

of Hermes does not even take place in Olympus but in a cave. There is no fear for him among the

other gods, the situation is, in fact, the opposite. This is seen when Apollo finds out when Hermes

steals from him as he confronts him, "You child who lies in the winnowing fan, inform me at once

of my cattle, or soon will differ, and not in a seemly way. For into murky Tartaros, into the dreadful

doom of darkness than none can escape, I'll toss you. You'll not be released" (Homer, Hymn to

Hermes, 255-258). In so saying, Apollo is showing that he is more powerful that Hermes as he

tries to intimidate and make him afraid. Although the effect Apollo hopes this will have is not

realized, it shows that the power that Apollo has is lacking in Hermes. No one would bring himself

to challenge Apollo had the roles been reversed.

The second criterion to be used in comparing these two brothers is the Metis and how

cunning they are. This is the other aspect in which the two brothers have contrasting characteristics.

Although both of them are cunning and possess Metis, the ways in which they express these two

qualities are quite different. Their expression of Metis causes questions as to who is more godlike.

Hermes shows Metis in a fashion that is more like that of a little brother. He is more mischievous

and cunning with his intelligence, constantly tricking his mother and Apollo his brother. This

cunningness sometimes works for him but at other times it does not. One of the examples of the

way Apollo makes use of his mischievous intelligence is when he wears sandals to cover his tracks

when he steals Apollo's cattle. He also uses his craftiness to lead the cattle where he wants.

"Turning aside their steps, he drove them by wandering paths." (Homer, Hymn to Hermes, 76).

All this he does to make sure his tracks are covered, but her cunningness is not adequate to fool

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not only his mother but also Apollo. He finds his mother very suspicious when he goes back to his

home in the cave. She asks him, "What are you up to, subtle rouge, arriving here in the night from

who knows where, parading your barefaced cheek" (Homer, Hymn to Hermes, 155-156). His

mother is wise and can see that Hermes is not innocent. Hermes on his part tries to convince her

that he is just but a baby and therefore cannot do this. However, this does not convince Maia.

Apollo shows his intelligence differently. He is clearly more knowledgeable and intelligent than

Hermes because the tricks of Hermes do not fool him. "Well now, a mighty marvel is this that I

see with my eyes! Those at least are tracks of cattle with upright horns. Yet back to the asphodel

meadow they're turned. But these are steps" (Homer, Hymn to Hermes, 220-221). Apollo is able

to notice that the cattle have been led astray and he figures out quickly who has done it, "Apollo

the lord son of Zeus with these words rushed onward and came to Kyllene's wood-clad peak and

the deeply shaded lair in the rock." (Homer, Hymn to Hermes, 226-227). He follows the tracks

easily back to Hermes. This proves that the mischievous tricks of Hermes are just but child's play

for Apollo. Comparing the Metis possessed by the two brothers, we can see that Hermes is a

mischievous thief and Apollo is a knowledgeable and experienced god. From this, we can deduce

that Apollo is more god-like since he outsmarts the tricks of Hermes.

The last criterion in the comparison of the godliness of these brothers is their recognition

in Olympus and Timai. These brothers have been brought up as gods in different ways. The

upbringing of Hermes was lower key and subtle. To start with, he has only one of his parents being

a god. His father is Zeus but his mother is a nymph. "Maia gave him birth, That nymph whose

tresses are fair, having joined in love with Zeus" (Homer, Hymn to Hermes, 3-4). This show that

from his birth, Hermes has a rank lower than that of Apollo, because only one of his parents is a

god. From a young age, Hermes has little recognition in Olympus, it could even be said that he is

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not recognized there. His birth takes place in a cave where he spends the first days of his life with

his mother Maia. It is thus clear that the beginning of the life of Hermes was not godlike. Hermes

is not given his Timai just like the other gods but has to fight for it. He ends up being given the

Timai of being the gods' messenger and the god-king of thieves. He does not get any power or

elements to control or have a god-like jurisdiction over any people or region. He is seen as a servant

of the gods, being their messenger. The upbringing of Apollo is completely different. He is a son

of two gods, Lato and the powerful Zeus. From his childhood, Apollo is accepted, welcomed and

recognized in Olympus. "Then the other deities sit, and queenly Lato exults at the fact that she

gave birth to a bow-bearing, mighty son" (Homer, Hymn to Apollo, 12-13). This shows the respect

accorded to Apollo in Olympus. The gods are giving him a standing ovation and he is given a

throne while Hermes lives in a cave. Apollo is given his Timai without struggling for it. His role

is to be the god of prophecy, music and the god of the bow, the "far shooting one" (Homer, Hymn

to Apollo, 91). His reign is much more godlike than that of Hermes. He controls factors and

elements which affect not the gods only. This shows that Apollo is more godlike than Hermes

because of his being present at Olympus and the power division allocated to him.

In conclusion, there will always be the bigger brother who is more powerful, both in real

life and in the myths of the Greeks. Using the criteria of Fame, Power, Timai and Metis to compare

Apollo and Hermes, we can see which one of these brothers is more godlike. This can be seen in

the way the two are brought up, the way they make their own names and the respect and fear

accorded to them by the other gods in the house of Zeus in Olympus. When it comes to Timai, the

superiority of Apollo to Hermes is shown in that Hermes has to struggle to get his Timai while

Apollo gets it without struggle. The roles that the two are given also show that Apollo has a more

godlike role than Hermes who is given the role of being a messenger of the gods with no godlike

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jurisdiction whatsoever. Even in terms of intelligence, great differences can be seen between the

intellectual abilities of the two brothers. Apollo always appears to outsmart his younger brother

Hermes.

Works Cited

Crudden, Michael, ed. The Homeric Hymns. Oxford University Press, USA, 2001.

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