Shepherds and their flock. See behind, a herm, statue of Pan or Hermes, indicating a boundary line on a path or road. Herm's were also considered 'protective' symbolism, and a place of offering, or a sanctified place, such as a grove...where shepherds and traveler's could camp and rest.
'Among the groves, and on the roads of ancient Greece and Rome...there were these stones set up, to tell, all shepherds, where to rest. A herm to Pan, half goat, half man, whose ithyphallic staff..stood tall, a greet to all...who called this fertile wilderness, their home. For, in these woods, these ancient woods, and meadows by the way...the children of 'the shepherd God', could surely find their own.
His music play, while mortals lay amid his groves, inviting Pan to come. Within the hearts of shepherd boys and girls and men, a thing would stir...the magic of that ancient faun. His music could intoxicate, as if some 'heady' wine, they'd supped, and all would dash their garments off and dance, for each...were nature's loving watch.
And, they would squirrel amid his stones, upon his herm, upon his horn, and one another's horn's, as well...where they would cast their cares away, and all the while the Pan pipes play, the flock, would jump and sport for joy, as shepherd's, chosen dancing pair's, for God himself, made love upon the spot. No harm, no foul...no judge to cast them into hell...but resting in each other's arms, asleep...in dreams.
Where every boy, his dream...his hand upon his herm, did play, each girl, her dream, each boy's display...where they would fondly feel, the night away, about the fire. Nor evidence of harm, the shepherd's progeny were taught...to only play the parts by tongue or hand or finger's rubbing heart's desire.'
Written by Bruce James Clyde 2016, at Deming, New Mexico
In Greek religion and mythology, Pan (/ˈpæn/; Ancient Greek: Πάν, Pan) is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature of mountain wilds and rustic music, and companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Ancient Greek language, from the word paein (πάειν), meaning "to pasture"; the modern word "panic" is derived from the name. He has the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, in the same manner as a faun or satyr. With his homeland in rustic Arcadia, he is also recognized as the god of fields, groves, and wooded glens; because of this, Pan is connected to fertility and the season of spring. The ancient Greeks also considered Pan to be the god of theatrical criticism. Source: Wikipedia
In the late 18th century, interest in Pan revived among liberal scholars. Richard Payne Knight discussed Pan in his Discourse on the Worship of Priapus (1786) as a symbol of creation expressed through sexuality. "Pan is represented pouring water upon the organ of generation; that is, invigorating the active creative power by the prolific element." Source: Wikipedia
Hermes is considered a god of transitions and boundaries. He is described as quick and cunning, moving freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine. He is also portrayed as an emissary and messenger of the gods; an intercessor between mortals and the divine, and conductor of souls into the afterlife. He has been viewed as the protector and patron of herdsmen, thieves, oratory and wit, literature and poetry, athletics and sports, invention and trade, roads, boundaries and travelers.
In some myths, he is a trickster and outwits other gods for his own satisfaction or for the sake of humankind. His attributes and symbols include the herma, the rooster, the tortoise, purse or pouch, winged sandals, and winged cap. His main symbol is the Greek kerykeion or Latin caduceus, which appears in a form of two snakes wrapped around a winged staff. Source: Wikipedia
A herma (Ancient Greek: ἑρμῆς, pl. ἑρμαῖ hermai), commonly in English herm, is a sculpture with a head, and perhaps a torso, above a plain, usually squared lower section, on which male genitals may also be carved at the appropriate height. The form originated in Ancient Greece, and was adopted by the Romans, and revived at the Renaissance in the form of term figures and Atlantes. Source: Wikipedia
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