"Master of all arts and sciences. perfect in all crafts, Ruler of the Three Worlds, Scribe of the Gods, and Keeper of the Books of Life, Thoth Hermes Trismegistus--the Three Times Greatest, the "First Intelligencer"--was regarded by the ancient Egyptians as the embodiment of the Universal Mind."
Best site I found was this one on Hermes Trismegistus. He was historically believed to be a real person, but in modern times it seems more likely that there may not have been a historical Hermes - the body of Hermetic literature was composed at different times by different authors. His work was valued so highly in the past that Cosimo de Medici got Ficino to translate him before translating Plato.
Who was Thrice-great Hermes? Depends who you ask, but variously;
-A Greek (Hermes) or Egyptian (called Hermes or Hermanubis, but associated with Thoth or Anubis) god in his own right,
-A Hellenized combination-god, based partly on the Greek Hermes (and, of course, the Roman Mercury) and partly on the Egyptian Thoth
-The grandson of the god Hermes, referred to on occasion as "the younger Hermes" (Stock, 626)
-A spiritual figure, possibly a god, who reincarnates several times through history, maturing, developing his doctrine, and progressing further in the ideal of Hermetic self-realization each time.
Why Thrice-great? Again, it varies, but according to some sources, it originated as the title, "Great, great, great", which appeared on the Rosetta Stone.
Here's an overview of Hermeticism, an entry on the Emerald Tablet, the Aureus or the Golden Tractate of Hermes, the Divine Pymander and a mention in Barrett's Magus. |
