Asclepius
Sign in to saveAsclepius (; ; ) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis, or Arsinoe, or of Apollo alone. Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters, the , are: Hygieia ("Health, Healthiness"), Iaso (from ἴασις "healing, recovering, recuperation", the goddess of recuperation from illness), Aceso (from ἄκεσις "healing", the goddess of the healing process), Aegle (the goddess of good health) and Panacea (the goddess of universal remedy). He has several sons as well. He was associated with the Roman/Etruscan god Ve
AI overview
Asclepius was an ancient Greek god and hero of medicine, typically described as the son of Apollo, who represented the healing aspects of medical practice and was worshipped for his role in health and recovery. His significance is reflected in his mythological family, which included daughters representing various aspects of healing and health such as Hygieia (health itself) and Panacea (universal remedy).
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Key facts
- Deity.type
- Greek
- Deity.name
- Asclepius
- Deity.image
- Asclepius-Rotunda of Altes Museum.jpg
- Deity.caption
- Asclepius with his serpent-entwined staff, Roman statue in the Altes Museum
- Deity.god_of
- God of medicine, healing, rejuvenation and physicians
- Deity.abode
- Mount Olympus
- Deity.symbol
- Serpent-entwined staff
- Deity.consort
- Epione, Aristodeme, Xanthe, Hygieia (sometimes daughter)
- Deity.parents
- Apollo and Coronis
- Deity.festivals
- Epidauria, Asclepia
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Epithets
- Mythology
- Birth
- Education and adventures
- Marriage and family
- Death and immortality
- Sacred places and practices
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Primary sources
- Secondary sources
- External links
Asclepius (; ; ) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis, or Arsinoe, or of Apollo alone. Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters, the , are: Hygieia ("Health, Healthiness"), Iaso (from ἴασις "healing, recovering, recuperation", the goddess of recuperation from illness), Aceso (from ἄκεσις "healing", the goddess of the healing process), Aegle (the goddess of good health) and Panacea (the goddess of universal remedy). He has several sons as well. He was associated with the Roman/Etruscan god Vediovis and the Egyptian Imhotep. The rod of Asclepius, a snake-entwined staff similar to the caduceus, remains a symbol of medicine today. Those physicians and attendants who served this god were known as the Therapeutae of Asclepius.
== Etymology == The etymology of the name is unknown. In his revised version of Frisk's Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (Greek Etymological Dictionary), R. S. P. Beekes gives this summary of the different attempts: "H. Grégoire (with R. Goossens and M. Mathieu) in Asklépios, Apollon Smintheus et Rudra 1949 (Mém. Acad. Roy. de Belgique. Cl. d. lettres. 2. sér. 45), explains the name as "the mole-hero", connecting 'mole' and refers to the resemblance of the Tholos in Epidauros and the building of a mole. (Thus Puhvel, Comp. Mythol. 1987, 135.) But the variants of Asklepios and those of the word for "mole" do not agree. The name is typical for Pre-Greek words; apart from minor variations ( for , for ) we find (a well known variation; Fur. 335–339) followed by or , i.e. a voiced velar (without ) or a voiceless velar (or an aspirated one: we know that there was no distinction between the three in the substr. language) with a . I think that the renders an original affricate, which (prob. as ) was lost before the (in Greek the group is rare, and certainly before another consonant). Szemerényi's etymology (JHS 94, 1974, 155) from Hitt. assula(a)- "well-being" and piya- "give" cannot be correct, as it does not explain the velar."