This article contains lore based on real-life sources of the Greek mythology as introduced from the God of War Greek era.
| “ | I thought Spartans fought with honor. And yet you seek to kill me when I have no way to defend myself? Not fair! But you have your own sense of honor, right, Kratos? And what has that honor brought you? Nothing but nightmares of your failure. Today you may defeat me, but in the end, Kratos, in the end you'll betray only yourself. | ” |
–Hermes' last words to Kratos. | ||
Hermes (Greek: Ἑρμῆς) was the Olympian God of Travelers, Messengers, Thieves, Commerce, Sports, Athletics, and Speed. Famed as the Messenger of Mount Olympus, he was the son of the King of the Gods Zeus and the Pleiades Maia. He is also the father of Ceryx, the messenger of Mount Olympus.
Quick Answers
Who were the parents of the Greek god Hermes?
What roles did Hermes play in Greek mythology?
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Greek Mythology[]
In Greek mythology, Hermes is the messenger of the gods and additionally, a guide to the Underworld. As an Olympian god, his sphere of influence was vast; he was the patron of boundaries (and the travelers who cross them), shepherds and cowherds, thieves and liars (and their cunning), orators and wit, literature and poets, athletics and sports, weights and measures, invention, general commerce, profit and good luck. He also acted as the messenger of Hades, guiding departed souls to their final resting place and carrying messages between the Underworld and Olympus. Another of his duties was to take Dreams from the God Morpheus and deliver them to the mortals.
His symbols include the tortoise, the rooster, the winged hat, the caduceus and his winged sandals. He was the son of Zeus and the Pleiades Maia, a daughter of the mighty Titan Atlas. His Roman counterpart was Mercury.
Hermes was born sometime after the first Titan War to Zeus and a goddess named Maia. He matured rapidly and within a few minutes of his birth stole the cattle of Apollo and invented the lyre. He even thought of a clever way to cover up his crime: tying bundles of grass to the cows' feet and leading them backward out of the pasture to make it look like something had been led into the pasture, but not away from it.
Despite this, Apollo found out and went to Zeus for justice. When brought before his father, Hermes attempted to charm Zeus into letting him go by telling him he was just an innocent new born baby. Undeceived, but amused by the child's boldness, Zeus instead forced him to compensate Apollo, which Hermes did by presenting him with the lyre
In the God of War Series[]
First Titanomachy[]
Being born during the centuries-long war, Hermes first experience in life was waging war against the mighty Titans in service of his father Zeus, the leader of the Olympian cause. At the final battle of the Great War, Hermes is one of the Gods who fought the Titans and is seen dodging a boulder thrown at him by one of them. He bore witness to Zeus creating and using the Blade of Olympus to banish the Titans to Tartarus for all eternity.
After the victory of the Gods, Hermes was able to use his charm and attractiveness to secure his place on Olympus as the Messenger of the Gods, managing to sideline the Goddess Iris and becoming the main distributor of messages among the Olympians.
Next to being a Messenger he was also working with the ancient Dream God Morpheus with the deliverance of dreams to the sleeping mortals and gods, aswell as being a Psychopomp who guides the souls of the dead into the Underworld. Hermes was an important deity with many duties and one of the major, ruling Gods of Olympus, though not on par with his more powerful half-siblings like Ares and Athena.
Wager of the Gods[]
Hermes, much like his fellow Olympians, was briefly seen competing in the Wager of the Gods, a contest in which each God chose one mortal to represent themselves in a search for Ambrosia. He was later seen with Poseidon, watching as Kratos, Ares' champion, slaughtered many enemies in his path. Briefly siding with his uncle, Hermes summoned several Satyrs to slay Kratos, but with no success. His confidence in his own champion, Danaus, proved infallible, as he continually taunted his fellow gods about his champion being the one to steal the Ambrosia. According to his boasts, in the event of his victory he would have commisioned the construction of many Temples across Greece in his honour. Unfortunately for Hermes, Danaus later met his end at the hands of Hades' champion, Alrik.
