Tricksters, magicians, and cosmic flux: Hermes, Thoth, Isis, and Coyote

Excerpt - Mary Antonio Wood

Tricksters and magicians are trespassers and shape-shifters; they are also inspired storytellers who can easily enchant us with their fictions – they are the very best liars. Appearing in multiple guises within the mythologies of many cultures, these figures are mercurial transformers, smooth talkers, and enemies of boundaries; they share many of the same transgressive qualities as bandits, thieves, and of course, artists. The Greek mythic figures Proteus and Prometheus are certainly tricksters, as is the god Hermes (known to the Romans as Mercury). As evidenced in the Homeric Hymns, and in many hundreds of subsequent appraisals, Hermes is one of the best examples of the collection of archetypal character traits associated with the trickster.

The “Homeric Hymn to Hermes” begins with the birth of the clever infant who immediately embarks on a startling streak of creativity and trickery. Hermes does not pause at the prospect of sacrificing life in order to transform it into something new; in the glossy-shelled turtle he sees the possibility of a musical instrument that will enchant the gods. From this he moves on to cattle theft and extortion, which eventually leads to an exchange of wondrous gifts and reconciliation with his half-brother, Apollo. In exchange for the enchantment of the lyre, Hermes is gifted with his signature golden caduceus and installed as messenger of the gods and guide of souls; in the latter role he is known as Hermes Psychopompos. Hermes’s good fortune continues as Apollo happily offers him lessons in divination and magic; skills that Apollo has gained through his special relationship with three-winged “bee sisters” whose powers of divination are now at his sibling’s disposal. As the god of communication, Hermes may offer his gifts to mortals in moments of unexpected inspiration and clarity that the Greeks called hermaion or lucky finds. He is just as quick, however, to sow confusion and miscommunication.

Contemporary creators have enjoyed comparisons to Hermes and to the trickster’s rebellious boundary-defying powers – although most would not readily claim the full range of his character traits. Like all tricksters, Hermes is neither good nor bad; he is an amoral figure, as prone to deception and robbery as he is to dispensing gifts. The “artist as thief” is not necessarily attractive, but some creators, like Martha Graham, have understood and embraced this aspect of themselves: