Hermes, known to the Romans as Mercury, was the Greek god of transitions and boundaries. He was quick and cunning, and moved freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine, as an emissary and messenger of the gods, and as a conductor of souls into the afterlife. He is the protector and patron of herdsmen, thieves, oratory and wit, literature and poetry, athletics and sports, invention and trade, roads, boundaries and travelers. He had several characteristic objects including a wide brimmed hat adorned with a pair of small wings, a caduceus, sandals made of palm and myrtle branches, a purse or a bag in his hands and a robe or cloak, which had the power to confer invisibility. Hermes's role as messenger between realms and as guide to the underworld, may be viewed as him being the mediator between the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind, and a guide for inner journeys.