The Talaria of Mercury (Latin:tālāria) orThe Winged Sandals of Hermes (Ancient Greek:πτηνοπέδῑλος,ptēnopédilos orπτερόεντα πέδιλα,pteróenta pédila) are wingedsandals, a symbol of the Greek messenger godHermes (Roman equivalentMercury). They were said to be made by the godHephaestus of imperishable gold and they flew the god as swift as any bird.[citation needed]
The Latin nountālāria, neuter plural oftālāris signifies "of theankle". It is not quite certain how the Romans arrived at the meaning of "winged sandals" from this, possibly that the wings were attached at the ankles, or the sandals were tied around the ankles.[1]
In ancient Greek literature, the sandals of Hermes are first of all mentioned byHomer (ἀμβρόσια χρύσεια;ambrósia khrýseia, "immortal/divine and of gold"), though not described as "winged".[3][1][4]
The description of the sandals being winged first appear in the poemShield of Heracles (c. 600 – 550 BC), which speaks ofπτερόεντα πέδιλα (pteróenta pédila), literally "winged sandals".[1][5] TheHomeric hymn to Hermes from a somewhat later date (520 BC) does not explicitly state the sandals were winged, though they allowed him to leave nofootprints while committing his theft of Apollo's cattle.[4]
According to one estimation, it was around 5th century BC when the winged sandals came to be regarded as common (though not indispensable) accoutrements of the god Hermes.[1] One later instance which refers to the sandals being winged is theOrphic Hymn XXVIII to Hermes (c. 2nd/3rd century AD).[6][4]
Perseus wears Hermes' sandals to help him slayMedusa.[7] According toAeschylus, Hermes gives them to him directly.[8] In a better-attested version, Perseus must retrieve them from theGraeae, along with thecap of invisibility and thekibisis (sack).[9]
On early Greek vase paintings, Hermes is shown wearing boots with a curved piece attached to the top edge of each one. This feature seems to be a pull strap for the boots rather than a simple or crude depiction of a wing.[10]
During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Hermes was sometimes depicted with wings fastened directly to his bare ankles.[10]
The termtalaria has been employed byOvid in the 1st century, and prior to him, in perhaps eight instances by various Latin authors (Cicero, Virgil, etc.).[11] The term is usually construed as "winged sandals", and applied almost exclusively to the footwear worn by the god Hermes/Mercury or the hero Perseus.[12]
In the case of thetalaria worn by the swift runnerAtalanta (Ovid,Metamorphoses X.591) some translators in the past steered away from recognizing them as footwear, and chose to regard them as "long robes, reaching to the ankle", starting withPlanudes in the 14th century. This interpretation was also endorsed in the 17th century byNicolaas Heinsius's gloss, and persisted in the 19th century withLewis and Short's dictionary entry for this particular passage.[13] But there are "insuperable" reasons against this "robes" interpretation, for Ovid clearly states in the foregoing passages that Atalanta had disrobed[a] to engage in the foot-race.[14][b]
Also in the medieval Irish versions of theAeneid (Imtheachta Aeniasa) and theDestruction of Troy (Togail Troí), Mercury wears a "bird covering" or "feather mantle" (Old Irish:encennach, énchendach), which clearly derives from Mercury'stalaria, such as described byVirgil.[15][16][c]
Sometimes, it has been interpreted that Hermes feet are winged, rather that the wings being part of his sandals.[17]
[...] his winged feet giving him the advantage of speed, and so was the patron of circulation in general - of people, goods and messages.
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