Our History
Aesculapius
The Ancient Greek
God of
Medicine & Healing
Aesculapius was a Greek hero who later become the Greek god of medicine and healing. The son of Apollo and Coronis, Aesculapius had five daughters, Aceso, Iaso, Panacea, Aglaea and Hygieia. He was worshipped throughout the Greek world.
The main attribute of Aesculapius is a physician's staff with an Aesculapian snake wrapped around it; this is how he was distinguished in the art of healing, and his attribute still survives to this day as the symbol of the modern medical profession.
The mother of Aesculapius, Coronis, was a mortal, the daughter of Phlegya a king of Thessaly. Coronis was unfaithful to Apollo, and Artemis, Apollo's twin sister, killed her for her unfaithfulness. Coronis was placed upon a funeral pyre. As her body started to burn, Apollo felt sorrow for his unborn son and snatched the child Aesculapius from his mother's corpse, saving him from death. Apollo then handed Aesculapius to the Centaur Chiron who became his tutor and mentor.
Chiron taught Aesculapius the art of healing. Aesculapius also acquired the knowledge of surgery, the use of drugs, love potions, incantations and even raising the dead.
With these gifts Aesculapius exceeded the fringes of human knowledge. However, he offended the great god Zeus by accepting money in exchange for raising the dead. In the eyes of Zeus, Aesculapius' action upset the natural order of the universe - a mere mortal helping man evade death. With one swift action, the great Zeus sent down a thunderbolt killing both men.
After realizing the good Aesculapius had brought to man, the great Zeus made him into a god, placing him among the stars, transforming Aesculapius into the constellation Ophiuchus (the serpent-bearer). The snake was used in the healing ritual; non-poisonous snakes were left in the dormitory where the sick slept overnight on the bare ground.
The cult of Aesculapius became very popular during the 300s BCE and the cult centres were used by priests to cure the sick. Invalids also came to the shrines of Aesculapius to find cures for their ailments (in the same fashion pilgrims visit Lourdes today). The process of healing was known as incubation. The patient would spend the night in a dormitory. During the night they would supposedly be visited by the god in a dream. Priests would interpret the dreams and then recommend a remedy or give advice on how they could be cured with perhaps a recommended visit to the baths and gymnasiums.