In Greek mythology, Hermes is known as the god of thieves and travelers. He was known to be a cunning and mischievous god who could easily trick others. One of his most famous exploits was the theft of Apollo’s cattle.
According to the myth, Apollo had a herd of cattle that he treasured dearly. One day, he noticed that several of his cattle were missing.
He searched high and low but couldn’t find them anywhere. It was then that he suspected Hermes of stealing them.
Hermes, however, denied any involvement in the theft and swore by all the gods that he had nothing to do with it. But Apollo wasn’t convinced. So, he took Hermes to Zeus – king of the gods – for judgment.
Zeus listened to both sides of the story and decided to settle the matter himself. He ordered Hermes to return Apollo’s cattle immediately or face severe punishment.
Hermes knew he had no choice but to obey Zeus’ command. However, being a clever god, he came up with a plan to trick Apollo into thinking that he had found the missing cattle by chance.
Hermes put shoes on the feet of some cows in his own herd so that they would leave tracks in reverse order. Then, he led them backwards into a cave where they wouldn’t be seen from outside. When Apollo arrived looking for his cattle, Hermes guided him towards this cave where – thanks to Hermes’ trickery – Apollo found his own cows and believed they were lost before but were now found by chance.
Apollo was happy to have his cattle back and thanked Hermes for helping him find them. He also decided not pursue punishment against him.
Hermes then revealed his trickery to Apollo who laughed heartily at it despite being initially deceived by it.
From that day on, Apollo and Hermes became close friends despite their past dispute over stolen cattle.
This myth about how Hermes stole the cattle of Apollo is just one of many fascinating tales from Greek mythology. It serves as a reminder that even the gods can be tricked and that sometimes, it’s the cleverest among them who get away with it.