Herms
Hermes at the Threshold
A herm (Greek herma) is a plain rectangular pillar surmounted by the bearded head of Hermes and bearing, on the shaft, a pair of male genitals. To modern eyes the form is startling; to the Greeks it was reassuringly familiar. Herms stood at house doorways, at city gates, at boundaries and at crossroads throughout Attica and beyond, marking thresholds and placing them under the protection of the god of travellers, exchange and transitions.
“Know thyself”
Athenian herms not infrequently carried maxims. The famous Hermes Propylaios - “Hermes Before-the-Gates” - set up on the Acropolis, was a copy of a statue by Alkamenes, and its inscription read:
“You will recognise Alkamenes’ fine statue, the Hermes Before-the-Gates. Pergamios set it up.”
Beneath the dedicatory inscription stood the maxim “know thyself” - one of the Delphic precepts. The herm was thus both a boundary-marker and a small lesson: cross this threshold, and remember who and what you are.
The Mutilation of the Herms
The humble herm could also become the centre of a political earthquake. On a single night in 415 BC, on the eve of the Athenian expedition to Sicily, herms all over the city were mutilated. The scandal convulsed Athens, implicated Alcibiades and helped wreck the campaign - proof of how seriously these roadside gods were taken. We tell that story in full on the blog.