The Hermetic Principles are a set of seven philosophical axioms, considered to be universal laws, that form the foundation of Hermeticism. This esoteric tradition is attributed to the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretic figure combining the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. The principles were most famously compiled and popularized in the 1908 book The Kybalion, authored by the "Three Initiates."