Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [citation needed] In his earliest forms, he appears to have been related to the Etruscan deity Turms; both gods share characteristics with the Greek god Hermes. Not necessarily the god of speed exactly, but the most aligned as the god of merchants, travelers, thieves and tricksters.

Like Hermes, he was also a god of messages, eloquence and of trade, particularly of the grain trade.

In Greek Mythology, Nike was the Goddess of speed, strength and victory.

merchant, commerce, etc. Mercury (/ ˈ m ɜːr k j ʊr i /; Latin: Mercurius [mɛrˈkʊrɪ.ʊs] ()) is a major god in Roman religion and mythology, being one of the 12 Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon.He is the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication (including divination), travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves; he also serves as the guide of souls to the underworld. Learn more about Mercury in this article. Mercury, in particular, was reported as becoming extremely popular among the nations the Roman Empire conquered; Julius Caesar wrote of Mercury being the most popular god in Britain and Gaul, regarded as the inventor of all the arts. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The senate referred the decision to the popular assembly, and also decreed that whichever was chosen should also exercise additional duties, including presiding over the markets, establish a merchants' guild, and exercising the functions of the pontifex maximus. At the completion of its construction, a dispute emerged between the consuls Appius Claudius Sabinus Regillensis and Publius Servilius Priscus Structus as to which of them should have the honour of dedicating the temple. [16], The dedication occurred on 15 May, 495 BC. Old English "mearc", Old Norse "mark" and Latin "margō") and Greek οὖρος (by analogy of Arctūrus/Ἀρκτοῦρος), as the "keeper of boundaries," referring to his role as bridge between the upper and lower worlds. For the racehorse, see, "Mercurius" redirects here. [9] This is probably because, in the Roman syncretism, Mercury was equated with the Celtic god Lugus, and in this aspect was commonly accompanied by the Celtic goddess Rosmerta. Mercury (/ˈmɜːrkjʊri/; Latin: Mercurius [mɛrˈkʊrɪ.ʊs] (listen)) is a major god in Roman religion and mythology, being one of the 12 Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon. 346). Additionally, Ovid wrote that Mercury carried Morpheus' dreams from the valley of Somnus to sleeping humans. His cult was introduced also by influence of etruscan religion in which Turms had similar characteristics. Although Lugus may originally have been a deity of light or the sun (though this is disputed), similar to the Roman Apollo, his importance as a god of trade made him more comparable to Mercury, and Apollo was instead equated with the Celtic deity Belenus.