# Greek Myths: The theft of Apollo's cattle > On the day he was born, Hermes stole fifty of Apollo's sacred cattle and drove them backward to hide their tracks... Canonical URL: https://aristotree.com/mythos/greek-myths-the-theft-of-apollo-s-cattle Language: en Creator: mythos Last modified: 2026-10-31T22:35:39.832Z Concepts: 32 Relationships: 41 This is a public, user-curated knowledge graph. Follow the cited sources when verifying claims. ## Concepts ### Petasos A **petasos** or petasus (Latin) is a broad brimmed hat of Thessalian origin worn by ancient Greeks, Thracians, Illyrians and Etruscans, often in combination with the chlamys cape. Topics: subclass of: clothing in ancient Greece, subclass of: clothing in ancient Rome Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petasos ### Leto In ancient Greek mythology and religion, **Leto** is the mother of Apollo and Artemis. Topics: instance of: titan Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leto ### Caduceus The **caduceus** is the herald's staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. Topics: instance of: mythological attribute, instance of: symbol, subclass of: staff Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus ### Delos **Delos** or Dilos, is a small Greek island near Mykonos, close to the centre of the Cyclades archipelago. Topics: instance of: island, instance of: World Heritage Site, part of: Cyclades, has part(s): Archaeological Museum of Delos, has part(s): Inopos, country: Greece Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delos ### Maia In ancient Greek mythology, **Maia**, also spelled Maie, is one of the Pleiades and the mother of the messenger god Hermes by Zeus. Topics: instance of: Pleiades Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maia ### Daphne **Daphne**, a figure in Greek mythology, was in various retellings a mortal woman or a nymph, daughter of a river god. Topics: instance of: naiad, occupation: hunter, part of: Apollo and Daphne Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne ### String instrument In musical instrument classification, string instruments, or chordophones, are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer strums, plucks, strikes or sounds the strings in varying manners. Topics: instance of: family of musical instruments, subclass of: chordophone, has part(s): string Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_instrument ### Music of ancient Greece Music was almost universally present in ancient Greek society, from marriages, funerals, and religious ceremonies to theatre, folk music, and the ballad-like reciting of epic poetry. Topics: instance of: music by country or region, instance of: music by period of time, subclass of: ancient music Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_ancient_Greece ### Psychopomp Psychopomps are creatures, spirits, angels, demons, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife. Topics: subclass of: death deity Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopomp ### Homeric Hymns The **Homeric Hymns** are a collection of thirty-three ancient Greek hymns and one epigram. Topics: instance of: group of works, instance of: collection, genre: hymn, named after: Homer Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeric_Hymns ### Pythia **Pythia** was the title of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi in central Greece. Topics: instance of: position, instance of: historical profession, subclass of: Ancient Greek priest, subclass of: prophet, part of: Delphic Oracle Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythia ### Asclepius **Asclepius** is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Topics: instance of: Greek deity, instance of: health deity Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepius ### Kithara The **kithara**, Latinized as cithara, was an ancient Greek musical instrument in the yoke lutes family. Topics: instance of: type of musical instrument, subclass of: box lyre Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kithara ### Lyres of Ur The **Lyres of Ur** or Harps of Ur is a group of four string instruments excavated in a fragmentary condition at the Royal Cemetery at Ur in Iraq from 1922 onwards. Topics: subclass of: chordophone Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyres_of_Ur ### Python (mythology) In Greek mythology, Python was the serpent, sometimes represented as a medieval-style dragon, living at the center of the Earth, believed by the ancient Greeks to be at Delphi. Topics: instance of: mythological serpent, instance of: mythological Greek character Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_(mythology) ### Apollo Belvedere The **Apollo Belvedere** is a celebrated marble sculpture from classical antiquity. Topics: instance of: statue, genre: nude, country: Vatican City, named after: Apollo Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Belvedere ### Mercury (mythology) Mercury is a major god in Roman religion and mythology, being one of the 12 Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon. Topics: instance of: Roman deity, instance of: wealth deity, occupation: herald, part of: ancient Roman religion, part of: Dii Consentes Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(mythology) ### Herm (sculpture) A herma, commonly herm in English, 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. Topics: instance of: genre of sculpture, subclass of: bust, subclass of: statue, named after: Hermes Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herm_(sculpture) ### Tortoiseshell **Tortoiseshell** or tortoise shell is a material produced from the shells of the larger species of tortoise and turtle, mainly the hawksbill sea turtle, which is a critically endangered species according to the IUCN Red List largely because of its exploitation for this trade. Topics: subclass of: animal product Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoiseshell ### Argus Panoptes Argus or Argos Panoptes is a many-eyed giant, son of Gaia, in Greek mythology. Topics: instance of: mythological Greek character, instance of: giant Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argus_Panoptes ### Artemis In ancient Greek religion and mythology, **Artemis** is the goddess of hunting, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. Topics: instance of: Olympian god, instance of: Greek deity, occupation: hunter, occupation: archer, part of: Twelve Olympians Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis ### Aegis The **aegis** or egis, as stated in the Iliad, is a device carried by Zeus, Apollo and Athena, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. Topics: instance of: mythical object, instance of: shield, country of origin: Ancient Greece Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegis ### Zeus Zeus is the king of the Olympian gods and the father of both Hermes and Apollo, who acts as the final arbiter in their dispute. Topics: deity, olympian Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeus ### Apollo Apollo is the Olympian god of music, prophecy, healing, and the sun, who serves as the victim of the theft. Topics: deity, olympian Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo ### Mount Kyllini **Mount Kyllini** or Mount Cyllene, also known as Mount Ziria, is a mountain on the Peloponnese in Greece famous for its association with the god Hermes. Topics: instance of: mountain, part of: Greek mythology, has part(s): Geronteon, has part(s): Chelydorea, country: Greece Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kyllini ### Hermes Hermes is the Olympian god of transitions, boundaries, and thieves, known for his cunning and role as a messenger. Topics: deity, olympian Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes ### Barbiton The **barbiton**, or barbitos, is an ancient stringed instrument related to the lyre known from Greek and Roman classics. Topics: instance of: type of musical instrument, subclass of: yoke lute Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbiton ### Hornbostel–Sachs **Hornbostel–Sachs** or Sachs–Hornbostel is a system of musical instrument classification devised by Erich Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs. Topics: instance of: musical instrument classification, part of: organology, has part(s): castanets, named after: Erich von Hornbostel, named after: Curt Sachs Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbostel%E2%80%93Sachs ### Lyre The lyre is a stringed musical instrument invented by Hermes from a tortoise shell, which he traded to Apollo to settle the dispute. Topics: artifact, music Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyre ### Homeric Hymn to Hermes The Homeric Hymn to Hermes is the primary literary source that details the story of the cattle theft. Topics: literature, myth ### Mount Cyllene **Mount Cyllene** is a place. Topics: geography, mythology ### Theft of Apollo's cattle The theft of Apollo's cattle is a central myth describing how the infant Hermes stole his brother's sacred herd to prove his own power. Topics: myth, event ## Relationships - Zeus — related_to → Aegis: symbol of his divine protection and power - Apollo — related_to → Apollo Belvedere: Iconic artistic representation of the god - Apollo — related_to → Asclepius: Son of Apollo and god of medicine - Apollo — related_to → Daphne: Nymph pursued by Apollo - Apollo — related_to → Python (mythology): Serpent slain by Apollo - Apollo — related_to → Pythia: Primary site of Apollo's prophetic influence - Apollo — related_to → Delos: Birthplace of Apollo - Apollo — related_to → Leto: Mother of Apollo and Artemis - Apollo — related_to → Artemis: Twin sister and fellow Olympian deity - Apollo — related_to → Homeric Hymns: Literary source for the Apollo-Hermes myth - Apollo — related_to → Zeus: Father and supreme authority - Hermes — related_to → Petasos: iconographic headwear - Hermes — related_to → Argus Panoptes: mythological adversary - Hermes — related_to → Mercury (mythology): Roman mythological counterpart - Hermes — related_to → Herm (sculpture): cultic representation - Hermes — related_to → Mount Kyllini: mythological birthplace - Hermes — related_to → Maia: maternal origin - Hermes — related_to → Psychopomp: primary mythological function - Hermes — related_to → Caduceus: symbolic attribute of the herald - Hermes — related_to → Homeric Hymns: primary literary source - Hermes — related_to → Apollo: divine half-brother and counterpart - Hermes — related_to → Zeus: divine father and superior - Lyre — related_to → Lyres of Ur: represents the earliest known archaeological evidence of lyres - Lyre — related_to → Music of ancient Greece: is the cultural context for the lyre's development - Lyre — related_to → Tortoiseshell: serves as the traditional material for the lyre's soundbox - Lyre — related_to → Barbiton: is a bass-range variant of the lyre - Lyre — related_to → String instrument: is the broader instrumental category for the lyre - Lyre — related_to → Kithara: is a professional, concert-grade variant of the lyre - Lyre — related_to → Hornbostel–Sachs: defines the classification system for the lyre - Lyre — related_to → Homeric Hymns: contains the foundational myth of the lyre's creation - Lyre — related_to → Apollo: is the divine patron and primary player of the lyre - Lyre — related_to → Hermes: is the mythical inventor of the lyre - Homeric Hymn to Hermes — has_participant → Zeus: Acts as the final arbiter in the dispute. - Homeric Hymn to Hermes — has_participant → Apollo: Serves as the primary antagonist and negotiating partner. - Homeric Hymn to Hermes — has_participant → Hermes: Features the god as the central protagonist. - Theft of Apollo's cattle — located_at → Mount Cyllene: Mount Cyllene is the birthplace of the thief. - Homeric Hymn to Hermes — related_to → Theft of Apollo's cattle: The hymn documents the myth. - Zeus — has_participant → Theft of Apollo's cattle: Zeus arbitrates the dispute. - Lyre — related_to → Theft of Apollo's cattle: The lyre is the resolution to the theft. - Apollo — has_participant → Theft of Apollo's cattle: Apollo is the victim of the theft. - Hermes — has_participant → Theft of Apollo's cattle: Hermes is the perpetrator of the theft.