#asclepius statue

[reno-matagot]

Asclepius • Museum of Epidaurus

[gingerbredman1989]

A majestic white marble statue of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine.

[qxuiara]

eternity deserves it idk what yall are talking about they're an asshole

[ukdamo]

Today's Flickr photo with the most hits: Asclepius, in the archaeological museum of Antalya (statue from the ancient city of Perge).

[greatdenimbeast]

Diamond Castle au- introducing, Shadow, Muse of History, Astrology and Astronomy

Once a mortal in ancient Greece, moulded from clay by an inventor and brought to life by the blood of a god, he spent his years caring for his ill sister, Maria. Doing his best to assist his creator in finding a cure. Since the blood of god ran through his veins and, seeing that his existence was a miracle in of itself, it stood to reason that he could be the miracle that helped save her

Cuz he was quite literally born yesterday, his sister loved to tell him stories about historic events, tales of gods and heroes to teach him about the world and how it cane to be. She was a damn good storyteller too, always leaving Shadow craving for more.

His favourites were the ones related to the stars, the constellations, so much so that Gerald noticed and taught him how to properly chart them

Maria wasn’t allowed to leave the house, her grandfather fearing that the elements would be too much for her and that often made her sunny demeanour dull and, looking to cheer her up, he did his best to find ways to brighten her mood until found one that worked

He entertained his bed-ridden sister with tales of history, of old dead heroes, of gods, of prophecies, things that he had picked up from local traders and travellers when he was out running errands for Gerald.

Maria was enthralled by them, hanging off of his every word

“The island of Crete truly holds such a monster?”

“It’s travellers gossip, but who’s to truly say.”

He wasn’t as good of a storyteller as she was but he did keep record of every story he could, and Maria loved it so that was all that mattered

As Maria got worse, Shadow started praying and giving offerings to the god Asclepius and the god Apollo, he doubted they would come to his aid but if there was a chance they could help he wanted to be sure.

But it was getting harder to cure her, some of the medicinal herbs they needed grew far off and the merchants that brought them to the markets to sell them kept marking up the prices out of greed. So Shadow, who had been blessed with inhuman speed, was sent off to pick the herbs himself, allowing him the opportunity to venture and see more of the world and bring back more stories, even making a few of his own, slaying a few monsters on the the way

The soldiers for the nearby king didn’t make it easier, tormenting the people for laughs, outright stealing, sometimes outright killing people when they refused to cave to their demands. Gerald was always being pulled away from his work for a cure to craft machines and statues for the king, the only reason the soldiers were unable to harm him or Maria when he refused was because of Shadow being there to protect them.

This became an issue when the king decided that he wanted Shadow

Soldiers stormed the house and workshop, taking the inventor prisoner, dragging him away to the castle and as Shadow tries to get Maria to safety she pushes him out of the way of blade and gets stabbed through her stomach

Shadow blacks out.

When he comes back, his hands are covered in blood, the bodies of dead soldiers litter the floor, his ears are ringing.

The only other breathing Shadow could hear besides his own was the shaky, laboured breaths of his older sister

He rushed to her side and examined her, the wound was deep, too deep. He tried his beat to clean up the blood but he could barely see what he was doing past his own tears. As he did he prayed, to his other father, to Apollo, to any god that would listen, to please save his sister, to not let her die

Then Maria’s hand squeezing his stopped him

“Sh…Shadow… o-one more story…”

“Maria please, please, i have to treat this, I won’t let you die, i won’t let you, i can’t let you die!”

“One…one m-more… please?”

“…okay… okay, one more story.”

So he shakily told her a story, about the fabled diamond castle, the birthplace of music, home to the museum of music. He struggled to remember parts of the story but Maria shakily helped him fill in the blanks

Then as the story concluded, Apollo made his presence known and applauded the two on how exemplary their storytelling was. It turns out Shadow has gained Apollo’s attention for a while, ever since he started praying to him and he had an offer for him

He wanted him to be his muse, an inspiration, a god. Initially Shadow wanted to refuse until Maria winced and coughed in his arms, then he got an idea

“…Lord Apollo I will accept this honour on one condition, that you heal my sister of her wounds and her ailment so that she may live as freely as she wishes.”

Apollo accepted these terms and gave Shadow, ambrosia (the food of the gods). It burned away his mortality and left him a god

And Apollo fulfilled his part of the deal, healing his sister, and did Shadow one better by turning Maria immortal so that she may be Shadow’s attendant to assist him in his duties before whisking them both off to the diamond castle

50 years later Shadow meets the next muse

[shakespeareanlizard]

You know how renaissance artists took inspiration from Greco-Roman art and everyone thereafter took inspiration from Renaissance artists?

I’m not saying someone found an ancient statue of the death of Asclepius and used it as a reference for a pietà, but that’s totally what happened.

Pietà by Michaelangelo

Pietà by Annibale Carracci

Pietà by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Pietà by Arnold Böcklin

[marigoldstars78]

Dungeon Meshi Greek Mythology Au (except its ideas from a pedantic nerd who's too into minor deities)

Laios:

- Reincarnation of Typhon, but completely unaware of it. Golden boy who's obsessed with the legends of greek monsters doesn't realize he's technically one of them and is also kinda fated to destroy the gods...

Falin:

- Historian who, whilst trying to document multiple monsters in the local area with her brother, accidentally gets a greek dragon killed. Much like Cadmus, she gets partially turned into one. Laios is trying to find her a cure.

Marcille (couldn't decide which one i liked more):

- Claims she's the daughter of Poseidon, but seems oddly in tune with necromancy magic and old magic. Turns out, she really is a daughter of Poseidon! Just, a former incarnation of him. A REALLY REALLY old one. Mycenaean Poseidon. I.e. back when he was an UNDERWORLD god. This also makes Marcille old as hell, tho she never shows it.

OR

- Spark of flame from the fire Prometheus stole. Filled with an insatiable hunger for knowledge that leads her to getting into issues with researching forbidden topics. This also makes Marcille old as HELL, lol.