God of War Novel[]
Hermes, together with Athena watches the brutal Siege of Athens from the ambrosia-tinctured pool within Zeus' Throne Room, their father being currently absent. Hermes seemed rather excited, fluttering above the reflecting waters as he teased his sister about her city being in total ruin and Ares being the "clear victor here". In his mockery he even touched the pool and caused the collapse of an previously undamaged building that he spotted, with Athena sharply telling him to stop.
Zeus appeared in a thundering entrance, frowning and grumbling. The King of the Gods is displeased with Ares blatant disrespect and how he targets the Temples and Priests of Zeus himself. The fast progress and effectiveness of Ares army surprises the Skyfather, who has just bestowed on Kratos his legendary Thunderbolt.
Hermes, having already seen Kratos using this very Thunderbolt on the streets of Athens tries to complement his father, pointing out how "handsomely" he won in this whole business, with Zeus having none of it and sharply questioning what he meant by that.
The Messenger of the Gods, slightly unnerved, looked to Athena for some support but she had none to give. Hermes asked whether Kratos is not Zeus "creature", or champion based on "someone using a Thunderbolt similar to your own against Ares' creatures". Athena interjected and asked mockingly whether this was not another rumour to set one God against another, which Hermes vehemently denied, declaring his full loyaltly to Zeus as son and subject and that he seeks no harm, but merely to keep all informed. All that Zeus would need to do, is command him and he would carry out anything required of him.
Zeus, through gritted teeth accepts this declaration and promptly orders him to go to Ares and tell him that he orders him to stop the destruction of his Temples and supplicants. Hermes looked so distraught at this order that Athena barely kept herself from laughing. Upon some thought, the Goddess decided it would be unwise as Hermes would most probably become too curious and find out about her true plan for Kratos, which is conquering Pandora's Temple to face and slay Ares. After such a discovery, the discord-sowing Messenger God would without a doubt let it slip infront of Ares.
Athena requested Zeus to reconsider, much to Hermes relief. Instead she suggested for him to go into her city and show the Priests of the Gods the best avenues to escape and save themselves. In a booming voice, Zeus thundered his command for Hermes to be gone and start with this effort.
After Kratos victory over his former master Ares, he asked Athena once again to remove the nightmares that haunt his mind. The Goddess denied Kratos this request, following her fathers will. Feeling abandoned and hopeless, Kratos makes his way to the tallest mountain of all of Greece, planning to commit suicide. Hermes, as aware and present as ever, takes note of this and visits the chambers of Athena, who was in the process of contemplating what has happened, now that her ten year long scheme against Ares has come to its conclusion.
Hermes invites himself onto her bed, asking whether she does not want to "celebrate" her victory by shedding her virginity and "exploring untrammeled territory." Athena, highly irritated at this insolence and his narcissistic boasts, cuts him off by manifesting a razor-sharp sword pointing at his face and reminding him of Ares recent fate. She asks whether Hermes has a message to deliver and demands him to get on with it, after which he declares her to be the most beautiful of the Olympian Goddesses, much to her further irritation. Finally, he lifted his Caduceus and in the space between them appeared an image in real time of Kratos standing on top of the mauntain and at last casting himself down, his face blank and calm.
Athena is briefly caught off-guard and visibly shocked, with Hermes jokingly asking if she did not see this coming, being the Goddess of Foresight. After an instant, she descended from Olympus at the speed of thought, leaving the Messenger God behind.
Ceryx' Death[]
Hermes' son Ceryx faced Kratos in battle, and was killed. Hermes himself seemingly did not appear, although one theory about the identity of assassin who killed Argos, claims that he was Hermes himself in disguise, since the Greek myths detailed it was he who slew Argos in the name of Zeus. If this theory is correct, it means nearly all the Gods of Olympus plotted against Kratos.
God of War II Novel[]
Hermes briefly appears at the end of God of War II, where he is seen talking to the other Gods.
