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The God Asclepius
According to legend, Asclepius is a deified mortal. The son of Apollo and the nymph, Coronis, he is the Greek God of healing. He learned the art of healing from Cheiron the Centaur and was the physician to the Argonauts. Fearing that he would depopulate Hades, Cronus, the ruler of the underworld convinced Zeus to destroy Asclepius. Apollo pleaded on the healer's behalf and Zeus, instead, placed Him among the stars as Serpentarius, the snake bearer. In another version of the legend, Zeus actually killed him with a thunderbolt.
His sacred symbol is the snake-coiled staff (the modern day symbol of medicine.) The dog is His sacred animal.
Asclepius was worshiped in Greece from about 400BCE on. His primary Temple was based at Epidaurus and pilgrims traveled there seeking cures. There, they underwent a ritual where they slept in the temple with the hope that Asclepius would appear to them in a dream. He arrived in Rome between 293BCE and 291BCE when a plague had Rome consulting the Sibylline Books for help. They were sent to bring back an image of Asclepius, but, instead, brought back a snake that had slithered on board their ship. The snake was thought to be a gift from Asclepius Himself. The snake chose an island in the Tiber as its home and a temple to Asclepius was built there and dedicated to Him on January 1, 291BCE.
He is also known by the following names:
Aeculapius, Ascalaphus, Asklepios, Esculapius and in Carthage, He was known as Eshmun.
Related Links:
About: Asclepius—Healing God - Asculapius—Son of Apollo
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