The hymn recalls the birth story of Hermes, god of thieves and travelers. While Hera sleeps, Zeus visits the nymph, Maia, for a liaison. Months later, upon the “ninth moon," Maia gives birth to Zeus’s child, who is “[e]ndowed with wheedling ways, twists, and connivance”: the god Hermes (38).

The young god refuses his cradle one evening and, instead, ventures to find Apollo’s cattle. On his way, Hermes encounters a tortoise; he kills her, takes her shell, collects reeds, and uses the materials to fashion the first lyre. He plays the lyre and sings of his parents, particularly his mother and her beautiful, eclectic home. Suddenly, Hermes is overcome with a desire for meat (an appetite usually exclusive to humans, as gods can eat only ambrosia). He travels to the mountains of Pieria, where Apollo keeps his cattle, and is spotted by a man by the vineyard. Hermes realizes he’s been detected, and he warns the man to keep quiet.

Hermes fashions sandals and herds the cows away from the mountains. He arrives at a meadow and engineers the first fire. He then spears two cows and cooks their meat on skewers.