Hermes has a major presence and is one of the main characters in the Official Novelization for God of War II, where by a scheme of Atropos manipulating his Thread of Fate, he has seen Kratos while the latter was at Typhon's Lair, releasing Prometheus from his torment and claiming Typhon's Bane for himself. The Messenger of the Gods goes to Zeus and reports to him of Kratos ressurection and his actions so far at Typhon's mauntain prison. The King of the Gods plays with an thunderbolt in his right hand, making his son uneasy. Zeus doubts the truth of the message and continues to interrupt Hermes as he explains the details of what Kratos did with Prometheus. Hermes finally personally vouches for the truth, when Iris appears and accuses Hermes of lying and planning to depose Zeus himself, which Hermes declares as ridiculous. Ultimately Zeus sided with Iris as she told him what he wanted to hear and his son ends up being banished from Olympus, and replaced with Iris who tries to keep herself in the position and on Zeus' good graces by manipulating other Gods as well as Zeus himself in order to prevent Hermes from reattaining his position.
Hermes constantly flies around Greece looking for news that could disprove Iris and restore him to his position as the Messenger, something that both annoys and pities his sister, Athena with whom he often meets to vent and consult. Iris blatant lies and the Gods ostracizing him made him very furious. He kept an eye on Kratos progress through the Island of Creation, on Athena's behalf. When talking with his sister, he dismissed Gaia and the Titans as powerless and defeated. However, when it seemed that the Sisters allow Kratos to continue on his quest, Hermes wondered if they actually favour Kratos in his desire for Zeus' death, saying out loud that he could live with Kratos as the King of the Gods, as long as he would reinstate him.
Eventually, with the help of Athena, he gains an audience with Atropos in his self-imposed exile in the empty Egyptian desert. Kneeling before her, he states that she knows his plea, to which she answers that she can not, or rather will not change his destiny, as she is not accustomed to undoing what she has already decreed. Hermes declares her choices to be confusing, to which she retorts that they are not meant to be understood by mere gods. The exiled god suddenly asks why the Sisters allow Kratos to wield the Golden Fleece, which Atropos insists that he does not.
During an ensuing back and forth, Hermes gains more confidence and boldness in his assertions, driving at the fact that Kratos now possesses the Fleece, as Hermes knows the status and whereabouts of all his gifts, with the Golden Fleece itself being a gift of Hermes to Phrixus and Helle before Jason stole it. His point being that either Kratos defies the Sisters decrees or that they are actually permitting him to reach them, unnerving Atropos who knows that he is right. She recognizes that banishment has changed the Messenger God, made him more sharp and brazen, even in the face of fate itself. After a brief discussion about Gaia supporting Kratos and Iris machinations on Olympus, Atropos departs.
Later, Hermes has snuck back to Olympus, to Zeus' Throne Room at great risk for himself. He spies and overhears the three brothers, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades discussing the issue of finding and choosing a replacement for Kratos as the God of War. Zeus started by suggesting his son, the mighty Hercules, but ultimately the Brother Kings were bound to keep arguing. Hermes, overhearing this from his hiding spot, decided that they would never agree, but if he would have brought forth a warrior of his own to slay Kratos, then they would surely agree to appoint him as the Ghost of Sparta's successor and Hermes, as his benefactor would be restored to his position and favour. The Messenger God choose his mortal half-brother Perseus, a legendary hero to whom he bestowed the Cape of Invisibility to ensure his victory against the Slayer of Ares.
After Perseus' defeat and brutal demise, Athena was not surprised and scolded Hermes for his ill-thought scheme. Again hiding and trespassing on Olympus, Hermes quickly vanished behind a nearby tapestry when Hades walked by and Iris appeared, informing Athena that Zeus summons her presense. After she left, Athena asked Hermes to go the Island of Creation and arrange for her to talk with Kratos, which he did with the statues in the Garden of the Gods.
