For the Hermetic text of the same name, see the Corpus Hermeticum. Hermetica is a category of popular Late Antique literature purporting to contain secret wisdom and generally attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, "thrice-great

For the Alexandrian scholar, student of Ammonius Hermiae, see Asclepius of Tralles. Asclepius of Tralles (died c 560-570 was a student of Ammonius Hermiae.

For the asteroid, see 4581 Asclepius . 4581 Asclepius (əs-klee'-pee-əs əsˈkliːpiəs "is a small asteroid of the Apollo group that can approach Earth’s orbit to within 600000 km it was discovered

Statue of Asclepius

Asclepius (Greek Ἀσκληπιός, transliterated Asklēpiós; Latin Aesculapius) is the god of medicine and healing in ancient Greek mythology. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance The ancient Greeks proposed many different ideas about primordial deities in their mythology, which would later be largely adapted by the In Greek mythology, the Titans ( Greek: Tītā́n; plural Tītânes) were a race of powerful Deities that ruled during the legendary The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon ( Greek: Δωδεκάθεον The ancient Greeks had a large number of sea deities. The philosopher Plato once remarked that the Greek people were like frogs sitting around a pond -- their Chthonic (from Greek χθόνιος khthonios "of the earth" from khthōn "earth" pertaining to the Earth; earthy subterranean In Greek mythology, the Muses ( Ancient Greek, hai moũsai: perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root * men- "think" are Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the Lētṓ ( Greek:, Λ&alphaτώ, Lato in Dorian Greek etymology and meaning disputed in Greek mythology, is a daughter of In Greek mythology, Artemis language|Greek] ( Nominative), ( Genitive))] was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister Pan ( Greek, Genitive) is the Greek god of shepherds and flocks of mountain wilds hunting and rustic music paein means to pasture A shepherd is a person who tends to feeds or guards Sheep, especially in flocks In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human female form Attis (sometimes written as "Atys" was Cybele 's lover Eunuch attendant and driver of her lion-driven chariot Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts, while his daughters Hygieia, Meditrina, Iaso, Aceso, Aglæa/Ægle and Panacea (literally, "all-healing") symbolize the forces of cleanliness, medicine, and healing, respectively. In Greek mythology, Hygieia ( or Hygeia ( was a daughter of Asclepius. In Roman religion, Meditrinalia was an obscure festival celebrated on October 11 in honor of the new vintage which was offered in Libations to the gods Iaso or Ieso ( Ancient Greek; Ionic Greek) was the Greek goddess of recuperation from illness Aceso (Ἀκεσώ was the Greek goddess of the healing process Aglaea or Aglaïa ( Greek: Ἀγλαΐα is the name of five figures in Greek mythology. In Greek mythology, Panacea (Greek Πανάκεια, Panakeia) was the goddess of healing

Mythology

Asclepius was married to Epione, with whom he had six daughters: Hygieia, Meditrina (the serpent-bearer), Panacea, Aceso, Iaso, and Aglaea, and three sons: Machaon, Telesphoros, and Podalirius. In Greek mythology, Epione was the wife of Asclepius and mother of Panacea, the goddess of medicines Hygieia, the goddess of health In Greek mythology, Hygieia ( or Hygeia ( was a daughter of Asclepius. In Roman religion, Meditrinalia was an obscure festival celebrated on October 11 in honor of the new vintage which was offered in Libations to the gods In Greek mythology, Panacea (Greek Πανάκεια, Panakeia) was the goddess of healing Aceso (Ἀκεσώ was the Greek goddess of the healing process Iaso or Ieso ( Ancient Greek; Ionic Greek) was the Greek goddess of recuperation from illness Aglaea or Aglaïa ( Greek: Ἀγλαΐα is the name of five figures in Greek mythology. In Greek mythology, Machaon was a son of Asclepius. With Podalirius, his brother he led an army from Thessaly (or possibly Messenia The former Butterfly Genus Podalirius is nowadays included in Heliconius. He also bore a son, Aratus, with Aristodama. This article is about the didactic poet There was also an Aratus of Sicyon and an Aratus son of Asclepius For the crab Genus, see

