Mercury - Jacksonville, FL
N 30° 18.913 W 081° 40.545
17R E 435031 N 3353908
This statue of Mercury is located in the Olmsted Garden at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens.
Waymark Code: WMJN2M
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 12/07/2013
Views: 2
ABOUT THE STATUE:
According to a plaque by the bronze statue, it was created in the mid-20th century, and was a gift of the Family of Helen Wilcox and Walter H. Marshall, Sr. Mercury is depicted in a running pose and is wearing a helmet with wings on each side. He is running nude. He is barefoot, but has wings on his ankles.
ABOUT THE BEING:
"Mercury is a major Roman god, being one of the Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon. He is the patron god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence (and thus poetry), messages/communication (including divination), travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves; he is also the guide of souls to the underworld. He was considered the son of Maia and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is possibly related to the Latin word merx ("merchandise"; compare merchant, commerce, etc.), mercari (to trade), and merces (wages). In his earliest forms, he appears to have been related to the Etruscan deity Turms, both of which share characteristics with the Greek god Hermes. In Virgil's Aeneid, Mercury reminds Aeneas of his mission to found the city of Rome. In Ovid's Fasti, Mercury is assigned to escort the nymph Larunda to the underworld. Mercury, however, fell in love with Larunda and made love to her on the way. Larunda thereby became mother to two children, referred to as the Lares, invisible household gods."
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