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Episode 155: Greek Deities
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Welcome back, Witches! 🔮 This week, we’re lighting the sacred flame and stepping into the healing halls of Mount Olympus as we explore Hestia and Asclepius—goddess of the hearth and god of medicine. We’re diving into the divine energies of home, healing, and wholeness, and how these deities still influence spiritual and wellness practices today. From the comforting warmth of Hestia’s eternal flame to the ancient wisdom of Asclepius’s staff, we’re unpacking their myths, symbols, and the magic they carry. So get in losers, grab your tea, cozy up, and let’s rekindle the sacred within. 🕯️🌿
We would be forever thankful if you left our podcast a 5-Star review. If you really loved the show and want more Get in Loser content, check out our Supercast & Buy Me a Coffee links below. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @GetinWitches, on TikTok @weredoingwitchcraft, or email us at weredoingwitchcraft@gmail.com. You can support our show through our links below.
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Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio- The Witch
References:
- Greek Gods and Goddesses (n.d.). Hestia. Greek Gods & Goddesses. https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/hestia/
- Greek Mythology.com (n.d.). Hestia: Greek Goddess of the Hearth. Greek Mythology.com. https://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Hestia/hestia.html
- Ask.Com(2025). Rituals and Worship: How Ancient Greeks Honored Hestia in Their Daily Lives. https://www.ask.com/news/rituals-worship-ancient-greeks-honored-hestia-daily-lives
- Paranormal (2022). Hestia Goddess of the Hearth and 10 Ways to Work with her. Otherworldly Oracle. https://otherworldlyoracle.com/hestia-goddess-of-the-hearth/
- Atsma, Aaron J. Asklepios. (2017) Theoi Project. https://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Asklepios.html#Summary
- Isakov, Noah. On Healing Powers: Asclepius, Caduceus, and Antibodies. Asclepius Med Case Rep 2018; 1(1); 1-4
- Youtube: Kings and Things. Asclepius: The Greek God of Medicine https://youtu.be/A14ewB4-L5E?si=oM3iZXsDjdZmUytl
ALMTTeachings. Asclepius: The Greek God of Medicine- Discover the Healing Secrets. https://youtu.be/sMNgNQQTKFQ?si=hsikkxw5B49PNf3B
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Transcript
Introduction to Witchcraft Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you feel drawn to learn more about witchcraft and the occult but feel lost on where to start? Then welcome to Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft, a podcast all about what it means to be a witch and where to get started on your journey.
00:00:11
Speaker
Join us as we navigate through various witchy topics and share what we've learned about the craft.
Nail Polish Regrets and Preferences
00:00:15
Speaker
So get in witches for another deity episode from ancient Greece.
00:00:36
Speaker
So
Nail Salon Experiences in Japan vs. U.S.
00:00:46
Speaker
So i got my nails done um or you know, redone recently. And I am like kind of hardcore regretting decision. Oh, no.
00:00:58
Speaker
First, okay. for They do an amazing job, right? I was like, I'm going to do like a – I love like an ombre nail situation. Usually I do it to where it's kind of like a French ombre-like thing. So it's kind natural.
00:01:14
Speaker
Or I do black. Like those are my two colors that I always choose. This time I was like, oh, you know what would be so cool if I did like a different color? I just got there and I was like, I'm going to do brown.
00:01:28
Speaker
Not realizing that actually – It kind of looks like – I mean, Mike – okay, so Mike pointed this out. He said, it looks like you shit. And then you got shit on the tips of your fingers. Tips of your nails.
00:01:41
Speaker
And now I can't unsee it. Like, it looks great. They did a job. Yeah, was to say, it looks really good, though. – But is different color. should have gone a different color. Brown for sure. It a different a third Yeah, i should have gone with a – that is a third brown situation.
00:01:57
Speaker
And now I have these on my nails for like two weeks. Oh, no. Cute for me. And I'm teaching this week. So it's like – you're like – And I use my hands a lot. And people are
Dog Interruptions During Recording
00:02:08
Speaker
going to be like, does she have shit on her fingers?
00:02:11
Speaker
No. No. I promise I don't. I made poor life choices in choosing colors. Yeah. Yeah. Because a full brown nail would have probably been really cute. Yeah. I mean, it looks good. It's it's just the color.
00:02:25
Speaker
yeah The shade. yeah I should have done – and I even asked her, i said, do you think brown would look good? And she's like, yeah. No. You should have done like a like an espresso situation. Yeah.
00:02:38
Speaker
I should have done black is what I should have. went and I was like, I'm going to do black because that would have been cool. But with like – I was thinking if I did black though – I was like, it would be cool if it did like black and then blended into like a tan color, like a light tan color something like that. That would be cute.
