HERMETIC Ilermelicus, relating to]]ernes, from Hermes, Gk. 'Eprlijs, Hermes). The ancient Egyptians considered the god Dhouti, or Thoth. identified by the Greeks with their god Hermes. as the patron of literature, and the scribe of the gods. Therefore, several magical and religious texts, partly embodied in the Book Of the Dead (q.v.). were reputed to have been written by this god with his own hands. As such writings could claim the most direct inspiration, the word Hermetic was applied, in Greek times, to of the highest degree of sanctity, and served in a general way to designate all inspired book-. Clemens of Alexandria states that the Egyptian priests had to sturdy forty two (i.e. the number of assessors of Osiris) sacred or Hermetic books, divided into six sub jects: sacred law, ritual, science. astrology. hym nolog•. and medicine. It is questionable if such a canon existed throughout Egypt. The claim that the great medical papyrus discovered by Eicers was one of these Hermetic hooks has not been substantiated. In early Christian times it was customary to ascribe a certain type of magical and gnostic writings in Greek to Hermes Trismegistus, who lost his divine personality more and more, and came to be regarded as a great magician. These pseudographs often
claimed to have been translated from the Egyp tian. although they hear a thoroughly Greek character and mostly exhibit un-Egyptian ideas of Jewish. Neo-Platonie. etc., origin. They may, however, have been written in Egypt. The most noticeable product among them is liermrs Tris mrgislus (most recent edition by Parthey.
1554). These writings exercised a strong influence upon the various secret sciences: hence the term Hermetic became very popular in al ehemy and astrology, and some medieval writ ings claim the title of Hermetic hooks. Hermetic medicine meant the most mysterious and power ful medicine, and the expression 'hermetic seal ing,' for the most complete, air-tight closure, has survived to our own day. Consult Dufresnoy, Histoire de la hermetique (Paris, 1742) ; Baumgarten-Crush's, De Librorum Her meticorunt Originc Gigue Indole (Jena, 1827) ; Hilger. De Hernictis Trismegisti PoCmandro (Leipzig, 1855) ; Mftard, Hermes Trismegiste (Paris, 1866) ; Pietschmann, Hermes Trisme yistus (Leipzig, 1875).
HERNIA, 116eml-fl. An Athenian lady in Shakespeare's If ids arniner Night's Dream. She is the daughter of Egeus, and is enamored of Lysander.