Near the climax of the novel, Hermes skillfully manages to put Iris in a bad light once he re-enters Olympus, and reveals her lies and accuses her of a scheme to pit the Gods against the Fates by decieving Poseidon into sending the Kraken to their domain. Iris was disgraced as a liar and was banned from ever walking the Earth, save at sunrise or sunset, and even then only when it is raining. Athena, lately increasingly confused and irritated, appreciated Hermes new, mature and tactful persona and how he has managed to put Iris back in her place and end her disruptive presense as Zeus' adviser. Hermes placed himself back as the Messenger of the Gods, as well as forcing Poseidon to ultimately stop lying to Zeus, thus redeeming himself just before the beginning of the Second Titanomachy.
Second Titanomachy[]
- Kratos: "To catch a fly from the ass of Zeus is not worth my time, Hermes."
- Hermes: "A coward's words, Kratos. You don't try to catch me, because you know you can't!"
- ―Hermes and Kratos conversing.
Hermes was one of the Gods who battled Kratos and the Titans when they were ascending Mount Olympus. Hermes had leapt down from the balcony and ran straight down the mountain itself. He was not seen since.
During his first encounter with the Labyrinth, Kratos eventually ran into Hermes directly (who just happened to be standing on a part of the Labyrinth at the time; possibly waiting for Kratos), who taunted him about his quest for vengeance and boasted his own speed. After briefly trading insults with Kratos, Hermes ran up the Chain of Balance linking the Underworld and Olympus, with Kratos in pursuit.
Kratos killing Hermes.
Death[]
Reappearing in the Chamber of the Flame, Hermes again taunted Kratos about his lack of speed. He then led Kratos around the outside of the Olympian Citadel on a perilous chase, with Kratos dodging incoming projectiles. Eventually, Kratos managed to finally corner Hermes by launching a boulder from a catapult; chaining himself to the boulder with his blades. The boulder smashed into an Athena statue, which Hermes had previously perched himself on, and caused the statue to come crumbling down on a nearby building with the two clinging to it.
Unfortunately for Hermes though, the wounds that he had suffered from the crash had left him critically injured and exhausted. Now unable to escape his enemy, Hermes ultimately decided and attempted to defeat Kratos in combat, using his formidable speed and agility to his advantage however, he would be forced to continually stop fighting to catch his breath. Upon his defeat, Hermes mocked Kratos one final time, stating in the end he would betray only himself. Kratos then overpowered him and severed his half-brother's legs in order to claim his winged boots.
Aftermath[]
With his ultimate death, Hermes' corpse dissolved into a swarm of disease-carrying flies that flew across Olympus; covering the land with pestilence and causing the deaths of several of Olympus' servants in the process.
God of War (2018)[]
Although he does not appear, Hermes is mentioned once in the game. When Kratos tells his son Atreus the story of the Rabbit and the Tortoise, he notes that during the race between the tortoise and the rabbit, the rabbit was arrogant and proud, while the tortoise was determined, and that the tortoise won the race. In this story, the rabbit likely represents Hermes, while the tortoise represents Kratos. The tortoise's victory can be linked to Kratos's cutting off of Hermes's legs and taking his boots.
Physical Description[]
Hermes resembles a tall, muscular, tanned middle-aged male with bright, flaming hair. He dresses in typical Greek clothing consisting of white robes with armored pauldrons and a short skirted section. He dons a pair of multi-layered armored bracers, a flame-shaped crown on his head, and what appear to be metallic ribbons on his right thigh. Hermes' signature equipment are his boots, a pair of metallic sandal-like greaves with wings which bestow him with his signature speed. He is usually seen with a personal coin he uses to toy with.
Personality[]
Hermes is shown as being playful and childish. He is greatly arrogant and boastful of his own speed, thinking that Kratos has no chance of catching or defeating him. He acts quite laid-back most of the time, frequently flipping his coin when idle. He is also fairly talkative, taunting Kratos about his tendency to kill family members, his quest for vengeance, and his inability to match Hermes' speed. However, it appears that this lighthearted demeanour masks an intense hatred, which occasionally becomes evident in his dialogue with the Spartan and especially manifests itself when he is forced to confront Kratos in battle. It is possible this is due to the fact that Kratos has killed his son Ceryx. Like most of the Gods defeated in the game, he remains defiant to the end, laughing at Kratos' "own sense of honour" and insisting that the Ghost of Sparta will only betray himself in the end.