OR

- Pupil to Asclepius, being pursued by the Furies for some reason and as such is constantly running about greece.

Of course, all versions are instantly obsessed with Falin's case, lol.

Kabru (Oh, I definitely COULDN'T pick a good one for Kabru):

- Son of Nemesis. Takes pride in gathering the secrets and reporting hubristic mortals to his mom, until he learns the secret behind Laios' origins and now has to desperately HIDE that secret from his mom.

OR

- Long-Time descendent of Odysseus, but took all the wrong lessons from his journey. Now wants his own personal tale to give himself a bit of glory. Just as clever and ruthless as his ancestor, but "modern" life has mellowed his personality a bit. Sees Laios' and Falin's plight as a chance for his own odyssey.

OR

- Son of Aphrodite, but specifically her aspect as the spartan war god. Incredibly good looking but also incredibly shrewd in combat. Feels a deep fear of Laios for some reason while Laios feels a deep obsession for Kabru, and these conflicting feelings make them absolutely obsessed with each other.

OR

- Undead soldier from the Trojan war... on the side of the Trojans. As such, not the biggest fan of current greece and the status quo. Sees Laios as a chance to upend everything and get a little bit of payback for the wrongdoings all those years ago, but Laios much rather doesn't want to pursue all this Typhon stuff Kabru keeps talking about and much rather wants to spend time with him :D

As you can see, Kabru is still very much obsessed with Laios.

[apiswitchcraft]

altars for greek heroes

ACHILLES: hero of the Trojan war, son of nereid Thetis

Colors: gold/bronze, red for Trojan War. blue, white for his mother Thetis

Offerings: yarrow, gold/silver, shells, gull feathers, olive, laurel, gemstones

Crystals: aquamarine, sodalite, jaspers (red, yellow, ocean especially)

*to honor Achilles you must also honor Patroclus*

PATROCLUS: hero of the Trojan war, son of Argonaut Menoetius

Colors: gold/bronze, red for war. purple for royal birth

Offerings: incense/fire, oil, olive, laurel, gemstones, gold/silver

Crystals: agates (moss, tree especially), amethyst, lepidolite, rose quartz, citrine

ADONIS: lover of Aphrodite, became god of rebirth and beauty

Colors: pink, purple, red for beauty and association with Aphrodite

Offerings: fast growing plants (lettuce, fennel, barley, wheat), anemone and other flowers, dead plants, cake, honey

Crystals: flower agate, rose quartz, amethyst, rutilated quartz, jaspers (specifically rainforest or other green ones)

ARIADNE: helped Theseus to defeat the Minotaur, later married Dionysus and became goddess of labyrinths

Colors: gold for noble birth. purple for association with Dionysus

Offerings: grapes, puzzle toys, spools of thread or fabric art, wine, herbal tea, saffron

Crystals: grape agate, celestite, star jasper, pyrite, amethyst, scolectite, selenite

ASCLEPIUS: god of healing, son of Apollo

Colors: yellow, white for association with Apollo. red, pink, orange for healing

Offerings: snake skin, clay/bronze humanoid figurines, cypress, pine, olive trees, medicinal herbs

Crystals: quartz, rhodonite, amethyst, fluorite, selenite, citrine

ATALANTA: one of the Argonauts, devotee of Artemis, killed the Calydonian boar

Colors: brown, green for the hunt. white, blue, grey for association with Artemis

Offerings: pork, boar hide, apples, laurel, forgeables, lion/bear imagery

Crystals: jaspers, moss/tree agate, petrified wood, amethyst, rose quartz, selenite

CASTOR AND POLLUX: Pollux was a son of Zeus who shared his immortality Castor, they were turned into the Gemini constellation, saviors of seafarers

Colors: purple for noble birth. white and grey for association with zeus. black for the night sky

Offerings: shells, laurel, olive, meat, wine, two things conjoined (like two cherries or two grapes on a vine)

Crystals: star and ocean jaspers, sodalite, aquamarine, obsidian, hematite

HERAKLES: went mad and killed his wife and kids, did 12 labors as penance, god of strength and heroes

Colors: red, gold for strength and heroes

Offerings: hellebore, olive, laurel, meat, alcohol, yarrow

Crystals: bloodstone, carnelian, garnet, red jasper, smokey quartz, pyrite

HYACINTHUS: Spartan prince and lover of Apollo, became god of vegetation

Colors: pink, yellow, green for vegetation. yellow/gold for association with apollo

Offerings: iris (they were called hyacinths by the Greeks) and other flowers, grain, yarrow, clove

Crystals: tree/moss/flower agate, jaspers (especially bumblebee), citrine, carnelian, pyrite, honey calcite, amber

ODYSSEUS: clever hero of Homer's "The Odyssey," favored by Athena

Colors: gold, purple for royal status. grey, white for wisdom

Offerings: owl feathers, shells, boat imagery, poetry/speeches, laurel, olive, cypress

Crystals: jaspers, obsidian, quartz, aquamarine, turquoise, sodalite, bloodstone

ORION: lover of Artemis, was turned into a constellation after death. Sirius is his dog and Scorpius the scorpion that slayed him

Colors: black, white for night. brown, green for the hunt

Offerings: forageables, apples, hides/leather, mugwort, cypress, moon shaped items

Crystals: star jasper, bloodstone, selenite, celestite, howlite

ORPHEUS: son of Apollo, famed musician and poet of the Argonauts, travelled to Haides to try to save his wife Eurydice

Colors: yellow, gold, white for Apollo. black for the Underworld

Offerings: music (especially lyre), poetry, hymns, honey, laurel, wine, meats

Crystals: aventurine, obsidian, black tourmaline, smokey quartz, selenite, yellow jasper, honey calcite

PERSEUS: son of Zeus, slayer of Medusa, has a constellation

Colors: gold and red for hero status. white, grey, blue for association with Zeus

Offerings: meat, laurel, snake shed, alcohol, fruit, honey, milk (to honor his mother Danae)

Crystals: jaspers (red, star especially), bloodstone, serpentine, quartz, obsidian

THESEUS: slayer of the Minotaur, united Attica, completed six trials for the entrances to the Underworld that he passed on the way to Athens

Colors: blues for ocean, being a son of Poseidon (in some stories)

Offerings: ship imagery, meat, olive, yarrow, gold

Crystals: pyrite, sodalite, lapis lazuli, coral, blue aventurine, aquamarine

[superkooku]

I just found out they’re statues where apollo appears more feminine and I’m automatically like

YASSS, WORK THAT DRESS, WORK IT, SHOW THE HATERS

LMAOOO 😂😂😂

Trueeee 🤣. You're so right and you should say it. I mean, look at THIS :

And then there are the other depictions reminding us that Apollo is, in fact, a man 😂 :

A man who always strikes the pose, but still a very manly man.

