BIRTH OF MEDICINE

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Ophiuchus, the constellation -

  Apollo who’s the god of medicine, music and mathematics after the fall of his son Phaeton, falls in love with the princess named Coronis from Thessalian kingdom of Phlegyantis. They seems to be happy with each other and she bears a child of Apollo’s. Everyone thinks that female mortals would desire for having a god as their partner and that would be their utmost delight but it’s not entirely true, mortals may have simpler desires. In this case, Coronis attracts to a mortal man, Ischys and cheats on Apollo by being with him. This news be sooner heard by Apollo through his crows (which are initially in white colour). After knowing the news, Apollo who’s angry and devastated at the same time goes to her sister Armetis (goddess of the hunt) and asks her to take revenge on Coronis. Armetis listens to her brother’s plea and throws arrows of plague towards them. Coronis falls ill with plague as if she’s soon going to die. Apollo’s crows pass the information of her position. Then Apollo asks the crows if she apologized or confessed something. The crows says with glee that Coronis said “I deserve my fate, tell the great god Apollo that I ask no forgiveness and beg no pity, only save the life of our child. Ha! Ha! Ha!”. Angry Apollo turns the crows to black. From then all the crows, ravens and rooks be in black color. Apollo visits Coronis who’s lying dead in the funeral pyre surrounded by flames, cuts her stomach and saves their child. Apollo names the child as Asclepius.

  Asclepius inherits his father’s abilities and has remarkable talent in the field of medicine and has a natural gift for healing. He heals a bruised snake by applying an ointment which's prepared by him. Athena (goddess of wisdom and war) to whom snakes were sacred, gifts a jar of Gorgon’s blood to Asclepius. Eventually, he marries Epione. Epione means 'soothing' or 'relief from pain' in Greek. They’ll have four daughters Panacea (which means ‘cure all’), Hygieia (literally means ‘hygiene’), Aceso and Iaso. Asclepius becomes very famous in the mediterranean area for his talents towards medicine. He literally brings dead people back to life by using the serpent’s blood which's gifted by Athena. He uses the potion very often and there won't be any dead soul in his presence. By observing all this, Hades (god of the hell) complaints about it to Zeus. Zeus who’s ferocious by that news, sends a thunderbolt towards Asclepius. Asclepius who gets hit by the thunderbolt dies right at the very moment. After hearing the news, everyone will be devastated and Apollo, after the fall of his yet another son be so vexed and kills three cyclopes which makes him get kicked out of Olympus. Asclepius will be later raised to heavens as the constellation Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer. 


                                                                       curing a baby in the temple of Asclepius

Reference picture - Pinterest
Reference book - Mythos by Stephen Fry

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