Coronis (or Arsinoe) became pregnant with Asclepius by Apollo but fell in love with Ischys, son of Elatus. There are several characters in Greek mythology by the name Coronis (Κορωνίς -ίδος In Greek mythology, Ischys ( Ancient Greek: Ισχύς was the son of Elatus and Hippea, and also the Lover of Coronis A crow informed Apollo of the affair and he sent his sister, Artemis, to kill Coronis. In Greek mythology, Artemis language|Greek] ( Nominative), ( Genitive))] was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister Her body was burned on a funeral pyre, staining the white feathers of the crows permanently black. Apollo rescued the baby by performing the first caesarean section and gave it to the centaur Chiron to raise. A Caesarean section (or Cesarean section in American English) also known as C-section, is a form of Childbirth in which a surgical In Greek mythology, the centaurs (from Ancient Greek: Κένταυροι - Kéntauroi are a race of creatures composed of part Human In Greek mythology, Chiron or Cheiron ("hand" was held as the superlative Centaur among his brethren Enraged by his grief, Coronis' father Phlegyas torched the Apollonian temple at Delphi, for which Apollo promptly killed him. Phlegyas, son of Ares and Chryse, was king of the Lapiths in Greek mythology.

Chiron taught Asclepius the art of surgery, teaching him to be the most well-respected doctor of his day. According to the Pythian Odes of Pindar, Chiron also taught him the use of drugs, incantations and love potions. Pindar (ˈpɪndɚ (or Pindarus, Greek:) (probably born 522 BC in Cynoscephalae a village in Boeotia; died 443 BC in Argos) was an Ancient In The Library, Apollodorus claimed that Athena gave him a vial of blood from the Gorgons. The Bibliotheca (in English: Library) in three books provides a grand summary of traditional Greek mythology and heroic Legends ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. In Greek mythology, a gorgon ( Greek: γοργώ or γοργών transl Gorgon blood had magical properties: if taken from the left side of the Gorgon, it was a fatal poison; from the right side, the blood was capable of bringing the dead back to life. According to some, Asclepius fought alongside the Achaeans in the Trojan War, and cured Philoctetes of his famous snake bite. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her In Greek mythology, Philoctetes (also Philoktêtês or Philocthetes, Φιλοκτήτης was the son of King Poeas of Meliboea A snake is an elongate Reptile of the suborder Serpentes Like all reptiles snakes are covered in scales. However, others have attributed this to either Machaon or Podalirius, Asclepius' sons, who Homer mentions repeatedly in his Iliad as talented healers. The former Butterfly Genus Podalirius is nowadays included in Heliconius. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient Asclepius, on the other hand, is only referred to by Homer in relation to Machaon and Podalirius.

Asclepius' powers were not appreciated by all, and his ability to revive the dead soon drew the ire of Zeus, who struck him down with a thunderbolt. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology According to some, Zeus was angered, specifically, by Asclepius' acceptance of money in exchange for resurrection. Another story says Asclepius healed people and may have even made them immortal. This was unacceptable to the god of the Underworld, Hades, who considered these souls his rightful property. Hades prevailed upon Zeus, his brother and king of the gods, to hurl a lightningbolt through Asclepius's head. Zeus proclaimed that all of medicine thereafter could only be palliative -- make the person more comfortable while they either die or get well on their own -- but cures were not allowed. Others say that Zeus killed Asclepius after he agreed to resurrect Hippolytus at the behest of Artemis. In Greek mythology, Hippolytus ( Greek for "loose horse" was a son of Theseus and either Antiope or Hippolyte. In Greek mythology, Artemis language|Greek] ( Nominative), ( Genitive))] was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister Zeus may or may not have smitten Hippolytus with the same bolt. Either way, Asclepius' death at the hands of Zeus may symbolize man's inability to challenge the natural order that separates mortal men from the gods.

