Asclepius
Asclepius | |
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God of medicine, healing, rejuvenation and physicians | |
Equivalents | |
Roman equivalent | Aesculapius |
Etruscan equivalent | Vejovis |
Egyptian equivalent | Imhotep |
Phoenician equivalent | Eshmun |
Part of a series on |
Ancient Greek religion |
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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 σκάλοψ, ἀσπάλαξ '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 (β for π, αλ(α) for λα) we find α/αι (a well known variation; aspirated one: we know that there was no distinction between the three in the substr. language) with a -σ-. I think that the -σ- renders an original affricate, which (prob. as δ) was lost before the -γ- (in Greek the group -σγ- is rare, and certainly before another consonant).
- velar."[3]
Beekes suggested a
His name may mean "to cut open" from a story about his birth.[5]
Mythology
Birth
Asclepius was the son of Apollo and, according to the earliest accounts, a mortal woman named Koronis (Coronis), who was a princess of Tricca in Thessaly.[6][7] When she displayed infidelity by sleeping with a mortal named Ischys, Apollo found out with his prophetic powers and killed Ischys. Coronis was killed by Artemis for being unfaithful to Apollo and was laid out on a funeral pyre to be consumed, but Apollo rescued the child by cutting him from Coronis' womb.[8]
According to Delphian tradition, Asclepius was born in the temple of Apollo, with Lachesis acting as a midwife and Apollo relieving the pains of Coronis. Apollo named the child after Coronis' nickname, Aegle.[9]
Phoenician tradition maintains that Asclepius was born of Apollo without any woman involved.[10]
According to the Roman version, Apollo, having learned about Coronis' betrayal with the mortal Ischys through his raven Lycius, killed her with his arrows. Before breathing her last, she revealed to Apollo that she was pregnant with his child. He repented his actions and unsuccessfully tried to save her. At last, he removed their son safely from her belly before she was consumed by the fire.[11]
In yet another version, Coronis who was already pregnant with Apollo's child, had to accompany her father to
According to Strabo and other traditions, the birthplace of Asclepius is considered to be Tricca (modern Trikala city in Thessaly).[13][14]
Education and adventures
Apollo named the rescued baby "Asclepius" and reared him for a while and taught him many things about medicine.[15] However, like his half-brother, Aristaeus, Asclepius had his formal education under the centaur Chiron who instructed him in the art of medicine.[16]
It is said that in return for some kindness rendered by Asclepius, a snake licked Asclepius's ears clean and taught him secret knowledge (to the Greeks snakes were sacred beings of wisdom, healing, and resurrection). Asclepius bore a rod wreathed with a snake, which became associated with healing. Another version states that when Asclepius (or in another myth
He was originally called Hepius but received his popular name of Asclepius after he cured Ascles, ruler of Epidaurus who suffered an incurable ailment in his eyes.[18] Asclepius became so proficient as a healer that he surpassed both Chiron and his father, Apollo. Asclepius was therefore able to evade death and to bring others back to life from the brink of death and beyond. This caused an excessive abundance of human beings, and Zeus resorted to killing him to maintain balance in the numbers of the human population.
At some point, Asclepius was among those who took part in the
Marriage and family
Asclepius was married to
Death and immortality
Asclepius once started bringing back to life the dead people like Tyndareus, Capaneus, Glaucus, Hymenaeus, Lycurgus and others.
However, Hades accused Asclepius of stealing his subjects and complained to his brother Zeus about it.[23] According to others, Zeus was afraid that Asclepius would teach the art of resurrection to other humans as well.[24] Concerning the fate of Asclepius, Ovid writes that "the youth [Asclepius] blasted by ancestral bolts [of Zeus] soars from earth [rising as the constellation Ophiuchus] and flings his hands coiled with double snakes."[25] Later accounts read "The Serpent-Holder. Many astronomers have imagined that he is Aesculapius [Asclepius], whom Jupiter [Zeus], for the sake of Apollo, put among the stars."[26] Asclepius was killed by Zeus, and by Apollo's request, was subsequently immortalized as a star.[27][28][29]
Sacred places and practices
The most ancient and the most prominent
From the fifth century BC onwards,
The original Hippocratic Oath began with the invocation "I swear by Apollo the Physician and by Asclepius and by Hygieia and Panacea and by all the gods ...".[36]
Epidauria (τὰ Ἐπιδαύρια) was a festival at Athens in honour of Asclepius.[37]
Some later religious movements claimed links to Asclepius. In the 2nd century AD
The botanical genus Asclepias (commonly known as milkweed) is named after him and includes the medicinal plant A. tuberosa or "Pleurisy root".
