The sun was only barely beginning to rise when Hermes came out of his mother’s womb. He stretched himself, yawned and leapt right away to his feet. Then he ran to the entrance of the cave where he had just been born, in order to admire the world. “How beautiful it is!” he murmured.
It was indeed a very strange birth. Had anyone ever seen a child who had started to walk and talk the instant he was born? This child, however, lived in the land of the gods. This child lived in the beginning of time. In times of mystery when everything was possible. What Hermes discovered on this first morning of his birth was a landscape of rare beauty. The cave where he had just seen the light of day had been dug out at the top of a very high mountain. Fine grassy hills extended below his feet. It was the fourth day of the month of May, and spring was bursting. The child put his hand over his eyes to shield them from the rising sun. He looked for a long time at the small white blotches on the green grass: they were flocks of sheep. He looked for a long time at the small purple blotches on the green grass: they were budding trees. A bird flew in the sky above, tracing great circles. A fine perfumed smell wafted in the air. Hermes suddenly felt the urge to laugh, to burst into laughter: this is how beautiful life seemed to him as it began.
It was then that a gentle voice called to him from inside the cave. It was Maia, his mother. She had long, silky hair and her gaze was sweet like honey. She smelt good, she smelt of mummy. Hermes went back inside the cave.
“Where is my father?” he asked.
Maia gave a strange smile. “He is everywhere and nowhere.”
Hermes pulled himself sharply away from his mother and stamped his foot on the ground: “But I want to see him, I want to!”
“Everything in good time,” replied Maia, running her fingers through her child’s curly hair.
The sun was already high up in the sky when Hermes realized that he was hungry. His mother had fallen asleep and he had followed her in her slumber, nestling tightly close to her. Without a sound, he freed himself from Maia’s arms and decided to go off in search of adventure. He really hoped that he would find on this beautiful earth something which would make him happy. Noiselessly, Hermes clad himself with a sheepskin; he slung a bag over his shoulder and left the cave. Then he scampered down the slopes of the very high mountain without looking back.
He was whistling gaily and walked at a brisk pace. All of a sudden his foot struck what he took to be a great green stone. The stone rolled some feet away from him. Hermes stopped and picked it up. It wasn’t a stone, but the shell of a tortoise! “It might always come in handy,” he told himself. And he slipped it into his bag.
A little farther, Hermes saw at the edge of the road some great shrubs with shiny leaves. A pungent scent which tingled his nose emanated from them. They were laurels, the sacred tree of the god Apollo. Hermes did not know this yet. But he liked the smell, so he broke off a laurel branch and slipped it into his bag. “It might come in handy,” he told himself. A little farther still, Hermes came near a pond. A forest of supple stalks swayed around him. He thought that he could hear them murmur: “Good-day, day-good, good-day…” Since he was naturally polite, he returned the greeting to the long reeds. Then he slipped a few of them into his bag, saying to himself: “They may always come in handy.” And he continued on his way. He was not yet very tall, and the forest of reeds concealed him almost completely. This is how he arrived unseen before a herd of cows. These cows were magnificent. They possessed long, curvy horns. Their skin glistened in the sun. With their heads held high, they contemplated the world around them with astonishing elegance. They were so white and so nobly proud that Hermes was certain that he had discovered the most beautiful cows in the world. He felt a great urge to play with them. He dreamt of climbing on their backs for a royal jaunt. He dreamt of sliding underneath their udders to drink their milk. Hmm, how good that warm and frothy milk must be! Hermes, who was getting very hungry, felt his mouth water at the thought. He threw a few glances all around but there was no drover in sight. No one seemed to be keeping watch over this herd. So he made up his mind to serve himself. Yet he had to show cunning. Hermes lay down for a few moments on the mound of cool grass in order to think. The butterflies flitted about him, the sun tickled his neck. What would be the best way to steal these cows without getting caught?
To be continued…