Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Caduceus

Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary, and Greek Lexicon (Rich, 1849)

CADU'CEUS or CADU'CEUM (κηρύκειον, κηρύκιον). In general, a herald's wand (Cic. de Orat. i. 46.), which consisted of a simple olive stick, ornamented with garlands (Müller, Archäologie der Kunst, p. 504 and the illustration to CERYX 2.); but the word is more specially applied to the wand assigned by ancient artists and poets to Mercury (caduceus Mercurialis, Apul. Met. xi. p. 245.), in his capacity of herald or messenger of the gods. In this, the place of the garlands is occupied by snakes; in allusion to the fable which states that Mercury, observing two snakes fighting with one another, separated them with his staff; whence a stick thus decorated came to be adopted as the emblem of peace. (Hygin. Astron. ii. 7. Macrob. Sat. i. 19.) Both these characteristics, the olive stick and the snakes for garlands, are clearly represented in the example (Caduceus/1.1), which is copied from a sepulchral urn. Sometimes a pair of wings are added on the top, as in the next illustration.

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  Caduceus/1.1