Brief description
In Hinduism the monkey-god is Hanuman, the son of the lord of wind Vayu. He is renowned for his
intelligence, bravery and strength. For the Buddhist, the monkey is considered one of the Buddha’s
earliest incarnations and for the Chinese the monkey is the ninth sign (branch) of the zodiac.
Monkeys were trained in Cambodia as performers and to catch thieves in the market place. It was
the intelligent ape, Thoth of ancient Egypt, who is accredited with the invention of the written word
and it was thoth who became Hermes for the Greeks and Mercury for the Romans. Mercury rules the
astrological sign Gemini and is known for his quick wit and considered to be the messenger of the
gods. It is from Hermes that the term hermetic is derived and the more solitary hermit.
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