His personality while among his fellow Gods is similar. He is confident and declares premature victory during the Wager of the Gods, but was also willing to aid Poseidon in trying to have Kratos killed during the Wager. Hermes self-absorbed and highly narcissistic nature always shines through, particularly being focused on his looks, considering himself to be the "prettiest" of the Gods.
With Athena he is playful and likes to engage in verbal back and forths, while also impetuously trying to flirt with her, despite her being a maiden goddess. After being banished from Olympus at the start of God of War II, Hermes gradually changes and matures into a more well-spoken, cunning and calculating God, with also more brazenness and boldness like how he talked back to Atropos about his banishment and the situation with Kratos and the Golden Fleece.
Powers & Abilities[]
For all of his unique powers and abilities, Hermes is rather vulnerable. In fact, for all of his boasting, he is actually one of the few Gods that Kratos defeats rather easily and without much effort. Hermes mainly relied on his speed and agility in combat, knowing full well that he could never hope to win against Kratos in a straight fight. Likewise, Kratos appears to view Hermes as more of a pest than a serious threat, only engaging in battle with him after incessant taunting and provocation. Overall, Hermes, despite his limitations, still proved to be an impressive and skillful individual.
- Vast Superhuman Speed: By wearing his winged boots, Hermes' already impressive agility and speed are magnified to beyond superhuman levels and allow him to become virtually untouchable in combat. While wearing the boots, Hermes displayed his enhanced agility by performing amazing feats such as:
- Sprinting at breakneck speeds
- Leaping (and possibly gliding) for great distances and making precise and accurate jumps.
- Defying gravity (being able to run up and across vertical and horizontal surfaces respectively)
- "Running" through the air and/or across the Oceans, all around the Greek world with the force of his speed and his winged boots.
- Operating on such speeds, that he can bring the dead mortals to the Underworld, deliver the sleeping ones their dreams, being ready for any messages the Gods might have for him, and despite all these duties he has time for his own personal life and plans.
- Superhuman Durability: As one of the Olympians and the Messenger of the Gods, Hermes was highly resistant to most forms of physical damage. Although he himself was nowhere near as powerful as many of the other gods, Hermes was still very powerful in his own right.
- Superhuman Agility: Along with his speed, Hermes's most famous attribute was his immense physical agility. He was able to leap great distances both horizontally and vertically, doing impressive gymnastic moves, quickly climbs, and was able to use his agility in combat effectively. Even while injured, he was impossible to hit with the divine light attacks of the Head of Helios.
- Acausality: The laws of time and space work differently for the Gods of Olympus.
- Immortality: As one of the Olympians and the messenger of the Gods, Hermes was immortal.
- Power Conjuring: Hermes may also have had the power of conjuring the elements, as seen at the end of God of War II, Hermes had fire protruding from his hair and winged sandals. However, in God of War III, Hermes has bright light for hair that is sometimes seen with flames emanating from it.
- Faunakinesis: Wildlife was among Hermes divine domains, thats how his champion Danaus was granted the power to command the beasts of the wilderness. In the comic, Hermes was able to send Satyrs to combat Kratos.
- Wisdom: Combining his agility with his physical abilities, he was able to utilize the environment around him as a means to gain the upper hand over his opponents; making him show signs of an impressive intelligence, showing that he is one of the more clever and creative of the gods (while most of the gods, despite being very creative in their own ways, were mostly blinded by the evils that were infecting them as well as their arrogance).
Relationships[]
Zeus[]
Hermes relationship with his father is defined by duty and subordination to his King. Hermes, next to Athena was the only God who could enter Zeus' Throne Room without a summoning or invitation, as his role as the Messenger God made it natural for him to go and enter Zeus chambers. However, this would not stop his father from harshly ordering him out when he lingers too long.