Seriously, look at some of his other depictions because some of them are really cool

Apollo giving us some concerts. Look at his nice lil' bun and toga on the first. And the second looks like he's actually playing his music on a decorated stage.

This is my favorite. Look at this diva ! Riding his swan, ready to give Marsyas the worst defeat he has ever known.

The whole Delian family looking fabulous (left to right : Leto, Artemis, Apollo, Asteria).

Here's another one of Leto and her twins being stylish :

And while we're looking at Artemis :

How Artemis is often depicted : menacingly holding her bow and arrow

How Apollo is often depicted : strikes a pose with his lyre

I love both of them so much.

Another comparison that I already mentioned but still find funny is this one :

Apollo looking way younger than his own son will never not be funny🤣🤣. Even when deified. Imagine, out of context, this middle-aged man pointing to that pretty boy posing with a lyre being like : "This is my father". Lol

Why does Asclepius still look older than his father even without the beard 🤣🤣.

Also, the fact that Apollo was never portrayed with a beard despite the fact that other youthful deities like Hermes or Dionysus sometimes are, is remarkable. I'd say it's because he represents young men in general, whereas all the others mentioned don't.

To conclude : Apollo statues are a vibe and I want an adaptation depicting Apollo in any of these poses ASAP (especially the swan).

[acesw]

The statues in Apeiron's Hall of Truth are real statues

In Apeiron's Hall of Truth, there are 5 sculptures that are laid out along the walls of the room. While looking around, I found that the statues happened to be ones you can find in real life.

I was able to identify 3 of the 5 sculptures, but the two sculptures on the far left are currently left unidentified since it was too dark to be able to image search them properly.

Though, I want to focus on the sculptures that I was able to find information on. Let's get started.

These 3 statues were identified to be from the Schönbrunn Garden, a palace garden located in Vienna, Austria (surprising, I know). In the Great Parterre area of the garden, there are 32 statues depicting various Greco-Roman mythological deities and virtues. These 3 are no different.

Asclepius, Greek God of Healing and Medicine (Veit Königer)

Asclepius is most known for the rod that he holds, wrapped by a snake (a sacred animal who held wisdom, healing, and resurrection) who granted him secret knowledge in exchange of kindness. The rod—similar to Hermes' caduceus by design—is the most iconic and used symbol for medicine and healing today.

Gaius Mucius Scaevola, Roman Youth Figure (Johann Martin Fischer)

Mucius here is most known for his willpower during the Roman-Etruscan wars. "Scaevola" is a term/cognomen that means "left-handed." The name was given to Mucius after he willingly placed his right hand over an open flame when he was held captive and threatened for execution by Clusian King Lars Porsena.

Porsena let him go after finding that the young man (and by extension, the young Romans) was more than willing to hurt himself if it meant that Rome would reign victorious over Clusium.

Flora, Roman God of Spring and Flowers (Johann Wilhelm Beyer)

She was a well-celebrated minor goddess in Roman mythology, and was also one of the many deities that signified youth and fertility given the nature of springtime. The Floralia is a ancient Roman festival that celebrated Flora with drinking, flowers, and entertainments. She has a temple that was established in 238 BCE.

Note: At one point, I mistook the statue for the Flora Farnese, one of the many statues part of the collection of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (later Pope Paul III). I found that Flora had her own statue in the gardens as well a bit later.

The Unidentified Sculptures

There are two other sculptures that are currently left unidentified because the area was too dark and thus leaving too much room for pixelation of the images when it came to cropping them.

There are a couple of notes that can be considered if you wish to find them:

The first sculpture has a beard, and holds the cloth wrapped around his waist. The cloth also seeps to be wrapped around his shoulder.

The second statue is of a clean-shaven man with very loose clothing. He has his right arm raised while also having an animal by his side.

Neither of them are sculptures from the garden. Trust me, I already went through each image of the article more than once.

Here's the sculptures but under a brighter light despite there being less details.

A close match I could get from the second statue would be that of Bacchus by Georg Pfründt, but it's not quite as close as I'd like it to be.

Anyways, these are just some observations I wanted to note down. I spent way too many hours trying to find the two sculptures. Thanks for reading and have fun if you want to try to search for the unidentified statues.

[gingermintpepper]

As usual I read your tags always and so you said Apollo did not ask for resurrection of Asclepius and Hyacinthus so i just wanted to share this. About Asclepius death I read it on theoi.com, that earlier authors don't make him resurrect as a god but that's a later development mentioned only by Roman authors like Cicero, Hyginus and Ovid. But still Apollo has a role in Ovid's version

Ovid, Fasti 6. 735 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : Clymenus [Haides] and Clotho resent the threads of life respun and death's royal rights diminished. Jove [Zeus] feared the precedent and aimed his thunderbolt at the man who employed excessive art. Phoebus [Apollon], you whined. He is a god; smile at your father, who, for your sake, undoes his prohibitions [i.e. when he obtains immortality for Asklepios].

So here it is actually because of Apollo the decision was taken to resurrect him as god. And with Hyacinthus, I don't think I've read about Artemis playing the primary role. I know in Sparta there was a picture of Artemis, Athena and Aphrodite carrying Hyacinthus and his sister to heaven.

