Mythic founder of Hermetic magic and theurgy.
“They called him Trismegistus because he was the greatest philosopher, the greatest priest, and the greatest king. These three offices—the regal, the sacerdotal, and the philosophical—encompassed the totality of human and divine knowledge, making him the master of the three levels of existence: the physical, the intellectual, and the spiritual.” ― Brian P. Copenhaver (Editor/Translator), Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius, 1992, p. xlviii (Introduction/Historical Notes).
"Hermes was called "Thrice-Great" Mercury, Because of the riches of his mind, and because of his office. He wrote many wonders of many things. Foresighted, he set forth the work of the Chemical art. The Father of the [alchemical] marriage is Phoebus (the Sun), but the shining Mother Is Cynthia (the Moon); Fire is present as the third director." - Viridarium chymicum figuris cupro incisis adornatum, c. 1624 by Stoltzius von Stoltzenberg, Daniel
Hermes–Enoch–Idris and the primordial wisdom line
Late antique and medieval traditions often equate or link: Hermes Trismegistus, the biblical Enoch, and the Qur’anic Idris.
Each is treated as a pre- or early-Deluge sage who inscribes heavenly wisdom on stone, pillars, or tablets, preserving it through catastrophe. Josephus’s story of the Sethite pillars (one for fire, one for water) is the key textual root.
Hermeticism, Kabbalah, and later Christian esotericism then view this as the primordial “priestly-scientific” tradition. When Wolfram has the Grail brought by neutral angels, guarded in a Temple by Templeisen, and later links it implicitly to remote Eastern wisdom, he is aligning the Grail guardians with this primordial custodial line.
Hermes
Ancient Invocation to Hermes (PGM VII. 727-39, adapted)
"Hail, Hermes, celestial traveler, Who walks between the worlds unseen! Grant me wisdom to perceive the hidden, Open the doors that are closed, And reveal the mysteries that lie beyond sight. By your name, O swift-winged one, By your staff which moves the heavens, I call upon you, guide of souls, Illuminate my path with divine knowledge
Greek god of communication, travel, and knowledge,