Statue of Asclepios
Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara

In retaliation for Asclepius' murder at the hands of Zeus, Apollo killed the Cyclopes, who fashioned Zeus' thunderbolts. The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi is located on the south side of Ankara Castle in the Atpazarı area in Ankara, Turkey In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, a cyclops (ˈsaɪklɒps or kyklops ( Greek) is a member of a primordial race of According to Euripides' play Alkestis, Apollo was then forced into the servitude of Admetus for one year. Euripides ( Ancient Greek:) (ca 480 BC–406 BC was the last of the three great tragedians of classical Athens (the other two being Aeschylus Alcestis (Άλκηστις / Alkēstis) is an Athenian Tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. In Greek mythology, Admetus /æd 'mi təs/ was a king of Pherae in Thessaly, succeeding his father Pheres after whom the city was named

Zeus, saddened at the loss of the original three Cyclops, decided to return them from Hades. Apollo also persuaded him to bring Asclepius back. Zeus consented after much begging and made Asclepius and his daughters deities of medicine after bringing them to Olympus, much to Apollo's joy.

After he realized Asclepius' importance to the world of men, Zeus placed him in the sky as the constellation Ophiuchus. In common usage a constellation is a group of celestial bodies that are connected together in some arrangement typically stars to form a visible figure or picture Ophiuchus (Ὀφιοῦχος ˌɒfiːˈuːkəs is one of the 88 Constellations and was also one of the 48 listed by Ptolemy. The name, "serpent-bearer," refers to the Rod of Asclepius, which was entwined with a single serpent. The rod of Asclepius (also known as the rod of Asklepios, rod of Aesculapius or asklepian) is an ancient Greek Symbol associated This symbol has now become a symbol for physicians across the globe. However, one should be careful not to confuse the Staff of Asclepius, which features a single serpent wrapped around a roughhewn branch, with the Caduceus of Mercury (Roman), or Karykeion of Hermes (Greek). The caduceus (/kəˈdjuːsiəs/ -ʃəs -ˈduː- κηρύκειον in Greek) or wand of Hermes is typically depicted as a short herald's staff "Alipes" redirects here For the Centipede Genus, see Alipes (centipede. Hermes ( Greek,, ˈhɝmiːz in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them of Shepherds and The Caduceus, which features two intertwined serpents (rather than the single serpent in Asclepius' wand), as well as a pair of wings, has long been a symbol of commerce. It is thought that the two were first confused in the seventh century A. D. , when alchemists often used the caduceus to symbolize their association with magical or "hermetic" arts.

The Greeks used the name Asclepius to translate Imhotep. Imhotep (sometimes spelled Immutef, Im-hotep, or Ii-em-Hotep, circa ( fl

Cult

Asclepius' most famous sanctuary was in Epidaurus in Northeastern Peloponnese. Epidaurus (Ἐπίδαυρος Epidavros) was a small city ( Polis) in ancient Greece, at the Saronic Gulf. The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus ( Greek: Πελοπόννησος Pelopónnisos; see also List of Greek place names) is a large Peninsula Another famous "asclepieion" was on the island of Kos, where Hippocrates, the legendary doctor, may have begun his career. Kos or Cos ( Greek: Κως Turkish: İstanköy; Italian: Coo formerly Stanchio in English is a Greek Hippocrates of Cos II or Hippokrates of Kos ( ca. 460 BC – ca Other asclepieions were situated in Trikala, Gortys (in Arcadia), and Pergamum in Asia. Trikala ( Τρίκαλα; formerly Trikka) is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece. This article is about the ancient city in Crete another place with the same name is Gortyna Arcadia. The Roman province of Asia, also called Phrygia was an administrative unit added to the late Republic.

In honor of Asclepios, snakes were often used in healing rituals. Non-venomous snakes were left to crawl on the floor in dormitories where the sick and injured slept. Starting about 300 BC, the cult of Asclepios grew very popular. Events By place Egypt Pyrrhus, the King of Epirus, is taken as a hostage to Egypt after the Battle of Ipsus His healing temples were called asclepieion; pilgrims flocked to them to be healed. In ancient Greece, an asclepieion (or asklepieion) was a healing temple, sacred to the god Asclepius. They slept overnight and reported their dreams to a priest the following day. He prescribed a cure, often a visit to the baths or a gymnasium.