This is not on theoi.com but I saw on Tumblr it's from Dionysiaca by Nonnus

Second, my lord Oiagros wove a winding lay, as the father of Orpheus who has the Muse his boon companion. Only a couple of verses he sang, a ditty of Phoibos, clearspoken in few words after some Amyclaian style: Apollo brought to life again his longhaired Hyacinthos: Staphylos will be made to live for aye by Dionysos.

So since he is singing inspired by amyclean stories it probably means in that place it was believed Apollo was the one to bring back his lover to life.

Apollo as god of order was very important so i think it shows how special these people (and admetus too) were to him that he decided to go against the order for them 🥺

ANON!! Shakes you like a bottle of ramune!! BELOVED ANON!!!!! I'm littering your face with kisses, I'm anointing you with olive oil and honey - you absolutely made my night with this because, not only did I get the pure serotonin shot of having someone interact with my tags (yippee, wahoo!!) I also got to have that wonderful feeling of "oh wow, have I misunderstood something that was integral to my understanding of this myth/figure this whole time or is this a case of interpretational differences?" which is imo vital for my aims and interests as someone who enjoys mythological content and literature.

I'll preface my response with this: Hyacinthus is by far the hardest of these to get accounts for because his revival itself, as you very astutely point out, is generally accounted for in painting/ritual format which muddies the waters on who interceded for what. I wasn't actually familiar with that passage from the Argonautica - and certainly didn't remember it so thank you very much for bringing it to my attention!

That said, what I've come to understand, both about Hyacinthus and about Asclepius is that in the accounts of their deaths, Apollo's position is startlingly clear.

For Hyacinthus, it is established time and again that Apollo would have sacrificed everything for him - his status, his power, his very own immortality and divinity. Ovid writes that Apollo would have installed him as a god if only he had the time:

(Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book X. trans. Johnston)

Many other writers too speak of how Apollo abandoned his lyre and his seat at Delphi to spend his days with Hyacinthus, but they also all agree that when it came to his death - he was powerless. Ovid gives that graphic account of Apollo's desperation as he tries all his healing arts to save him to no avail:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book X. Apollo me boy, methinks him dead. trans Johnston)

Bion, in one of his fragments, writes that Apollo was "dumb" upon seeing Hyacinthus' agony:

(Bion, The Bucolic Poets. Fragment XI. trans Edmonds)

Even Nonnus in the Dionysiaca speaks constantly of Apollo's helplessness in the face of Hyacinthus' fate where he writes that the god still shivers if a westward wind blows upon an iris:

and when Zephyros breathed through the flowery garden, Apollo turned a quick eye upon his young darling, his yearning never satisfied; if he saw the plant beaten by the breezes, he remembered the quoit, and trembled for fear the wind, so jealous once about the boy, might hate him even in a leaf...

(Nonnus, Dionysiaca, Book 3. trans Rouse)

And the point here is just that - Apollo, at least as far as I've read, cannot avert someone's death. He simply can't. Once they're already dead - once Fate has cut their string - all Apollo's power is gone and he can do nothing no matter how much he wants to. And this is, as far as I know, supported with the accounts of Asclepius as well!

Since you specifically brought up Ovid's account, I'll also stick only to Ovid's account but in Metamorphoses when we get Ovid's version of Coronis' demise, he writes that Apollo intensely and immediately regrets slaughtering Coronis. He regrets it so intensely that he, like he does with Hyacinthus, does his best to resuscitate her:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo's regret)

And like Hyacinthus, when it becomes clear that what has happened cannot be undone, Apollo wails:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo wept.)

Unlike his mother, Asclepius in her womb had not yet died and so, with the last of Apollo's strength, he does manage, at least, to save him.

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo puts the 'tearing out' in Asclepius.)

But it goes further than even that because Ocyrhoe, Chiron's daughter, a prophetess who unduly gained the ability to directly proclaim the secrets of the Fates, upon seeing the baby Asclepius, immediately prophesies his glory, his inevitable death and then his fated ascension:

(Ovid. Metamorphoses, Book Two. Ocyrhoe's prophecy. trans Johnston)

Before she too succumbs to her hubris and is transformed by the Fates into a horse so she can no longer speak secrets that aren't hers to share.

These things ultimately are important because it establishes two very important things: 1) Apollo can't do anything in the face of the ultimate Fate of mortals, which is, of course, death and 2) even when Apollo is Actively Devastated, regretful, yearning, mournful, guilty or some unholy combination of all of the above, when someone is dead, he accepts that they are gone. Even if he is devastated by it, even if he'll cry all the rest of his days about it - if they're dead? Apollo lets them go. In Fasti, when Zeus brings Asclepius back, he does not say Apollo asked him to - Zeus, or well, in this case Jove, brings Asclepius back because he wants Apollo to stop being mad at him.

(Ovid, Fasti VI. Apollo please come home your father misses you. trans. A.S Kline)

Even Boyle's translation which you used above in your findings hints that Zeus made Asclepius a god because he wanted Apollo to stop grieving. (i.e 'smile at your father', 'for your sake [he] undoes his prohibitions')

And like, Apollo was deeply upset by Asclepius' death - apart from killing the Cyclops in anger, in book 4 of the Argonautica, Apollonius writes that the Celts believe the stream of Eridanus to be the tears Apollo shed over the death of Asclepius when he left for Hyperborea after being chastised by Zeus for killing his Cyclops:

But the Celts have attached this story to them, that these are the tears of Leto's son, Apollo, that are borne along by the eddies, the countless tears that he shed aforetime when he came to the sacred race of the Hyperboreans and left shining heaven at the chiding of his father, being in wrath concerning his son whom divine Coronis bare in bright Lacereia at the mouth of Amyrus.

It all paints a very clear picture to me. Apollo did not ask for either of them to be brought back. Though bringing them back certainly pleased and delighted him, they are actions of other gods who are moved by Apollo's grief and mourning and seek to mollify him. Him not asking doesn't mean he didn't want them back which I think is a very important distinction by the by, but it simply means that Apollo knows the natural order of things and, even if it hurts, he isn't going to press his luck about it.

