Asclepius (deity)

Symbol: Staff with serpent coiled around it

Culture: Ancient Greece

Mother: Coronis

Father: Apollo

Siblings: Troilus; most likely others

Children: Hygieia; Iaso; Aceso; Aglaea; Panacea; Machaon; Podaleirios

In Greek mythology, Asclepius was known as a healer and as the god of medicine. According to some sources, he was first a physician hero who was later recognized as a god. For example, when the writer Homer referred to Asclepius in his work The Iliad, which was written in the eighth century BCE, he described the man as a mortal who tended the wounded at Troy. A few centuries later, Asclepius was being worshipped throughout Greece as a god.

In ancient Greek art, Asclepius was usually depicted with a full beard, a bare chest, and a long garment draped over one shoulder. He was easily recognizable by the staff he held, which had a serpent wrapped around it. In some Mediterranean cultures, snakes were associated with healing and rejuvenation. It was said that snakes knew the causes of and cures for diseases. The staff of Asclepius was similar to the caduceus, a staff with two entwined snakes that is used as a symbol of modern medicine.

Asclepius and his wife Epione had seven children, all of whom were associated with healing. His sons Machaon and Podaleirios were assistant physicians; his daughters were also involved in the art of medicine. For example, Hygieia was known for keeping patients clean. Her name, which meant "cleanliness," became the source of the English word hygiene. Similarly, the name of his daughter Panacea, which meant "the all-healing," produced the English word panacea.

Several sanctuaries honored Asclepius; the most important of them was the one at Epidaurus. It was founded in the sixth century BCE and became a famous healing center.

In Mythology

Asclepius was the son of the Greek god Apollo and his mortal wife, Coronis, who was a princess and the daughter of a king of Thessaly. According to myth, Apollo fell in love with Coronis and impregnated her. However, before she gave birth, Coronis became enamored of another mortal and was unfaithful to Apollo. In one version of the story, a raven told Apollo about this infidelity, and, as a result, Apollo shot Coronis with an arrow and killed her. As Coronis lay on a funeral pyre, Apollo cut the unborn child from her womb. Hence, the child’s name, Asclepius, came from the Greek word meaning "to cut open."

Apollo took his son to a wise and kindly centaur named Chiron, who was known in Greece as a great teacher and mentor. Asclepius spent his childhood with Chiron on Mt. Pelion, and it was there that he learned the art of healing. Chiron taught his pupil about the use of herbs, drugs, love potions, and incantations. The teacher also imparted to his student a knowledge of surgery.

Asclepius grew very proficient in these arts, and when he had grown into adulthood, he left Chiron’s cave and went down the mountain to help people. Temples, known as asklepieions, were soon built throughout the Mediterranean region to honor him. Most temples were built in healthy places, such as on hills outside of towns or near waters that were thought to have healing powers. In addition to the temple at Epidaurus, there were sanctuaries at Athens, Rhodes, Crete, Kos, Corinth, and Pergamon in Asia Minor. Invalids flocked to these temples, where they prayed, offered gifts, and made sacrifices. Usually, patients spent the night in dormitories. It was said that during the night, the people would be visited by the god in a dream. In the morning, healers, usually priests, would interpret the dreams and recommend cures such as diet, rest, exercise, and herbal medicines. Many temples had statues that represented sleep and dreams. These temples were essentially the first hospitals.

In the year 420 BCE, Athens was struck by a plague or pestilence. The cult of Asclepius was brought in, and when the plague abated, the credit went to Asclepius. As a result, his fame grew, and so did his cult. Soon it was rumored that the arts of Asclepius were so great that he could even bring people back from the dead.

In the myths, the Fates complained to Zeus, the father of the gods. The Fates claimed that their work was in vain if Asclepius could raise the dead. Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, was angry, too; he said he was being cheated out of dead souls. Zeus himself felt that Asclepius was undermining the natural order of the universe. As a result, because Zeus feared that all men would contrive to become immortal, he struck and killed Asclepius with a thunderbolt.

Apollo was greatly angered when Zeus killed his son, so he in turn slew the Cyclopes who had made the fatal thunderbolt. Zeus then punished Apollo by making him serve a year as a herdsman for Admetus, the king of Thessaly. However, Apollo convinced Zeus to revive Asclepius and place him in the heavens as a star in the constellation Ophiuchus. This word means "Serpent Holder."

Origins and Cults

Worship of Asclepius took place all over Greece. Healers and invalids invoked his name in ceremonies and prayers both at home and in temples. A clan called the Asclepiads claimed to be his descendants and to have inherited healing powers from him. The Asclepiads, an order of priests, resembled an ancient Greek doctors’ guild. Hence, the practice of medicine was closely related to religion in ancient times. By 293 BCE, the cult of Asclepius spread to Rome, where he was known as Aesculapius.

Some sources suggest that a Greek named Hippocrates (460–380? BCE) was a descendant of Asclepius. Hippocrates was significant because he was the first person to use a more scientific approach to healing. He lived and worked on the island of Kos and trained at an asklepieion there. Because of his approach to medicine, he is sometimes called the "Father of Western Medicine." The Hippocratic Oath, still taken by many doctors when they graduate from medical school, is considered a model for ethical medical practice. It begins with these words: "I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius …that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant."

Bibliography

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