Asclepius was depicted on the reverse of the Greek 10,000 drachmas banknote of 1995–2001.[39]
At the city of Miletus, archaeologists discovered a cave under the city's theatre which was associated with Asclepius cult.[40][41]
At Hyperteleatum, Hypsi and Hyettus there were temples of Asclepius.[42][43][44]
See also
Notes
- ISBN 9781576072424.
- ^ Mitchell-Boyask, p. 141
- ^ Greek etymology database (online source requires login and is located at iedo.brillonline.nl Archived 29 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine). Originally: "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Also in: R.S.P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2009, p. 151. - ^ R.S.P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2009, p. xxv.
- ^ "Asklepios". Theoi.com. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ Homeric Hymn to Asclepius (16), 1–4; Diodorus Siculus, 5.74.6
- ^ "ASCLEPIUS (Asklepios) - Greek God of Medicine & Doctors".
- ^ Pindar, Pythian Odes 3.5
- ^ Isyllus, Hymn to Asclepius
- ^ Pausanias, 7.23.7
- ^ Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.620
- ^ Pausanias, 2.26.1–7
- ^ "ASCLEPIUS (Asklepios) - Greek God of Medicine & Doctors".
- ^ "Asclepius".
- ^ Diodorus Siculus, 5.64.6
- ^ Pindar, Pythian Ode 3.5 ff. (trans. Conway)
- De Astronomica2.14
- ^ Tzetzes, Chiliades 10.49, p. 712–714
- ^ Greek Lyric V Anonymous, fr. 939 (Inscription from Erythrai) (trans. Campbell); Suida, s.v. Epione (trans. Suda On Line)
- ^ Homer, Iliad 2.730 ff.; 4.193, 217 ff. & 11.518 ff. (trans. Lattimore); Diodorus Siculus, 4.71.3 (trans. Oldfather); Pausanias, 2.29.1; Lycophron, 1047 ff. (trans. Mair); Suida, s.v. Epione (trans. Suda On Line)
- ^ Stesichorus, fr. 147 from Sextus Empricicus, Against the Professors)
- ^ Pindar, Pythian Ode 3; Plato, Republic 408b; Philodemus, On Piety (trans. Campbell, Vol.); Greek Lyric IV; Stesichorus, fr. 147 and Cinesias, fr. 774)
- ^ Diodorus Siculus, 4.71.3
- ^ Apollodorus, 3.121
- ^ Ovid, Fasti 6, 735-762 (Translation by Boyle, A.J. & Woodard, R.D.)
- ^ Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2.14
- ^ Emma and Ludwig Edelstein, Asclepius: Collection and Interpretation of the Testimonies, Volume 1, Page 51
- ^ Sabine G. MacCormack Concise Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology p.47
- ^ Theony Condos, Star Myths of the Greeks and Romans, p.141
- ^ "Asclepeion of ancient Trikki | Municipality of Trikala". Municipality of Trikala. 14 June 2017.
