# Mercury — Aesop's Fables character guide

> Mercury in Aesop's Fables by Aesop.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mercury

**First appearance:** 0018-mercury-and-the-woodman

## Snapshot

The silver-tongued messenger god who descends into Aesop's fables to test mortals' honesty and hand out rewards and rebukes with impartial precision.

## Who they are

Mercury appears in these fables as the divine auditor of human conduct, arriving in disguise to see whether woodsmen, travelers, and tradesmen will tell the truth when no one is watching. His tests are simple and his judgments swift: the honest are rewarded, the greedy and the lying are exposed. He gives the collection a rare note of cosmic justice, reminding readers that some reckonings come from above the forest floor.

## In the story

### [Mercury and the Woodman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fables_se/chapters/mercury-and-the-woodman)

The god who tests the woodman's honesty and rewards or punishes accordingly.

### [Mercury and the Sculptor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fables_se/chapters/mercury-and-the-sculptor)

Disguises himself as a man to test his own reputation among mortals.

### [Mercury and the Tradesmen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fables_se/chapters/mercury-and-the-tradesmen)

Carries out Jupiter's order, distributing lies to the tradesmen and giving the horse-dealer the largest share.

### [The Image-Seller](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fables_se/chapters/the-image-seller)

The image sold is of Mercury, the god of gain and luck.

### [The Ass and His Masters](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fables_se/chapters/the-ass-and-his-masters)

Mercury is sent by Jupiter to instruct the Gardener to sell the Ass to a Potter.

### [Mercury and the Man Bitten by an Ant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fables_se/chapters/mercury-and-the-man-bitten-by-an-ant)

Appears to rebuke the man for his hypocrisy.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fables_se/characters/mercury
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fables_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/fables_se/characters