He has many stories and duties in Greek mythology: Who is Hermes?

On the first day of his birth as the son of Hermes, Maia, and Zeus, he stood up and had fun playing the lyre he made from a turtle shell. One day, while wandering around the countryside, he made the god Apollo angry because he stole the cows under Apollo's protection. In his anger, Apollo takes Hermes to the chief god Zeus and asks Zeus to punish him, but Hermes plays the lyre in his hand so beautifully that Apollo and Zeus are very impressed by the enchanting sound coming from the lyre. Hermes, who came to Zeus with the idea of receiving punishment, became the messenger of the gods by purchasing a pair of winged shoes and a winged headdress, which enabled him to be faster thanks to his enchanting lyre.

Hermes also carries the souls of the dead to the underworld and guides shepherds and stray travelers. The Io myth, from which Hermes takes the title of "the god who killed Argos" as described in the Iliad, is as follows:

Io is the daughter of the river god Inachos in Greek mythology. Zeus sees this nymph and falls in love with her, but Io is a priestess in the temple of Hera and rejects Zeus. Thereupon, Zeus, the representative of the masculine mentality in Greek mythology, haunts Io. Io's father Inachus consults an oracle. The oracle says to Inachus, "Either your daughter or your country." Hearing this, Inachus expels his daughter from the country. Zeus approaches Io, who is left alone. Hera, suspicious of this situation, comes to Zeus. Zeus turns his beloved Io into a cow to protect her from Hera's wrath. Hera asks Zeus to give her this cow as a gift. Zeus gives Io to him. To keep Io away from Zeus, Hera locks her in a cave and puts the hundred-eyed Argos over her.

Hermes is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quickly and freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine aided by his winged sandals. Hermes plays the role of the psychopomp or "soul guide"—a conductor of souls into the afterlife.

Even if Argos slept while waiting for Io, his fifty eyes would be open. Zeus assigns Hermes to save Io, and Hermes goes to the cave, plays his lyre, makes Argos close all his eyes and falls asleep, and then cuts off his head. Learning that her faithful servant was killed by Hermes, Hera gave Argos' eyes to her sacred animal, the peacock. A horsefly follows Io, who escapes from the cave. Io passes through the Bosphorus while escaping from the horsefly. Additionally, the Bosphorus is called the "ox passage" (Bosphorus). After crossing the Bosphorus, he encounters Prometheus, who is chained in the Caucasus, and Prometheus tells him that he will "turn into a human again." After a while, Zeus turns Io into a human. It is from this legend that Hermes is called "the god who killed Argos" in the Iliad.

He also appears in the Iliad, carrying the soul of Hector, who was killed by Achilles in the Trojan War, to the land of the dead.

In the Odyssey, Odysseus, who was prevented from returning home by the gods after the Trojan War, anchors on Circe's island. After sending a few of his companions to observe Circe's house on the island, his companions do not return because Circe has set up a game for them. He invites Odysseus' companions to the beautiful feast he prepared at his home, but there is a magic in the food that turns people into pigs. All those who eat the food turn into pigs. While Odysseus was going to look after his companions, the god Hermes appeared and gave him some grass to prevent him from turning into a pig. Odysseus, who attends the feast knowing that Circe did it, does not turn into a pig thanks to the herb given by Hermes, and of course, saves his friends.