Son of
Zeus and the nymph Maia, eldest daughter of the Titan Atlas and the sea nymph Pleione, Hermes was mischievous from birth. Gifted with speed far superior than any other Olympian god, the infant Hermes stole sacred cattle from his elder half-brother
Apollo without his mother realizing he had left. Although Apollo was furious upon learning this, he forgave his younger brother after receiving the Golden Lyre, created by Hermes. Hermes became his father's official herald and Olympus' messenger upon reaching adulthood.