Asclepius is the God of Healing, it is He who first used medicine to cure a person, and He healed the blind, the lame, and raised the dead as well.
Asclepius was a Greek hero who later become the Greek god of medicine and healing. The son of Apollo and Coronis, Asclepius had five daughters, Aceso, Iaso, Panacea, Aglaea and Hygieia. He was worshipped throughout the Greek world but his most famous sanctuary was located in Epidaurus which is situated in the northeastern Peloponnese. The main attribute of Asclepius is a physician's staff with an Asclepian snake wrapped around it; this is how he was distinguished in the art of healing, and his attribute still survives to this day as the symbol of the modern medical profession. The cock was also sacred to Asclepius and was the bird they sacrificed as his altar.
The mother of Asclepius, Coronis, was a mortal, the daughter of Phlegyas, a king of Thessaly. Coronis was unfaithful to Apollo, and Artemis, Apollo's twin sister, killed her for her unfaithfulness. Coronis was placed upon a funeral pyre. (One version says that Apollo cast her into the fires of his own anger.) As her body started to burn, Apollo felt sorrow for his unborn son and snatched the child Asclepius from his mother's corpse, saving him from death. Apollo then handed Asclepius to the Centaur Chiron who became his tutor and mentor.
Chiron taught Asclepius the art of healing. According to Pindar (Pythian Odes), Asclepius also acquired the knowledge of surgery, the use of drugs, love potions and incantations, and according to Apollodorus (the Library), Athena gave Asclepius a magic potion made from the blood of the Gorgon. Legend tells that the blood of the Gorgon has a different effect depending from which side the blood was taken. If taken from the right side of the Gorgon, it has a miraculous effect and is said to be able to bring the dead back to life, but taken from the left side it is a deadly poison.
With these gifts Asclepius exceeded the fringes of human knowledge. However, he offended the great god Zeus by accepting money in exchange for raising the dead. (In one version it was the goddess Artemis who implored Asclepius to resurrect Hippolytus, a favourite of hers.) In the eyes of Zeus, Asclepius' action upset the natural order of the universe - a mere mortal helping man evade death. With one swift action, the great Zeus sent down a thunderbolt killing both men. (In some versions Zeus only killed Asclepius.)
Realising the good Asclepius had brought to man, the great Zeus made him into a god, placing him among the stars, transforming Asclepius into the constellation Ophiuchus (the serpent-bearer). The snake was used in the healing ritual; non-poisonous snakes were left in the dormitory where the sick slept overnight on the bare ground.
The cult of Asclepius became very popular during the 300s BCE and the cult centres (known as an Asclepieion) were used by priests to cure the sick. Invalids also came to the shrines of Asclepius to find cures for their ailments (in the same fashion pilgrims visit Lourdes today.) The process of healing was known as incubation. The patient would spend the night in a dormitory. During the night they would supposedly be visited by the god in a dream. Priests would interpret the dreams and then recommend a remedy or give advice on how they could be cured with perhaps a recommended visit to the baths and gymnasiums. There were many centres and schools of medicine, from Trikkis in Thessaly to the island of Cos. It is believed that Hippocrates, a great doctor of antiquity, plied his trade on the island of Cos. It is also said that Hippocrates was a descendant of Asclepius.
The Romans adopted the cult of Asclepius, but changed his name to Latin; they called him Aesculapius.
Homeric Hymn:
XVI. TO ASCLEPIUS (5 lines)
(ll. 1-4) I begin to sing of Asclepius, son of Apollo and healer
of sicknesses. In the Dotian plain fair Coronis, daughter of
King Phlegyas, bare him, a great joy to men, a soother of cruel
pangs.
(l. 5) And so hail to you, lord: in my song I make my prayer to
thee!
Asclepius
God of Medicine
This page was last updated: June 19, 2021
Source: Dr. Vollmer's Wörterbuch der Mythologie aller Völker. Stuttgart: Hoffmann'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1874.
Greek Wicca
Honoring the Gods and Goddesses of old in all new ways!
Your one-stop source for information on gods, goddesses, Zues, Hera, Ares, Hebe, Apollo, Artemis, Hepheastos, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Posiedon, Athena, Athene, Greek Wicca, Dionysos, Dionysus, dionysia, Demeter, Persephone, Persepony, Hades, Hermes, hermetic, Hecate, Hekate, Isis, Osiris, Thor, Njord, Freya, Bragi, Freyr, Odin, wicca, witchcraft, pagan, new age, mystical, witch, wiccan, book of shadows, spells, totems, totem animals, angels, animal spirits, animal guides, tarot cards, runes, witchcraft tools, magick, runes, herbs, crystals, chakras, sabbats, esbats, pentacle, pentagram, star of life, sabbats, esbats, turn of the wheel, magick, fairies, fae, fairy, faeries, angelic rituals, angel names, how to cast a spell, book of shadow, spell casting, casting a circle, protection spells, binding spells, banishing spells, herbal lore, herbal usage, crystal healing, crystal magick, crystal usage, world religions, wican traditions, pagan traditions, dianic, gardnerian, hedge, kitchen, green, herbal, georgian, alexanderian, traditional, hedge, gypsy, celtic, druid, italian, stregharia, norse, asatru, goddess witchcraft, cyber rituals, technospells, making poppets, preparing for magick, cord magick, dream symbols, auras, reading auras, prosperity spells, pagan poems, wiccan poetry, psychic gifts, magical names, magickal names, clearing a space, cleansing, grounding, elementals, working with the elements, elemental magick, witchcraft tools, athame, besom, cauldron, pentacle, pentaram, star of life, days, moonphases, sunphases, wind, color magick, wiccan symbols, numerology, pagan symbols,. witch symbols, circle banishing, charge of the god, charge of the goddess, charge of the dark goddess, wiccan rede, wiccan creed, 13 principles, wiccan thirteen principles, pagans in virginia, virginia pagans, pagans in north carolina, north carolina pagans, pagans in maryland, maryland pagans, gaelic witch, gaelic witchcraft, celticism, celtic witchcraft, celtic wicca, iberian witch, iberian-celtic wicca, spanish witch, spanish wicca, gaelic legends, gaelic myths, celtic nations, witchtrials, witch hunts, brazil witch, brazilian witchcraft, pagan bumper stickers, altars, how to make an altar, group altars, feng shui, toltec, tao, taoist, day of the dead, devas, elementals, nature spirits, angelic rituals, fairy lore, fae, fey, fairie, festivals, celebrations, may poles, beltane, yule, oestara, easter, samhain, halloween, sabbats, esbats, pagan networking, pagan profiles, pagan personals, celtic paganism, 5 fold kiss, witches rune, herbs of the sabbat, astrology, horoscopes, VA pagan, MD pagan, NC pagan, witchcraft FAQs, witch or wiccan?, seasonal rites, wiccan festivals, turning of the wheel, pagan celebrations, to be a witch and much much more earth and nature based spirituality information, from apathos, lord apathos, kementari, everquest, jacksonville, jackowith, jack o witch, jack-o-witch, crystal coast, pagan pride day, camp lejeune, cape fear, cape fear pagans, wilmington, new bern, coven, yule, solstice, imbolc, imbolg, samahin, shadowsfest, lughnassadh, lugh, goddess, god, horned god, book of shadows, and more.