Which, of course, brings us to Admetus. And I'm really not going to overcomplicate this, Admetus is different because, very vitally, Admetus is not dead. Apollo can't do a thing once Fate has been carried out and Death has claimed a mortal but you know what he absolutely can do? Bargain like hell with the Fates before that point of inevitability. And that's what he does, ultimately for Admetus and Alcestis. He sought to prolong Admetus' life, not revive him from death or absolve him from death altogether and even after getting the Fates drunk, he's still only able to organise a sacrifice - a life for a life - something completely contingent on whether some other mortal would be willing to die in Admetus' place and not at all controllable by Apollo's own power.

All of these things, I think come back to that point you made - that Apollo's place as a god of order is very important and therefore these people are very special to him if it means he's willing to go against that order but, I also wish to challenge that opinion if you'd let me. Apollo's place as a god of order is very important and therefore, I would argue, that it is even more important that it is shown that he does not break the divine order, especially for the people that mean the most to him. The original context of my comments which started this conversation were on this lovely, lovely post by @hyacinthusmemorial which contemplated upon Asclepius from the perspective of an Emergency Medical personnel and included, in their tags, the very poignant lines "there's something about Apollo letting go when Asclepius couldn't that eats my heart away" and "you do what you can, you do your best, but you don't ever reach too far" and I think that's perfectly embodied with the Apollo-Asclepius dichotomy. Apollo grieves. He wails, he cries, he does his best each and every time to save that which is precious to him but he does not curse their nature, he does not resent that they are human and ultimately, he accepts that that which is mortal must inevitably die. There is nothing that so saliently proves that those who uphold rules are also their most staunch followers - if Apollo wants to delight in his place as Fate's mouthpiece, he cannot undo Fate. And, if even the god of healing and order himself cannot undo death, what right does Asclepius, mortal as he is, talented as he is, have to disrespect it?

The beauty of these stories isn't that Apollo loved them enough to bring them back. The beauty is that Apollo loved them enough to let them go.

[duck-bond]

Worship Guide for Apollo

Important info

Myths:

His birth

Hyacinthus

Admetus

Trojan War

Contest with Pan

Daphne (laurel tree)

Invention of the lyre

Why crows are black

Domains:

Light

Poetry

Music & arts

Plague

Healing

The Sun

Knowledge

Prophecy

Archery

Protection of the young

Family:

Leto & Zeus (parents)

Artemis (sister)

Any of Zeus' kids (half-siblings)

Asclepius, Eurydice, Hector, Orpheus + MANY others that I cba to put here (children)

Symbols:

Lyre

Laurel wreath

Bow & arrows

The sun

Crows/ravens

Pythons/snakes

Wolves

Dolphins

Celebrations:

Actia

Apellai

Boedromia

Daphnephoria

Delia

Delphinia

Hyakinthia

Metageitnia

Pyanopsia

Thargelia

Beltane

Litha

Lughnasadh

Samhain

Yule

Associations

Bands/artists:

The Beatles

Bruno Mars

Harry Styles

Taylor Swift

Chappell Roan

Wham!/George Michael

Sabrina Carpenter

Others:

Sunrises

Crows

When I get a sudden inexplicable burst of motivation

CDs, cassettes, records

Dolphins

The colours yellow, orange, gold, white, purple

Sunflowers

Lemons & oranges

These are things that I personally associate him with, it's fine if you don't.

Offerings

Food:

Honey/honey cakes

Orange & lemon sweets/pastries

Herbal teas

Breads

Fruits

Cheeses

Milk

Olive oil

Orange juice/drinks

Lemonade

Others:

Sun water (can drink it if you use bottled/filtered water to make it)

Images or art of the sun

Aloe vera

Plasters/bandages (clean)

Hand sanitizer

Guitar/stringed instruments

Sunflowers

Golden objects (for example I have this cool gold tarot card but you can include altar/trinket dishes, flakes of gold, whatever as long as its gold)

Concert tickets

Dolphin imagery/toys/art

Laurel wreaths/leaves/tree branches

Golden jewellery

Jewellery with his symbols

Bow & arrows (real/toy/art of them)

Wolf imagery/toys/art

Clothing with his symbols on

Divination items

Poetry/music you've written

LGBTQ+ flags

Images of birds (particularly crows/ravens/swans)

His tarot cards

Wheat

Yellow/orange/white gemstones

Feathers

Frankincense/myrrh incense

Flowers (buttercups, crocus, dandelion, daffodil, gladiolus, hyacinth, morning glory, marigold, peony, pansy, sunflower)

Prayer beads

Playlist with songs that remind you of him

Statue of him

Candles in his colours

Artwork of him

If you're uncomfortable with throwing food offerings away, you can eat them in his honour.

Devotional Acts

Donate to medical charities

Support indie artists

Sing to him

Play instruments for him (particularly stringed instruments)

Listen to his playlist

Try archery

Try to wake up early (to see the sunrise)

Attend pride

Wear his colours

Take care of mental health

Read/write poetry

Try different types of divination

Speak to him often

Dance for him

Go for a walk on a sunny day

Learn simple medical care

Learn to play new instruments/songs/how to sing

Let sunlight into your home/room more

What he can help with

Motivation

Recovering from illness/injuries

Help with musical performances

These are things that he helps me with, but there are a lot of other things that he can help with that I haven't put here.

Inspiration

Help in school

The associations are things that I personally associate him with. Some other things that I do are crafts like keychains, bracelets, earrings and I paint clothes for the deities I worship (I also make stuff for them in Minecraft). But really, anything will do if you think he'll appreciate it: like most gods, he probably will. So if you can't get some of these offerings, that's fine!

Also, most of these came from @twelfthremedy, so it you want more worship ideas, go to them!

