How Did Hermes Put Argus to Sleep?

Hermes was known as the messenger of the gods in ancient Greek mythology. He was also considered the god of commerce, thieves, and travelers. One of his most famous stories involves putting the hundred-eyed giant Argus to sleep.

According to the myth, Zeus had ordered Hermes to rescue his lover Io from Argus’ watchful eyes. Argus was a giant with one hundred eyes, of which only a few would sleep at any given time. This made it impossible for anyone to approach Io without being detected.

Hermes knew that he would have to be clever to put Argus to sleep. He began playing his flute, which had a hypnotic effect on anyone who listened to it. As Hermes played, he slowly started to lull Argus into a deep sleep.

But even as Argus began to doze off, some of his eyes remained open and alert. Hermes then called upon a beautiful white cow named Io, whom he had turned into her current form earlier in the story.

As soon as Argus saw the cow, he was mesmerized by her beauty and began counting her spots on her hide. Hermes continued playing his flute while slowly removing each of Argus’ eyes as they fell asleep one by one.

Finally, with all of his eyes closed in slumber except for two, Hermes called upon a powerful spell that put those last two eyes into a deep sleep as well. With Argus fully asleep, Io was able to escape unharmed.

This story is often cited as an example of Hermes’ cunning and resourcefulness. He used both his musical talent and shape-shifting abilities to outsmart the giant Argus and save Zeus’s lover Io.

In conclusion, Hermes’ ability to put the ever-watchful giant Argus into a deep sleep is one of the most famous stories from Greek mythology. It highlights his quick thinking and resourcefulness in solving difficult problems through ingenuity and cleverness.