| Panacea | |
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_cropped_detail.jpg) Statue of Panacea in theArchaeological Museum of Dion. | |
| Abode | Mount Olympus |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Asclepius andEpione |
| Siblings | Aceso,Aegle,Aratus,Hygieia,Iaso,Machaon,Podalirius,Telesphoros |
InGreek mythology andreligion,Panacea (GreekΠανάκεια,Panakeia), agoddess of universal remedy, was the daughter ofAsclepius andEpione.
Panacea and her four sisters each performed a facet ofApollo's art:[1]
Panacea also had four brothers:
However, portrayals of the family were not always consistent; Panacea and her sisters each at times appear as Asclepius' wife instead.[2]
Panacea may have been an independent goddess before being absorbed into the Asclepius myth.[1]
Panacea traditionally had apoultice orpotion with which she healed the sick.[citation needed] This brought about the concept of thepanacea in medicine, a substance with the alleged property of curing all diseases. The term "panacea" has also come into figurative use as meaning "something used to solve all problems".[3]
The opening of theHippocratic Oath mentions Panacea along with Hygieia:[4]
Ὄμνυμι Ἀπόλλωνα ἰητρὸν καὶ Ἀσκληπιὸν καὶ Ὑγείαν καὶ Πανάκειαν καὶ θεοὺς πάντας τε καὶ πάσας ἵστορας ποιεύμενος ἐπιτελέα ποιήσειν κατὰ δύναμιν καὶ κρίσιν ἐμὴν ὅρκον τόνδε καὶ ξυγγραφὴν τήνδε.
I swear, calling upon Apollo the physician and Asclepius, Hygeia and Panacea and all the gods and goddesses as witnesses, that I will fulfill this oath and this contract according to my ability and judgment.
A river inThrace/Moesia took its name from the goddess, and is still known in modern Bulgaria as the river Zlatna Panega ("Golden Panega", from Greek πανάκεια,panakeia).
[...] Asclepius can hardly be thought of without his feminine companions, his wife and daughters. There were Epione (the gentle one), Hygeia, Panacea, Iaso, and others, each of whom was at times wife and at other times daughter.
The dictionary definition ofpanacea at Wiktionary| International | |
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