[anotheroceanid]

Just art of Perse and her kids. Statues of her holding a newly saved Astyanax titled "the goddess' mercy". Paintings of her with her and Odysseus' daughter playing under the sun, paintings of her holding Asclepius after he was entrusted to her care, her and Lupa with Remus and Romulus

Her paintings with Odysseus would SLAP. “Friendship & Loyalty” oil on canvas 😭😭😭😭

[ardentrob]

TAROT INSPIRED POKEMON "The Lovers"

Picking up this series again with the intent to finish it. More art/info under the cut! (There's also a Youtube video if you'd prefer to hear me chat about 'em in my dulcet tones ❤)

________________________________________________________ A quick intro to this shindig: This project is about taking tarot cards (specifically the Major Arcana) and interpreting their meanings and symbolism into a Pokemon/Fakemon line. Today's Arcana is The Lovers! Based off of the Pamela Colman Smith art in the RWT, the card seems to play a lot off of Relationships and Duality:

The artwork depicts several examples of """opposites""" at play: Masculine and Feminine (The two humans), Impulsivity and Deliberation (Tree of Life/Tree of Knowledge), Conscious and Subconscious (Humans/Angel; Earth/Heavens) These conflicts, these dual forces, are representative of our own struggles internally and externally: It's not that one side should win or reign over the other, but that Both can and should find Balance; Harmony. Balance your inner conflicts and stand firm on what you Will and Won't tolerate. With that in mind, I decided to take those notes and use the snake present in the scenario as base for the line: While this whole scene is a very apparent reference to the Garden of Eden, I wanted to play a more sympathetic angle for the line since we already have a few more "villainous" serpents in the canon Pokedex.

Panaceasp (Panacea + Asp) JP: Hebii (蛇 (へび; Hebi; Snake) + 医 (い; I; Doctor)

Our first stage takes inspiration from the Rod of Asclepius: The motif of opposing forces works really well when we apply it to Medicine, since "the dose makes the poison", and Grass and Poison often represent Healing and Withering respectively. The intention with this one was to portray a creature out of balance: Its pose is errant and unevenly wound around its mobility aid, with one eye open and the other shut.

For Moveset: This little guy gets a signature move! Painkiller is, for all intents and purposes, a Poison type version of Pollen Puff: Damages opponents, heals allies in a Double battle. Beyond that, Panaceasp mixes strong attacking options with a bunch of useful Status moves, capable of inflicting Confusion, Toxic, and Paralysis while also keeping its own teammates healthy and status free. When traded to another player with High Friendship, Panaceasp evolves into:

Emissymm (Emissary + Symmetry) JP: Shishatai (使者 (ししゃ; Shisha; Envoy/Emissary) + 対 (たい; Tai- from 対称; たいしょう; Symmetry/Second Person)

The final stage of this line takes us from Asclepius to Hermes; from Rod to Caduceus; from Cane to Crook (or crozier!) Unlike the rod of asclepius, the caduceus is used erroneously as a symbol of medicine and healthcare. It is actually more a symbol of negotiation, used to represent commerce and trade more appropriately than medicine. According to Greek myth however, the staff of hermes was said to possess the ability to revive the dead and bring the dying a gentle repose, so it's a tangential fit for the initial medicine theme. More importantly, the caduceus is also a great symbol for balance and harmony; It's even featured on the Two of Cups Minor Arcana, which shares quite a few themes the Lovers as a whole! In this case we're presenting it as a two-headed winged serpent, where it relies on being "fully balanced" to even function properly.

Regarding its Moveset, we expand and replace a couple of its Level-Up options: Upon evolving it loses Shed Tail in exchange for Pain Split, and nabs some tasty new support options like Revival Blessing, Perish Song, and Wide Guard. While you have Leaf Storm + Contrary to take on a more sweeper-type role, there's some fun cheese to be had with the ability otherwise: Skill Swap contrary to a teammate and boost them with Strength Sap (or Feather Dance), run Scale Shot for a Trick Room team, etc. Beyond its moves, Emissymm replaces Shed Skin for Synchronize: Not the best ability trade-off, but since you're immune to Poison/Toxic, being able to threaten the return of a Burn or Paralysis is a decent defensive option to have in your pocket. Its Liquid Ooze ability also becomes a bit of a cheeky joke, as the caduceus is also used to represent the element Mercury, which is quite poisonous to ingest. (This is also why Emissymm gets access to Steel-type coverage à la Flash Cannon!)

Finally, a full-body view of the shiny palettes. Since I took some inspiration from alchemy regarding Emissymm's biology, I thought I could bring it all back around by going with a White/Red colour scheme, in reference to Rebis, or "Dual Matter"; The union of the Red King and White Queen; The ultimate reconciliation of opposing energies. Anyhow! That's it for now. I'm thinking of taking a swing at Strength next, but I suppose we'll see!

[stalkerofthegods]

Asclepius deep dive

Herbs •milkweed (tuberosa or "Pleurisy root".), bay leaves, and any herbs used in the medical field. 

Animals• snakes (most importantly the Aesculapian snake), dogs, goats, crow/ravens (depending on the myth), 

constellation• Ophiochus

Colors • yellow, white (association with Apollo), red, pink, and orange for healing

Crystal• quartz, rhodonite, amethyst, fluorite, selenite, citrine

Symbols• his staff of a rod with a snake on it. 

can wear in their honor• a medical badge, scrubs, a necklace, or a ring with their symbol on it

Diety of• medicine, healing, health

Patron of• doctors, nurses, medicinal practices, sterilizing objects (ex-cleaning dishes with hot water, cleaning surgical equipment), cleaning, and sickness, wells (believed to have healing properties).