- ^ An archaeological diagram of the layout – the diagram displayed at the location itself – is visible at this link Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, The Holy Land, (2008), page 29
- ^ a b Edelstein, Ludwig and Emma Edelstein. Asclepius: a Collection and Interpretation of the Testimonies. Vol. 2. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1998. p. 243
- ^ Wickkiser, Bronwen. Asklepios, Medicine, and the Politics of Healing in Fifth-century Greece: Between Craft and Cult. Johns Hopkins Press, 2008. p. 106
- ^ Sigerist 1987, pp. 63ff
- ^ a b Farnell, Chapter 10, "The Cult of Asklepios" (pp. 234–279)
- ^ Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Epidauria
- ^ a b Lucian, Alexander the False Prophet (trans A.M. Harmon) (Cambridge: Loeb Classical Library, 1936), Lucian, vol IV. Accessible online at http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/lucian/lucian_alexander.htm
- ^ Bank of Greece Archived 28 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Drachma Banknotes Archived 11 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine. 10,000 drachma note (pdf) Archived 11 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine – Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ "Sacred Cave" in ancient Miletos awaits visitors
- ^ The Ancient City of Miletos's "Sacred Cave" Opened to Visitors
- ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Hyperteleatum
- ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Hypsi
- ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Hyettus
References
Primary sources
- Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
- Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica translated by Robert Cooper Seaton (1853-1915), R. C. Loeb Classical Library Volume 001. London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1912. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica. George W. Mooney. London. Longmans, Green. 1912. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History translated by Charles Henry Oldfather. Twelve volumes. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989. Vol. 3. Books 4.59–8. Online version at Bill Thayer's Web Site
- Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica. Vol 1-2. Immanel Bekker. Ludwig Dindorf. Friedrich Vogel. in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. Leipzig. 1888-1890. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Gaius Julius Hyginus, Astronomica from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Homer, Homeri Opera in five volumes. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 1920.
- The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White. Homeric Hymns. Cambridge, MA.,Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
- Lycophron, The Alexandra translated by Alexander William Mair. Loeb Classical Library Volume 129. London: William Heinemann, 1921. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Lycophron, Alexandra translated by A.W. Mair. London: William Heinemann; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 1921. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, Nature of the Gods from the Treatises of M.T. Cicero translated by Charles Duke Yonge (1812-1891), Bohn edition of 1878. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, De Natura Deorum. O. Plasberg. Leipzig. Teubner. 1917. Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Pindar, Odes translated by Diane Arnson Svarlien. 1990. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Pindar, The Odes of Pindar including the Principal Fragments with an Introduction and an English Translation by Sir John Sandys, Litt.D., FBA. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1937. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Publius Ovidius Naso, Fasti translated by James G. Frazer. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Publius Ovidius Naso, Fasti. Sir James George Frazer. London; Cambridge, MA. William Heinemann Ltd.; Harvard University Press. 1933. Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Tzetzes, John, Book of Histories, Book IX-X translated by Jonathan Alexander from the original Greek of T. Kiessling's edition of 1826. Online version at theoi.com
Secondary sources
- Edelstein, Ludwig and Emma Edelstein. Asclepius: Collection and Interpretation of the Testimonies, Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins Press, 1945.
- von Ehrenheim, Hedvig. Greek Incubation Rituals in Classical and Hellenistic Times. Kernos. Supplément, 29. Liège: Presses Universitaires de Liège, 2015.
- Farnell, Lewis Richard. Greek Hero Cults and Ideas of Immortality, (Oxford Clarendon Press,1921).
- Grimal, Pierre, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Wiley-Blackwell, 1996,
- Hart, Gerald D. MD. Asclepius: The God of Medicine (Royal Society of Medicine Press, 2000)
- Kool, S. "The Soother of Evil Pains: Asclepius and Freud." Akroterion 60, 2015, pp. 13–32.
- LiDonnici, Lynn R. The Epidaurian Miracle Inscriptions: Text, Translation, and Commentary. Atlanta: Scholars, 1995.
- Mitchell-Boyask, Robin, Plague and the Athenian Imagination: Drama, History and the Cult of Asclepius, Cambridge University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-521-87345-1.
- Oberhelman, Steven M. (ed.), Dreams, Healing, and Medicine in Greece: From Antiquity to the Present. Farnham; Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2013.
- Renberg, Gil H. "Public and Private Places of Worship in the Cult of Asclepius at Rome". Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, 51/52, 2006, pp. 87–172.
- Riethmüller, Jürgen W. Asklepios : Heiligtümer und Kulte, Heidelberg, Verlag Archäologie und Geschichte, 2005, ISBN 3-935289-30-8
- Sigerist, Henry E. (1987). A History of Medicine Volume 2: Early Greek, Hindu, and Persian Medicine (1st ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-505079-0.
- Wickkiser, Bronwen. Asklepios, Medicine, and the Politics of Healing in Fifth-century Greece: Between Craft and Cult. JHU Press, 2008.
External links
- Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (images of Aesculapius)