Hermes (mythology)

Hermes, also known as Mercury in Roman mythology, is the son of Zeus and Maia. In infancy, he stole the twelve cattle of the sun god Apollo out of craving for meat. He even invented the lyre by having killed a tortoise and spun sheep guts, the latter of which he made into strings. While he was rustling Apollo's cattle, he was witnessed by a vineyard worker, and he promised him a lot of fruit if he didn't tell, but whether that promise was just a lie is unknown. He then killed the cattle and burned them, but being a god, he could not eat any; all he could do was sample it. He had invented his winged sandals called talaria to hide his tracks. Being an infant, he pretended to be helpless like a mortal baby, but he did not fool his mother one bit. Hermes and Apollo were on opposite sides over this matter, discussing with Zeus. Hermes lost because, despite being a baby, he had more vocabulary. He had no choice but to lead Apollo to the latter's surviving cattle.

Eventually, Hermes would become the messenger of the gods.