Hermes o Logios
Hermes o Logios, also known as Logios Ermis, was a Greek periodical printed in Vienna from 1811 to 1821. It is considered the most important and longest-running Greek magazine before the Greek War of Independence. It featured work by leading scholars and thinkers and aimed to connect Greek communities under Ottoman rule with Greeks in Western Europe, helping to awaken Greek national consciousness.
Origins and purpose: The project came from Adamantios Korais, a key figure of the modern Greek Enlightenment. He argued for a periodical written in vernacular Greek to spread new ideas. The Philological Society in Bucharest, a group of Greek intellectuals led by Ignatios II, supported the plan. Korais suggested Anthimos Gazis, a learned priest in Vienna, as editor. Vienna was chosen because it was the main publishing hub for Greeks abroad; in 1783 the Austrian emperor allowed free Greek printing there, and in 1790 the first Greek newspaper Ephimeris appeared.
Founding goals: Hermes o Logios was created with help from the Bucharest society. Its stated aims were to promote learning and to cultivate a modern Greek language. The Society also ran a Greek-language school, financed translations of schoolbooks, and provided scholarships to study abroad. The first issue appeared on January 1, 1811, under the title Hermes the Scholar, or Philological Reports.
Editorship and early challenges: From 1811 to 1813 the magazine came out twice a month, usually about 16 pages per issue. In April 1813 Gazis left Vienna and Theoklitos Farmakidis took over as editor. The period faced serious money problems after the Russo-Turkish War ended and the Bucharest-based Philological Society dissolved. A public appeal urged readers to recruit new subscribers and contributions.
Low point and revival: The years 1814–1815 were tough, with seven issues in 1814 and only one in 1815, mainly containing Korais’ writings against conservative Neophytos Doukas. Gazis returned, and later Moldavian princes Scarlat Callimachi and Michael Soutzos helped fund the magazine. 1816 brought a turning point: Theoklitos Farmakidis and Konstantinos Kokkinakis, Korais supporters, took charge. Hermes o Logios then became a steady outlet for Korais’ ideas and continued without interruption until the War of Independence.
War period and closure: In 1821, nine issues were published between January and May. An April 1 appendix translated a Wiener Zeitung article about the uprising of Alexandros Ypsilantis and Tudor Vladimirescu, marking the start of the Greek War of Independence. In May, as the rebellion grew, the Austrian authorities forced the editors to publish an excommunication from the Patriarchate against the rebels. The magazine was shut down by the authorities and Kokkinakis was arrested as a member of the Filiki Etaireia.
Legacy: Hermes o Logios is regarded as the most important Greek periodical of the era of Diafotismos (the Greek Enlightenment). It appeared regularly for ten and a half years, the longest pre-independence Greek periodical, with 5131 pages and 918 contributors. Its main goal was to inform Greek speakers in the Ottoman Empire and the diaspora, and it reflected Korais’ ideas and European journal styles. It published reviews of science and the arts, reprinted European scientific catalogs, and urged Greek scholars to translate and publish important works. Topics ranged from astronomy and natural philosophy to history and philosophy.
Language and influence: The magazine promoted progressive ideas that supported Greek emancipation, though it did not openly publish revolutionary content. It operated under Austrian censorship, and some editors were associated with the Filiki Etaireia. The Greek language issue was central: Hermes o Logios supported Korais’ view that vernacular Demotic Greek should be used, while some opponents published magazines of their own to challenge his linguistic ideas.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:28 (CET).