Asclepius: The Greek God of Medicine

Asclepius is the ancient Greek god of medicine. He is the son of Apollo and a mortal woman named Koronis, which makes him a demigod. Asclepius grew up motherless with different versions of how he lost his mother. However, in all versions of his story, he is brought up by his father, Apollo, who grants him the gift of healing and the secrets of medicine using herbs and plants. Asclepius is married to Hygeia, the goddess of hygiene and health (although some versions claim she is his daughter!)

Statue of Asclepius

Asclepius was a very gifted healer who was so successful at saving lives that he could also raise the dead. This made the god of the underworld, Hades, worried that he would not get any dead spirits, so he complained to his brother, Zeus. Fearing that Asclepius will make humans immortal, Zeus kills Asclepius with the strike of a thunderbolt, but later places him among the stars as the constellation, Ophiuchus, also known as the Serpent bearer.

Ophiuchus constellation in the night sky

After Asclepius’ death, his descendants, the Asclepiads, continued in the art of medicine. Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, is also considered a descendant of Asclepius, although he is a historical figure while Asclepius is a mythological character.

Asclepius had several healing temples or aslepieia, where the sick were sent to recuperate. At these temples, non-venomous snakes called the Aesculapian snakes (also seen on his Asclepius’ staff) were an essential part of the healing process and they were allowed to crawl freely around the dormitories where the sick slept. One of the most famous Asclepian sanctuary in ancient Greece was at Epidaurus, which is now a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Epidaurus was in Peloponnese in Greece and it became the most important center of healing in both ancient Greek and Roman times. In addition to the healing temple, and an underground labyrinth for housing the snakes, it also had a huge theatre with excellent acoustics, which later became famous for the Asclepieia festival that was held every four years to celebrate theatre, sport and music. The impressive ruins still exist and is a UNESCO World heritage site.

Theatre of Epidaurus

Sources:
https://www.heavens-above.com/myth.aspx?lat=0&lng=0&loc=Unspecified&alt=0&tz=UCT&cul=en&con=Oph

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