It is also written by Lewis Farnell, that some healing temples used sacred dogs to lick the wounds of the sick petitioners. ¹

The original, ancient Hippocratic Oath begins with the invocation "I swear | by Apollo the Physician and by Asclepius and by Hygieia and Panacea and by all the gods . The Hippocratic Oath is an oath traditionally taken by physicians pertaining to the ethical practice of medicine . . " Scholars have written that this oath may not have been written by Hippocrates, but by or with others in his school, or followers of Pythagoras. "Pythagoras of Samos" redirects here For the Samian statuary of the same name see Pythagoras (sculptor. ²

Some later religious movements claimed links to Asclepios. In the 2nd Century AD The False Prophet Alexander claimed that his god Glycon was an incarnation of Asclepios. Alexander of Abonutichus (d c 170 CE was a Greek mystic and the founder of the Glycon cult that briefly achieved wide popularity in the Roman Glycon was a Snake God, according to the satirist Lucian, who provides the only literary reference to the deity

The botanical genus Asclepias (commonly known as milkweed), is named after him, and includes the medicinal plant A. tuberosa or "Pleurisy root".

Etymology

The etymology of the name is unknown. In his revised version of Frisk's Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, R.S.P. Beekes gives this summary of the different attempts: [1]

"H. Hjalmar Frisk (1900 - 1984 was a Swedish linguist in Indo-European studies and rector of Göteborg University 1951-1966 Robert S P Beekes (born in Haarlem in 1937 is Emeritus Professor of Comparative Indo-European Linguistics at the University of Leiden and the author of many books about 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 σκάλοψ, ἀσπάλαξ 'mole' and refers to the resemblance of the Tholos in Epidauros and the building of a mole. As a generic term tholos tomb is an alternative name for a Beehive tomb from the late Bronze Age. Epidaurus (Ἐπίδαυρος Epidavros) was a small city ( Polis) in ancient Greece, at the Saronic Gulf. A molehill (or mole-hill) is a conical mound of loose Soil raised by small Burrowing Mammals including moles but also similar animals (Thus Puhvel, Comp. Jaan Puhvel (b 1932 is an Estonian - American Indo-Europeanist. 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 (β for π, αλ(α) for λα) we find α/αι (a well known variation; Fur. 335 - 339) followed by -γλαπ- or -σκλαπ-/-σχλαπ/β-, i. e. a voiced velar (without -σ-) or a voiceless velar (or an aspirated one: we know that there was no distinction between the three in the substr. language) with a -σ-. The voiced velar plosive is a type of Consonantal sound used in some spoken Languages The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that The voiceless velar plosive is a type of Consonantal sound used in many spoken Languages The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet Description Voiceless consonants are produced with the Vocal cords open and voiced consonants are produced when the vocal folds are fractionally closed In Contact linguistics, a substratum ( lat sub: under + stratum: layer → lower layer) is a Language I think that the -σ- renders an original affricate, which (prob. Affricate Consonants begin as stops (most often an alveolar, such as or) but release as a fricative (such as or or occasionally into as δ) was lost before the -γ- (in Greek the group -σγ- is rare, and certainly before another consonant); Beekes Pre-Greek.

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. Oswald John Louis Szemerényi (born 7 September 1913 in London;died 29 December 1996 in Freiburg) was a Hungarian The Journal of Hellenic Studies or JHS is a peer reviewed British journal which contains articles that pertain to Hellenic Studies, i Hittite or Nesili is the Extinct language once spoken by the Hittites, a people who created an empire centered on ancient Hattusas (modern "

One might add that even though Szemerényi's etymology (Hitt. asula- + piya-) does not account for the velar, it is perhaps inserted spontaneously in Greek due to the fact that the cluster -sl- was uncommon in Greek: so, *Aslāpios would become *Asklāpios automatically.

Associated with the Roman/Etruscan god Vediovis. In Etruscan and Roman mythology Veiovis, Veive or Vediovis, was an old Italian or Etruscan Deity.

Footnotes

• ¹ cf. L. R. Farnell, Greek Hero Cults and Ideas of Immortality, Chapter 10, "The Cult of Asklepios" (pp. 234-279), p. 240
• ² cf. L. R. Farnell, Greek Hero Cults and Ideas of Immortality, Chapter 10, "The Cult of Asklepios" (pp. 234-279), p. 269: "The famous Hippocratean oath may not be an authentic deliverance of the great master, but is an ancient formula current in his school. "

References

• Lewis Richard Farnell, Greek Hero Cults and Ideas of Immortality, 1921.