However they came about, these writings then became collected and attributed to this deity. .
In Egyptian mythology, Thoth was the god of the moon, god of wisdom, the measurer of time, and the inventor of writing and numbers. He is said to be an immortal that escaped the sinking of Atlantis and first founded Egypt. Being an immortal, Thoth was said to reincarnate himself and assume a new body when needed. The third incarnation of Thoth was Hermes, the Thrice Greatest. He is credited with devising the standard 365-day year and the building of the Great Pyramid at Giza. Thoth was believed to be the inventor of astronomy, astrology, engineering, botany, geometry, and land surveying. The ancient Egyptians regarded Thoth as the embodiment of the Universal Mind. The Egyptian account is held by scholars believe to be the most accurate. Hermes was probably an early colonizer of Egypt who eventually was deified, due to locals embellishing his deeds.
The ancient Greek mythology accords that Hermes Trismegistus was actually the Greek messenger god, Hermes. This tradition states that Hermes was born of Zeus. The invention of the flute and panpipes, as well as foot racing and boxing is attributed to him. At Olympia, a statue of him stood at the entrance to the stadium and his statues were in every gymnasium throughout Greece. Being the messenger of the gods, he brought souls to the after life and dreams to the mortals. These tasks were fulfilled by use of his winged sandals, to speed him on his way, whether he traveled to Olympus, Hades, or Earth. Researchers believe that this Greek version of Thoth was probably just that - an Egyptian deity absorbed into the Grecian pantheon. .
The Roman god Mercury was often portrayed similarly to Hermes, in that he wore winged sandals. Mercury was most likely just a Roman adaptation of the Greek Hermes. He also was considered a messenger god, but the Romans also associated him with commerce and thievery.