This article contains lore based on real-life sources of the Greek mythology as introduced from the God of War Greek era.
“ | Asclepius? The God of Healing? | ” |
Asclepius (Greek: Ἀσκληπιός) is the Olympian God of Healing and Medicine and a son of Apollo.
In Greek Mythology[]
Asclepius (pronounced /æsˈkliːpiəs/; Greek Ἀσκληπιός Asklēpiós [askliːpiós]; Latin Aesculapius) is the god of medicine and healing in ancient Greek religion. Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters are Hygieia ("Hygiene"), Iaso ("Medicine"), Aceso ("Healing"), Aglæa/Ægle ("Healthy Glow"), and Panacea ("Universal Remedy"). The rod of Asclepius, a snake-entwined staff, remains a symbol of medicine today, although sometimes the caduceus, or staff with two snakes, is mistakenly used instead. He was associated with the Roman/Etruscan god Vediovis. He was one of Apollo's sons. Asclepius was killed by Zeus' thunderbolt in mythology, with one of the reasons being the fact Asclepius was able to bring the dead back to life, something that Hades was unhappy with.
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. 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. 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. Phoenician tradition maintains that Asclepius was born of Apollo without any woman involved. 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. In yet another version, Coronis who was already pregnant with Apollo's child, had to accompany her father to Peloponnesos. She had kept her pregnancy hidden from her father. In Epidaurus, she bore a son and exposed him on a mountain called Tittheion (from τίτθη "wet nurse", τιτθεύω "to suckle, breastfeed"). The child was given milk by one of the goats that pastured about the mountain, and was guarded by the watch-dog of the herd. Aresthanas, the owner of goats and the guard dogs found the child. As he came near, he saw lightning that flashed from the child, and thinking of it to be a sign of the divine, he left the child alone. Asclepius was later taken by Apollo. According to Strabo and other traditions, the birthplace of Asclepius is considered to be Tricca (modern Trikala city in Thessaly).
In God of War Comics[]
Asclepius is the god of medicine and the creator of Ambrosia, which is the cure to everything, that Kratos is, yet again, desperately searching for. The search takes Kratos to the Spire of Asclepius. Asclepius himself never appeared in the comics.
Powers and Abilities[]
- He presumably possesses the standard powers of a god.
- Vitakinesis: As the god of medicine, Asclepius can manipulate and modify a person's anatomy, as well as restore the injured to near-instantaneous health.
Trivia[]
- There is a labor with his name in the Multiplayer of God of War: Ascension. The "Health of Asclepius" is completed when the player receives a "100 Green Orb Fountain Fills".
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