Share

cover art for Hermes: Messenger of the Gods

The Ancients

Hermes: Messenger of the Gods

Ep. 389

Famed as the herald of the Greek gods, Hermes is the ‘jack of all trades’ when it comes to the pantheon of Mount Olympus. Known for his trademark winged sandals and snake encircled sceptre, he is the god of both thieves and shepherds. But how did he earn those titles?


In this episode of the Ancients, Tristan Hughes continues our Gods and Goddesses series with Christopher Bungard to chat all things Hermes   and answer the most important of questions - how did his sandals grow wings? 


Senior Producer: Elena Guthrie. Assistant Producer: Joseph Knight. Editor: Aidan Lonergan. Script Writer: Andrew Hulse. Voice Actor: Lucy Davidson


Other episodes in this series include: Zeus, Hera, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, King Midas, Achilles, Poseidon, Medusa, Hades, Persephone, and Demeter.


Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code ANCIENTS sign up now for your 14-day free trial HERE.


You can take part in our listener survey here.

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 475. Anubis and the Underworld

    47:41||Ep. 475
    Tristan Hughes and his guest Dr. Joyce Tyldesley OBE are heading to the Underworld for the final installation of The Ancients exploration of the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. They encounter the infamous jackal-headed deity Anubis, analyse Egyptian archaeology and discuss the origins of mumification, the Book of the Dead and the weighing of hearts.Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited and produced by Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Scriptwriter is Andrew Hulse. Voice Actor is Menna Elbezawy.The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscriptionYou can take part in our listener survey here.
  • 474. Darius the Great, Persian King of Kings

    50:02||Ep. 474
    One of the most famous and recognisable Persian kings of antiquity, Darius the Great was an Achaemenid superstar, ruling the Achaemenid Persian Empire some 2,500 years ago. His tale is preserved in the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus; Darius’ story stretches from India to Ukraine and the Great Steppe.Reverend Professor Lloyd LLewellyn-Jones joins Tristan Hughes to discuss the rise, reign and fall of one of the most extraordinary Persian kings; Darius I, ‘Darius the Great’.Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Max Carrey and produced by Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscriptionYou can take part in our listener survey here.
  • 473. The Legend of Osiris, King of the Dead

    46:27||Ep. 473
    The story of Osiris and how he became King of the Dead is a gruesome tale and one of the most famous legends from Egyptian mythology.Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Campbell Price to explore the myth which culminates in a divine and bloody battle between the God of Chaos Set and Osiris’ son Horus.Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited and produced by Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Scriptwriter is Andrew Hulse. Voice Actor is Menna Elbezawy.The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscriptionYou can take part in our listener survey here.
  • 472. The Fall of Carthage

    01:00:06||Ep. 472
    It’s 146 BC. Fire rises high over the North African coast. The once-thriving port city of Carthage is burning. Thousands of Roman soldiers have breached the defences and swarmed into the city, intent on wiping this city from the face of the earth. This is the fall of Carthage.Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Eve MacDonald to plot the steps that lead to the Romans ruthlessly crushing this ancient Mediterranean power, once and for all. In the infamous words of the Roman statesman Cato the Elder; ‘Carthago Delenda Est’ - Carthage Must be Destroyed’Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited and produced by Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscriptionYou can take part in our listener survey here.
  • 471. Isis and the Goddesses of Egypt

    46:42||Ep. 471
    Isis, Hathor, Sekhmet and Bastet were adored and honoured in Ancient Egypt, with their stories passed between thousands of followers and down through the generations through spoken word and painted hieroglyph. But there weren't simply maternal, wifely, caring deitites. They could also transform into deadly beasts and deliver horrific vengeance when crossed.Tristan Hughes is joined by archaeologist and Egyptologist Dr. Joyce Tyldesley to unravel the myths of these ancient Egyptian goddesses.Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Scriptwriter is Andrew Hulse. Voice Actor is Menna Elbezawy.The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscriptionYou can take part in our listener survey here.
  • 470. Tyrannosaurus Rex

    35:49||Ep. 470
    67 million years ago the most famous meat-eating dinosaur prowled the earth - the Tyrannosaurus Rex. At it's full size, this prehistoric apex predator was taller than a double decker bus and weighed more than seven tonnes, whilst it's teeth were the size of bananas. But how much do we actually know about this so called 'King of the Dinosaurs'?In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Steve Brusatte to explore the ins and outs of this most iconic of dinosaurs - from their tiny little arms to their fossilised poo.Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscriptionYou can take part in our listener survey here.
  • 469. Ra and the Sun Gods

    46:02||Ep. 469
    Of all the Egyptian Gods it is Ra, the God of the Sun, who is perhaps most well known in the popular imagination. He is said to have voyaged across the sky on his solar barge and then come nightfall descended into the underworld to battle all sorts of monstrous creatures. But Ra is a complicated character. He is often fused with other Egyptian gods and transformed into different solar deities entirely. So who really is he? And where do the tales about him come from?In today's episode of The Ancients - the second in our 5 part series on Egyptian Gods and Goddesses - Tristan Hughes is joined by Egyptologist Campbell Price to unpack to story of Ra and the Sun Gods and explore the deity who the Ancient Egyptians arguably revered most highly.Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. The script writer is Andrew Hulse. The voice actor is Menna Elbezawy The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscriptionYou can take part in our listener survey here.
  • 468. The Fall of Roman Britain

    01:22:41||Ep. 468
    In the early 5th century AD, after almost four centuries of iron-fisted Roman rule, the empire in Britain was beginning to fade. Franks, Saxons and Roman usurpers were running rampant. Britannia was on its last legs and in 410 AD, the Britons were told to ‘look to their own defences’.However the story of the fall of Roman Britain is far more complex than the traditional tale of swift Roman withdrawal. In today's episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Rob Collins and Dr James to journey from Londinium to Hadrians Wall and unpick the ultimate fate of Roman Britannia.Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscriptionYou can take part in our listener survey here.
  • 467. Egypt

    03:43:45||Ep. 467
    In September's exclusive subscriber-only episode we've brought together the best interviews from our archive on ancient Egypt as a companion to our current new immersive mini-series on the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Incredibly, the length of time between the rule of Cleopatra and the erection of the Pyramids is the same as that between now and the birth of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, it is perhaps no surprise that some periods of Ancient Egypt fall beneath the radar, including the Late Period of Ancient Egypt. The centuries of the 1st millenium BC when Egypt’s power had declined from the heights of rulers such as Ramesses II and Seti I. This late period of ancient Egypt however, is not without drama. It is characterised by repeated invasions and leadership by foreign rulers - Kushites, Libyans, Assyrians, Persians and then ultimately the Macedonians with Alexander the Great and his Ptolemaic successors. Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscriptionYou can take part in our listener survey here.