THE BIRTH OF HERMES

Hermes is the child of Zues, father of the gods, and Maia, a daughter of Atlas who holds up the earth. He is the gods' messenger and among the gods he is the shrewdest and most cunning. He has also been a source of mischief since the day he was born:

The babe was born at the break of day, And ere the night fell he had stolen away Apollo's herds.

When Apollo found his heard of beautiful white cows gone he asked his crows who had stolen them. The crows replied, "It is the twelth god of Olympos, but a day old, who has spirited your herd away."

This made Apollo angry, "You lying wretches, there is only eleven gods of Olympos. I will punish you for your lies." So he turned the crows, which had been white as ivory, black as ashes.

Phoibos then went in search of the cows. He soon came upon a cave where Maia sat with the baby Hermes on her lap as the child plated on a lyre which he had just invented, using a tortoise's shell. Apollo askes Maia, "Who is this child, so clever as to make such a marvelous thing at such a young age?"

"This is Hermes, your new brother, and the twelth Olympian."

It was then that the bright archer knew that the crows had told the truth and he pointed an accusing finger at the baby. "So you stole my lovely white herd, you must give them back to me immediatly."

Hermes answered, in a soothing voice, "Oh but i can not, dear brother, for i have already made a feast of the fat cows, but come and eat with me and we shall discuss things."

So Apollo ate with the clever Hermes who in order to make ammends gave Apollo the lyre and taught him to play it expertly. Told from the memory of Corvus