Health deities

These deities or gods are related with healing, health and well-being. They are also associated with maintaining good health and preventing or curing illnesses, diseases and afflictions.


Aceso - goddess of the healing process. She was represented as the one responsible for healing wounds and curing illnesses. It was believed that she was a daughter of Asclepius and Epione.

Aegle - goddess of radiant good health. She was a daughter of Asclepius and Epione and an attendant of her father.

Asclepius - god of medicine and healing. A son of Apollo and Coronis was raised by the centaur called Chiron, after Hermes cut him from her mother's body while she was already aflame. Throughout his boyhood and early manhood he perfected his skills in medicine to the point where he was able to restore life from death. He was later destroyed by Zeus' thunderbolt because this was a crime against natural order. After his death, he was placed among stars as the constellation Ophiochus.

Epione - goddess of the soothing of pain. She was a wife of Asclepius and a mother of Aceso, Hygieia, Iaso and Panacea.

Hygieia - goddess of cleanliness and good health. She was a daughter of Asclepius and Epione and, when needed, served her father as an attendant. She was also noted as a companion of Aphrodite. Hygieia was also associated with rather preventive than curative when it came to dealing with diseases and illnesses. In other words, she took good care of hygiene and maintained good health and therefore didn't have to deal with any of the afflictions.

Iaso - goddess of recuperation from illness. She was also a goddess of cures, remedies and practices of healing. Unlike her sister Hygieia, she showed up when health was compromised and restored it.

Paeon - physician of the Olympian gods. He was mainly occupied during wars, when he was healing their wounds and injuries caused by other deities.

Panacea - goddess of universal remedy. She was a daughter of Asclepius and Epione and served her father as an attendant.