Zeus shared Athena's view that Hermes would do anything to keep himself from boredom and that he was not above gossiping about the affairs of his fellow Gods, which is why he ordered him to leave before raising his concerns to Athena about her well-being in the ongoing struggle with Ares. Hermes on the other hand, seemed to be a true believer and admired Zeus near sycophantically, nearly always addressing him as Lord or Skyfather.
During the crisis after Kratos death and ressurection in Rhodes, Zeus was increasingly erratic and banished Hermes rather abruptly, after being convinced by Iris false assurances and claims. Hermes desired nothing more than to regain his position and redeem himself in his fathers eyes as a loyal subject. However, when speaking with Athena about Kratos quest to reach the Sisters, he bluntly states that Zeus life would be forfeit if the Fates would decide to favour the Spartan, and seemingly humorously adding that he could accept Kratos as the Lord of Olympus, as long as he himself gets reinstated.
At the end, Hermes managed to reveal Iris for the deciever that she was and Zeus admitted him back to his prior role. As the Second Titanomachy began, Hermes would serve Zeus dutifully to the end, believing Kratos path of patricide to be just a fool's errand.
Athena[]
Hermes relationship with Athena is certainly more warm than with Zeus. Not exactly hiding his attraction for her and often flirting in private, calling her the most beautiful of all the Goddesses. His sister herself regards these advances as harmless and has learned over the centuries that his narcissistic monologues about himself and his flirting are best derailed by just changing the subject, like talking about official business such as any messages he might have.
When Ares was destroying Athens, Hermes went out of his way to mock and joke to Athena about the precarious situation of her city and worshippers, aswell as her "defeat" to Ares. After Kratos triumph over the God of War, he made sure to congratulate her about her victory and started to again engage in flirting, which prompted Athena to threaten him several times, before he backed off and showed her that Kratos was about to cast himself from the mauntain near Athens.
Since Hermes was banished from Olympus by Zeus, Athena remained the only Olympian who still even acknowledged his existence and comforted him a little in his exile, letting him vent about his situation. Hermes thanked her for the friendship they shared and also stopped his premature behaviour. He cared for her, and its possible that his contempt for Kratos during God of War III stems from her death at his hands, much like his son Ceryx before her.
Gameplay[]
Hermes appears as a Boss in God of War III. He is preceded by a chase sequence in which Kratos must pursue Hermes across the City of Olympia in running sections, and climbing. In both instances some of the infrastructure will crumble prompting Kratos the need to act quickly or fall to his death.
Battle[]
Hermes will move erratically making use of his speed to try to avoid and confuse Kratos while trying to ram him and use the walls to perform acrobatic maneuvers and try to jump kick him. Although he will stop from time to time to catch his breath he will try to move away or towards Kratos (which can be an attack or not) if Kratos gets close or tries to attack Hermes. Hermes attcks aren't blockable (in part because of his speed). From time to time, Hermes will drop Green Orbs. Once he takes enough damage a O button sequence will be displayed. This will have Kratos amputate Hermes' legs which will kill him and end the battle.
Strategy[]
Hermes is not a difficult foe, but can be tricky because of his constant movement. The best way to deal with him is to attack normally while closing in on him. Whenever he jump kicks Kratos, take advantage of the analog stick prompt, to catch Hermes and toss him, which gives the player some room to hurt him some more. The Head of Helios and Bow of Apollo are useless, as they have no effect on him. Using combo attacks like the Plume of Prometheus (Square, Square, Triangle) technique can be effective as the impact radius might still hit Hermes. All in all, the battle is merely a hindrance.
Gallery[]
Concept Art[]
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Video[]
Trivia[]
- He is voiced by Greg Ellis.
- He is a grandson of Atlas, since his mother, Maia, who is one of the Pleiades, is Atlas' daughter.
