The Theft of Apollo's cattle is a foundational myth detailing the precocious nature of 
Hermes, the messenger god.
According to the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, the infant god was born in a cave on 
Mount Cyllene to the nymph 
Maia. On the very day of his birth, Hermes slipped away and stole fifty of the sacred cattle belonging to his half-brother, 
Apollo. To evade detection, the clever infant drove the herd backward, confusing their tracks, and sacrificed two of the animals to the gods, establishing early ritual practices. When Apollo discovered the theft, he confronted the infant, leading to a dispute that was eventually brought before their father, 
Zeus. The conflict was resolved when Hermes presented Apollo with a 
lyre, an instrument he had invented using a 
tortoiseshell and the intestines of the sacrificed cattle. This peace offering not only settled the debt but also cemented the lyre's place in the 
music of ancient Greece, becoming a signature attribute of Apollo.
