What is Herma?
[[File:0007MAN-Herma.jpg|thumb|upright|Archaic herma of [[Hermes]]]] A '''herma''', commonly in English '''herm''', is a [[sculpture]] with a head and sometimes a [[torso]], above a tall squared [[pillar]]. Often a [[phallus]] was carved at the appropriate height. The form originated in [[Ancient Greece]] and was adopted by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] and revived in the [[Renaissance]] in the form of term figures. The name of the god [[Hermes]] comes from the word ''herma'', and the sculptures originally represented him. The ancient Greeks and Romans were very [[superstition|superstitious]], and the sculptures had an [[apotropaic magic|apotropiac]] function. They were placed at cross-roads and on the borders of lands as protection. In [[Athens]], they were placed outside houses, temples and gymnasiums for good [[luck]] and to avert harmful or bad influences, like the [[evil eye]]. They would be adorned with garlands, wreaths, [[offering]]s and anointed with oil to obtain luck and protection. ==Gallery== <gallery> File:Rustic sanctuary Louvre CA2935.jpg|Attic red-figure lekythos, 475-450 BC, [[Louvre]] File:Fedor Bronnikov 001.jpg|[[Consecration]] of the herm by Fedor Bronnikov File:Mahdia pilier Leroux.jpg|A [[bronze]] herma at the Bardo National Museum </gallery> {{commonscat|Hermai|Herma}} {{Europe-stub}} [[Category:Ancient Greek statues]]