This week’s #MythologyMonday theme is health and healing. The most powerful Greek god of healing is Apollon. He sends sudden death and disease but he also helps both gods and mean heal from wounds and illness. Several of Apollon’s epithets characterise him as a healer.
The epithet Apollon Akestôr, Apollon the Healer, the Doctor, appears in “Andromache” by Euripides.
The Athenians worshipped Apollon Alexikakos, Apollon the averter of evil, bc he was believed to have stopped the plague which raged at Athens in the time of the Peloponnesian war.
Apollon Epikourios, Apollon the helper, was worshipped at Bassae in Arcadia because he once delivered the country from a pestilence.
Apollon Loimios is Apollon the deliverer from plague.
Apollon Paian, Paiêôn or Paiôn, Apollon the healing, is the physician of the Olympian gods. The epithet Paian was later inherited by Asklepios, the god who had the power of healing.
Apollon Oulios, Apollon of sound health, can grant you good health and Apollon Akesios, Apollon of Healing, will cure you when you are sick. But Apollon also shares his gifts with his children:
Chiron (or Kheiron) was a son of Kronos, best known as the mentor of countless Greek heroes. Apollon raised him as his foster son and taught the young centaur the art of medicine, herbs, music, archery, hunting, gymnastics and prophecy. Chiron invented medicine and surgery.
Chiron mentored his foster brother Asklepios, a mortal son of Apollon: “In one stride Apollon was there, and seized the babe [Asklepios] from the dead maid [Koronis]. Then he took the child to Chiron, that he teach him to be a healer for mankind of all their maladies and ills.”
And Chiron “nursed gentle Asklepios, that craftsman of new health for weary limbs and banisher of pain, the godlike healer of mortal sickness.” “The centaur was delighted with that child of heavenly stock, his honourable charge.”
Asklepios went on to surpass his mentor, restoring the dead to life. Zeus feared that men might learn the art of medicine from Asklepios and help each other out, so he hit him with a thunderbolt. Apollon in grief and rage slew the Kyklopes who designed his father’s thunderbolts.
As punishment, Apollon was given in servitude to Admetos, the King of Thessaly. But seeing his son’s pain, Zeus brought Asklepios back from the realm of Hades and made him an immortal god, the patron of all doctors and the god of medicine. He was soon worshipped all over Greece.
Asklepios got married to Epione, goddess of the soothing of pain. Together they have five children, the Asklepiades: Hygeia (Good Health), Panakeia (Cure-All), Iaso (Healing), Aigle (Radiance), and Akeso (Curing).
Papa Apollon and foster brother Chiron are so happy for him!
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