Offerings• snake skin (especially from the Aesculapian snake), pills, disregarded pills, health objects (inhaler, a prescribed messager), PRESCRIBED or LEGAL weed (((often used to calm the mind/soul))), animal phallus/and or roosters ((I couldn’t tell which)) (...cocks were sacrificed to Asclepius if they survived their illness), goat meat (goats were sacrificed to Asclepius if they survived their illness), your pill bottles, he loves statues, he loves clay/bronze humanoid figurines, he loves anything hand made, vitamins, meat, milk, honey, wine, candle, stuffed animal snake, Anti-inflammatory soup 

Devotional• washing hands, washing clothes/sheets, taking your pills, voluntary work for the sick, helping dementia paitents, helping old people, helping disabled people, taking medical classes (nurse/doctor college, etc), taking CPR classes, teaching others about CPR, donating to nurses/doctors, helping teach about mental health, helping others seek help, get a therapist license, put up mental health posters, help mental health groups, help donate to the homeless/unfortunate, take care of snakes, help animals get care, help donate to those who need medical help, learn about the Aesculapian snake, take care of an Aesculapian snake, take care of snakes, learn about snakes and their habitats, learn about his research, learn about his children and wife (Epione and their children Hygeia, Iaso, Aceso, Aglaea, Panacea, Machaon, Podalirius, Telesphoros, Aratus), worship his children and his wife, take care of dogs, volunteer at a dog shelter, help people adopt dogs, help fundraisers for dogs, help homeless dogs, help people learn about the proper care of dogs, suport vets, help vets, learn the veternaran pratice, helping those in the mental insututions, helping those learn how to safely self-harm, donate to programs who try to stop self-harm, donate to the self help/sucide hotlines, work at sucide hotlines and programs, do self-help yoga and self-help animal yoga (goat, dog, cat yoga), learn how to resserect people (cpr, mouth to mouth, electrocution), help people gain acess to food and water, taking ur medicane, learning medicane, learning medicinal herbs, learn about toxicology, learn about posions, learn about cures, learn about how to treat posions, taking vitamins, giving ur animals their mediciane, drink herbal teas, use heating pads for cramps, go and get regular doctor visits, exercise, take breaks from screens, eat three meals a day, maintain a good sleep schedule, engage in relaxing activity’s, practice coping skills, spend time with loved ones and animals, take a shower especially with herbal steamers, learn anatomy, grow your own herbs/produce, play surgery games/board games.

Ephithets• Aesculapius/Esculapius/Asclepius- Aesculapius is the Roman name for Asklipiós, Aglaópis/aglaopes/Ἀγλαόπης/ΑΓΛΑΟΠΗΣ- Aglaópais is an epithet of Asklipiós in Lakohnía, Aglaopes - See Aglaópis. Agnítas/αγνίτας/ΑΓΝΙΤΑΣ- Agnítas is an epithet of Asklipiós from a wooden statue of the God in Sparta, Archagetas - See Arkhayǽtas, Arkhayǽtas/archagetas/ἀρχαγέτας/ΑΡΧΑΓΕΤΑΣ- founder which is an epithet of Asklipiós from Phohkís, Asclepius - See Asklipiós, Asklipiós/Asclepius/Ἀσκληπιός/ΑΣΚΛΗΠΙΟΣ- Asklipiós is the principal name of the God, the great physician and son of Apóllohn, Asclepius - See Asklipiós, Aulonius - See Avlohníos, Avlohníos/Aulonius/Αὐλωνίος/ΑΥΛΩΝΙΟΣ- Avlohníos is an epithet of Asklipiós from the valley of Avlón where stood a temple to the God, Caüsios - See Kaousíos, Coronides - See Koronídis, Cotylaeus - See Kotylǽohs, Demenetes - See Dimainǽtos, Dimainǽtos/Demenetes/Δημαινέτος/ΔΗΜΑΙΝΕΤΟΣ- Dimainǽtos is a name of Asklipiós, after Dimainǽtis who founded a temple to the God near the river Alpheiós, Êpios - See Ípios, Esculapius - Esculapius is the Roman name for Asklipiós, Esplace - Esplace is the Etruscan name for Asklipiós, Gortýnios/Gortynius/Γορτύνιος/ΓΟΡΤΥΝΙΟΣ- Gortýnios is a name of Asklipiós used at a temple dedicated to him at Titáni in Sikyóhnia, Gortynius - See Gortýnios, Hagnitas - See Agnítas, Iatrós/jatros/ἰατρὸς/ΙΑΤΡΟΣ- meaning one who heals, physician or surgeon, Ípios/epios/ἴπιος/ΗΠΙΟΣ- gentle, kind, Kaousíos/Caüsios/Καουσίος/ΚΑΟΥΣΙΟΣ- Asklipiós was called Kaousíos after the village Kaous, Koronídis/Coronides/Κορωνίδης/ΚΟΡΩΝΙΔΗΣ- an epithet of Asklipiós after his mother Korohnís, Kotylǽohs/cotylaeus/κοτυλέως/ΚΟΤΥΛΕΩΣ/κοτυλεύς.- Kotylǽohs (of the hip-joint) (The temple was built by Iraklís in gratitude for being healed of a wound in the hip-joint, damaged in a contest with Ippokóöhn and his sons.), Kýros/cyrus/κῦρος, ΚΥΡΟΣ- meaning the supreme authority, Paián/Παιάν/ΠΑΙΑΝ - Paean or Paeon, the physician of the Gods, Paidós/paidos/παιδός/ΠΑΙΔΟΣ- Paidós meaning Boy, Philólaos/philolaus/φιλόλαος/ΦΙΛΟΛΑΟΣ - loving the people, Philolaus - See Philólaos, Phoebigena/Lat- Phoebigena is an epithet of Asklipiós meaning son Apollo also meaning "shining" + "γέννα " "birth," which means "born of Apóllohn.", Pyrphóros/πυρφόρος/ΠΥΡΦΟΡΟΣ- fire-bearing, especially of lightning, Salutifer Puer/Lat- meaning health-bearing boy, Sohtír/soter/σωτήρ/ΣΩΤΗΡ- savior (after a safe voyage offered sacrifice to Ζeus, the third cup of wine was dedicated to drinking beacuse this cup became a symbol of good luck, and the third time came to mean the lucky time; and Zeus was himself called τρίτος σ (epith. of other Gods, as of Apollo; of Hermes; of Asclepios; of the Dioscuri), Triccaeus - See Trikkaios, Trikkaios/Triccaeus/Τρικκαίος/ΤΡΙΚΚΑΙΟΣ- a name he was called in a temple in Mæssinía 

Equivalents• Etruscan- Vejovis, Roman- Aesculapius, Egyptian- Imhotep, Phoenician- Eshmun

Signs of them reaching out• seeing his symbol, seeing non-venomous snakes, having a sudden interest in medical care.