- In Greek mythology, Hermes wore winged sandals which allowed him to fly. However, in the God of War Series, not only does he wear boots instead of sandals, but they appear to only give him the power to speedily run along any surface. This is noted when Hermes runs along a rope to the Statue of Athena which he perched himself on, and when Kratos smashed into the Statue with the boulder, which Hermes tried to cling onto desperately. In both instances, Hermes should have been able to fly. At first, on top of the statue, and secondly, to stop himself from crashing. However, it is possible he was trying to keep his game between him and Kratos fair enough to his liking and that the boots can indeed grant flight, as evidenced by Kratos using the boots to perform aerial evasions in conjunction with the Wings of Icarus.
- Hermes also lacks a caduceus, a wand that most depictions of Hermes are always seen with. Instead, Hermes possesses a gold coin, which he occasionally flips with his fingers, and which can also be collected as an item. Even though the caduceus wand itself is missing, you can still see its symbol on Hermes' chest. He may have passed it down to his son, as Ceryx was seen with it, and was destroyed along with Ceryx himself. In the novel, Hermes does posses a caduceus and uses it to create an image of Kratos who is about to jump from the Suicide Bluffs, thereby warning Athena of her pet mortal.
- Hermes' coin is one of the Godly Possessions and, if collected, can grant ten times the collected amount of orbs in a follow up playthrough in Bonus Play.
- Despite his speed and agility, Hermes' stamina was noticeably far from infinite. While he was able to lead Kratos on a long chase, he eventually showed signs of fatigue, which lead to him being cornered and ultimately defeated.
- The evil from Pandora's box that Hermes was likely infected with was most likely Pride; He displays these traits by his constant taunting and boasting towards Kratos while still refusing to fight him at the same time. Hermes also appears to be incredibly vain, as he speaks of himself as the most handsome of all the gods in the novel.
- Hermes makes his physical debut in God of War II, but was not identified by name nor had any lines until God of War III.
- Not counting God of War: Betrayal, Hermes is one of only three gods in God of War III killed by Kratos that he had not previously been seen interacting with. The other two are Hephaestus and Hera (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades had all aided him in the original game, with Kratos also battling Zeus twice before in God of War II, while the Ghost of Sparta had saved Helios from his capture by Atlas in Chains of Olympus).
- Hermes is surprisingly one of the easiest bosses in the game due to the fact that he mostly relies on speed, and not strength, and although he is definitely fast, he can still be attacked from a distance, somewhat making the fight easier for Kratos (and the player).
- In one of the early trailers for God of War: Chains of Olympus, when the sun disappears, Hermes along with Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon, can be seen sitting on the clouds.
- In the novel, it is shown that Hermes is somewhat attracted to Athena. He does, however, state that he was just bantering with his favorite sister, although he describes her as the most beautiful of the goddesses.
- He is mentioned in Chains of Olympus by Eos, who wishes Kratos to "Go with the speed of Hermes."
- Hermes is the only God in God of War III that Kratos kills with the Blades of Exile.
- Hermes, alongside other God of War characters, is featured in Destiny of Spirits.
- Tacticus, a Roman historian and senator, associated Hermes's Roman equivalent Mercury with the Norse god Odin.
- Hermes is one of Aphrodite's frequent lovers, as revealed the first God of War novel.
- Of all the gods that appear in God of War III, Hermes and Hades appear to be the most loyal to Zeus. Poseidon was secretly investigating Zeus's paranoid behavior, Helios offered to help Kratos in exchange for his life (though in the end he chose death over giving Kratos information), Hera didn't blame Kratos for going after her husband, and Athena, Hephaestus, and Aphrodite both fully supported Kratos's crusade against Zeus, though the former two both ended up betraying Kratos for their own personal gain.
- The God of War II novelization implies that Hades secretly supported his wife Persephone's attempt at destroying Olympus. If this is the case, Hermes is likely overall the god most loyal to Zeus, which is somewhat ironic given that in mythology he is an example of the trickster god archetype
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