Hermes is the Greek god of transitions and boundaries, which fits in very well with the three divisions on the field and assist points between regions. He was known for being quick and cunning, and his role was to deliver messages between the mortals and the divine, which in the context of our FRC game could translated to delivering the ball between robots. He was also the protector of travelling (between zones), herdsmen (we herd the ball), thieves (defense), trade (passing the ball), and perhaps most relevantly, invention. In addition, he flies on winged sandals, which could relate to us shooting the ball into the high goal or over the truss.

As depicted in specific classical literature, Hermes draws even more direct connections to this year’s competition. In the Iliad, Hermes was depicted as the bringer of good luck (which is always helpful) and a guide and guardian, as well as “excellent in all the tricks”. This relates perfectly, seeing as how in driver practice the drive teams have been actively working on strategies and “tricks” for every scenario in our match playbook. In Aesop’s fables, Hermes is featured as a provider of hospitality (coopertition) and was burdened with assigning each person their share of intelligence. In the The Homeric hymn to Hermes, he was discussed as “one who was soon to show forth wonderful deeds” and by the look of our robot this year, this is going to be quite true for us.

Stay tuned for further developments as we rapidly approach the Milwaukee competition!