Hermes Trismegistus
Hermes Tirsmegistus’s name is given as the author of a number of magical texts that date back to Hellenistic Egypt. In Middle Ages and Renaissance, occultists believed Hermes Trismegistus to be a mythical sage that lived in ancient Egypt, however, the texts were written by a number of Hellenic-Egyptian priests and signed with the name of an Egyptian/Greek god.
In Egyptian mythology, the Ibis-headed god Thoth was credited with teaching man arts, science, writing, and magic. When translating the name “Thoth” from hieroglyphics to Greek, the scholars simply used the name “Hermes” (who is a Greek god credited with similar activities). In addition, in hieroglyphics, Thoth’s name is preceded with the symbol for “Great” written three times in a row. When translated to Greek, it became “Trismegistus” meaning “Thrice Great”.
Why the Greek-Egyptian priests signed the works with Thoth’s name is a mystery. Perhaps they were recording something from an oral tradition that was believed to have come from Thoth, or possibly the priests believed that they channeled the god while writing.