Asclepius emerged as a bit of a mystery early on. Apollo fell in love with the mortal woman Coronis (daughter of King Phlegyas of Thessaly). While she was in the family way, she either had an affair with or married Ischys. A crow flew to tell Apollo, but word had already arrived. In a moment of rage, he turned the white feathers of the crow black and they remain that way to this day. But, I digress. Depending on which story you believe, either Apollo, mad with rage (and jealousy I presume) killed Coronis, or Artemis killed her with an arrow to avenge Apollo’s pride. It has also been questioned as to whether Coronis was killed just before or just after Asclepius was born. Most of the elders agree that Coronis died before he was born. While the funeral pyre was being built, his grief-stricken father performed the first Caesarian surgery to save Asclepius.
Asclepius began his wonderful healing and medicine practices under the watchful eye of the centaur Chiron. He excelled in healing and became a great surgeon. His skill is testified to by the many whom have benefited from his healing powers. Some of the more famous include Heraieus of Mytliline, whose bald head will no longer be seen. After having his head anointed while sleeping at Epidaurus, (Asclepius’ most famous shrine), he now has a full head of hair! Hermodikos of Lampsakos suffered a far worse ailment, having an abcess in his chest and paralysis of his arms. He too was healed at Epidaurus. A final story is that of Hermon the Thasion. Asclepius cured his blindness, but he did not leave the customary offering representing the healed body part. Asclepius returned his blindness until he revisited and spent another night at the shrine.
Epidaurus was a beautiful place for healing to occur. Snakes were an important part of the healing rituals. They were often left in the shrine overnight, and many people saw snakes in their healing dreams. In remembrance of Asclepius and his great works, the new medical association set about making plans to use his symbol, the serpent coiled around a resting staff, as the basis for the emblem of their association and profession. However the caduceus they chose to use is actually the magic wand of Hermes.
It was rumored that Asclepius had the power to cure, the power to raise the dead, and the power to bring about death. Athena had given Asclepius two separate vials of blood from the Gorgon. The blood from the left side was a deadly poison, whereas the blood from the right side could be used to perform miraculous healing. In fact, he used this wondrous potion to raise the dead on several occasions. But in helping Artemis on such an occasion he offended his grandfather Zeus, which lead to his demise.
Even though the final results of the investigation into his death have not been released, there appears to be two main viewpoints on exactly what happened. The stories seem to agree that Artemis asked Asclepius to resurrect one of her favorites Hippolytus. Then the conflict begins. Some witnesses say that Hades was becoming fearful of losing clients and appealed to Zeus to do something about it. However, other witnesses state that Asclepius took money for raising Hippolytus from the dead, which offended Zeus. All witnesses agree that Zeus was extremely upset and struck Asclepius down with one of his thunderbolts. However, there is some confusion about the fate of Hippolytus: some believe he was stricken down by the same thunderbolt, while others believe he was left alone.
Asclepius’ legacy will live on for a long while. His healing centers will be closed so everyone can attend memorial services on Wednesday, but will remain open to continue his good work through his status of a god. There is some irony in his death. If it is determined that he was born a god, it will make Asclepius the first god to die a mortal death. Some say it is fitting for the god of healing to be the only god to die.
Asclepius is survived by his father Apollo, grandfather Zeus, aunt Artemis, and his children. Some say he has five daughters, Aceso, Iaso, Panacea, Aglaea and Hygieia. Others tell of his two sons, Machaon and Podalirius. His life was full of awesome events, yet shrouded with mystery as to the truths in his personal life.