Vows/omans• marriage vows to his wife, to keep the secrets of medicine secret (all his priestesses took this vow as well)

Morals• Morally good and kind 

Courting• Epione

Past lovers• Aristodama

Personality• Asclepius is said in mythos (illiad, etc) to be a kind god and gentle (seen in epithets), he seems to be more gentle to man-kind due to originally being human himself and then turned into a god. 

Home• mount Olympus 

Mortal or immortal • immortal (was originally a hero and when was killed by a lightning bolt, he was worshiped as a changed god or as a constellation)

Fact• He was originally called Hepius but received his popular name of Asclepius after he cured Ascles (ruler of Epidaurus who suffered a terminal infection in his eyes.), Asclepius is often regarded as Paean the other healing god.

Curses• dying under a physician’s care, taking a long time to heal, being very unhealthy. 

Blessings• healing fast, being healthy. 

Roots• Tricca (modern Trikala city in Thessaly Greece).

Friends• Artemis, Apollo, Ares. 

Parentage• Apollo and Coronis

Siblings• reference to Apollos children here as half-siblings 

Pet• the Aesculapian snake

Children• Hygieia (Goddess of health, cleanliness, and hygiene), Panacea (Universal remedy), Aceso (The healing process), Iaso (Recuperation from illness), Aegle (Radiant good health), Machaon (Famous physician), Podalirius (Famous physician)

Appearance in astral or gen• A broad man with curly hair and a full beard with a cloak covering one breast and waist down wearing sandals with a rod of one snake.

Festivals •Asklepia, Epidauria

Status• A hero changed into a god when he was hit by a lightning strike by Zeus but it was also said he was changed into a constellation by Zeus from Apollo begging his father to change his son into the constellation called "Ophiochus"

What angers them• insulting them and their family, being disrespectful, insulting doctors and medical professionals, hitting dogs, being unhygienic on purpose 

Music they like• I couldn’t find any devotional playlists but he would probably like those waiting room songs in the doctors office.

Remind me of• Apollo, cough medicine, being hurt, yellow, the sun, snake plushies from the zoo, white bedding, blue

Scents/Inscene • mrryth, franksense

Prayers• 

1. Healing- (Raise bread and wine/water) O Asklepios, son of noble Apollo,

hear our prayer, father of surgeons.

Released from a mortal womb by your noble father and imbued with the great healing knowledge of Kheiron, your skill in medicine across broad Earth and in the heavens is without equal, Glowing one. Ophiokhos, Serpent-Holder, healer of the gods,

Grace us with your gifts and send dreams

that restore and guide us and reveal the

mysteries of life and well-being. With your kind-hearted daughter Hygieia, heal those who are sick among us, our children, parents, spouses and partners and all those whom we hold dear [and especially the mortal known as __________]. Grant them a quick and uneventful recovery. Soothe their bodies and calm their spirits that they may enjoy a long and full life and return to honoring the gods. And we shall honor you with bloodless offerings and sing your praises at all our feasts. - Original prayer by Melissa Gold, inspired by Chris Aldridge

2. Healing- Kind Asklepios, son of far-shooting Apollo,

first of physicians, swiftest of healers, trusted

mender of broken men and women, through you do the lame walk, the sick renew their good health; through you are wounds healed, bones knit, and illness burnt away; by your goodness and might do we regain joy in our lives. Asklepios, friend of mankind, I pray to you, I seek your favor. May I be healed of this affliction, may I recover through and through, may vigor and vitality return to me. Asklepios, compassionate one, learned one, resourceful one, I ask your blessing. - https://greekpagan.com/2011/02/20/prayer-to-asklepios-for-healing/

2. Before surgery- Bright Asklepios, father of physicians, provider of health and healing to men, giver of wisdom and craft to those

who attend the ill and the injured:

Asklepios, as I entrust my life and my well-being to those who do your will, make steady the hands of the surgeon, make keen her eye and her wit, grant to her all knowledge and skill required for your work. Asklepios, friend of mankind, grant to me the strength and resilience to recover from all wounds and return to full good health. - https://greekpagan.com/category/prayers-2/asclepius/

Links/websites/sources •https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepius, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paean_(god), https://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Asklepios.html, https://www.worldhistory.org/Asclepius/ https://www.hellenicgods.org/asclepius-the-epithets

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24370674/ https://www.tumblr.com/khaire-traveler https://www.tumblr.com/themodernwitchsguide, https://www.hellenion.org/festivals/asklepia/ https://www.hellenion.org/festivals/epidauria/https://www.hellenion.org/rituals-and-practices/prayer-to-asklepios-for-the-sick/ https://greekpagan.com/2011/02/20/prayer-to-asklepios-for-healing/ https://greekpagan.com/category/prayers-2/asclepius/

[tylermileslockett]

Each week we offer surprising and lesser known trivia facts about the selected mythic tale. So here we go! 7 fascinating facts you may or may not know 1. Semele's Tragic Fate: Before her transformation, Semele's excessive pride led to her demise, as she demanded to see Zeus in his full divine glory, resulting in her incineration.

2. Asclepius' Mortal Origins: Despite his divine status, Asclepius was originally a mortal son of the god Apollo and the mortal woman Coronis.

3. Asclepius' Healing Symbols: The snake wrapped around Asclepius' staff represents the cyclical nature of life and death, symbolizing the healing process.

4. Caduceus' Ancient Origins: The caduceus actually originated from ancient Mesopotamia as a symbol of peace and negotiation, not specifically associated with trade or communication.

5. Ganymede's Celestial Reward: As a reward for his service, Ganymede was placed among the stars as the constellation Aquarius.

6. Dioscuri Twins' Divine Bond: The Dioscuri twins were known for their unwavering loyalty and brotherly bond, often appearing together in myths and religious practices.

7. Leukothea's Tragic Past: Before her transformation, Leukothea was a mortal woman who was forced to sacrifice herself to save her brother from drowning.