00:02:55
Speaker
You know what? Whatever. It is what it is.
Celebrating Beltane and Other Sabbats
00:02:57
Speaker
That's what I get for branching out and trying something new. Poop nails. Yeah, poop nails. So there's that. I never get my nails done because I'm too hard on them.
00:03:09
Speaker
It would be like wasted money. Yeah. I literally – nail – has like a scuff in it oh ow yeah well i just that's me anthony asked me do you ever like want to do that and i'm like do you want me to and he's like no i just feel like if you want to get your nails done like go get them done and i'm like no but Yeah.
00:03:33
Speaker
A literal waste of money. I would break one immediately. but yeah I feel like anywhere else in the world, it is a waste of money. Yeah. Here in Japan, it's so cheap. Yeah. And they do such an amazing job where it's like, I would be an idiot not to get understood. Not to. Yeah.
00:03:51
Speaker
Like how I look at it because like they do – Like even whenever we went back to the States, I got my nails done twice in the States and both times I regretted it immediately because they did not do a good job and they didn't even like do anything with my cuticles. Like they did not prep my nail the way they were supposed to. And so like here they actually take the time, do all of the things. And it's like,
00:04:14
Speaker
40 bucks. Yeah. And it's just like in the States, I would be close to $100 what get done. Which is wild. It's insane. Wild yeah how expensive it is. Which like, you know, make your money.
00:04:27
Speaker
but also like I will not be paying it. Exactly. I mean, like if I was in, if I got, cause I know, you know, obviously things are just more expensive in the States regardless. Yeah. But if I was able to go to a nail tech who actually did a really, really good job like they do here, I wouldn't mind paying a little bit more for my nails, but considering it's shit.
00:04:52
Speaker
No. Yeah. I won't, I won't, no. Yeah. So I won't be doing that in the States or anywhere else. Rune right out the door. I can see a the little shadow.
00:05:04
Speaker
I heard his little tippy tappers. Yeah. His like little tippies. And then he's like under the door. Mom, I smell you. I know you're in there. know you're there. Mom, let me in.
00:05:16
Speaker
Please. Before you got on here, he was like trying to crawl in my lap in my chair. And I'm like, you are a 90 pound dog. like Yeah. You do not fit in my lap in my desk chair. Yeah. He's like, just let me do it. He's like, I'm basically a teacup chihuahua.
00:05:34
Speaker
Literally. Just let me. He also laid on my head today. So that was a great way to wake up. lovely He came up snug and he just like flopped on my head. And I was like, was trying to like push out from underneath him. Anthony's just cracking up. And I'm like, what the hell, dude? Right? He just like curled up and was like immediately snores. And I'm like, really?
00:05:57
Speaker
My hair. Because that shit hurts whenever our animal like sits on your hair and you're like, oh my God. Yeah. Yeah. He was comfy though. I mean, yeah he immediately started snoring, so.
00:06:12
Speaker
Little turd. What a little cutie. He is. He's pretty precious, man. Cracks me up. This week is Beltane. Not this week, technically, but the the week that this is
Exploring Hestia: Goddess of the Hearth
00:06:23
Speaker
coming out.
00:06:25
Speaker
Yes. It's Beltane. Yeah. So happy belting, guys. Yeah. Send us your celebrations. Talk us in your pictures. You know? Yes. We tell you guys all the time. Send little things.
00:06:38
Speaker
We love seeing it. You never actually show us. I know. know. It doesn't mean we are never going to stop asking. No. Maybe one day. Yeah, just appease us with a picture. That's all I'm saying. That's all I'm saying. you know, because we're recording this way before Beltane, have no idea if we're doing anything.
00:07:00
Speaker
I'm sure we'll, like, do some kind of food or dessert or something, but. Yeah, I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I definitely want to do something to celebrate because I feel like this year – well, one of my goals this year was to make sure to tis to celebrate, do something for all of the Sabbaths that I want to celebrate.
00:07:20
Speaker
Whereas like last year and probably the year before as well, not going to lie, I did not do as much and I regretted it. Yeah. And I mean, it's fine. you know Obviously, you know we say this all the time too on the podcast – If you don't have the mental capacity you don't want to do it, like your everybody's practice is going to look different. Yeah. But I definitely felt guilty not doing as much. Right.
00:07:43
Speaker
ah recently and so trying to make more of an effort to focus on my craft. so i Last year I feel like was just crazy and I didn't have i didn't have the mental capacity to do like half like half of anything. So I was like – like I would just even forget. i'd be like, oh shit, yesterday was – like I wouldn't even realize it.
00:08:06
Speaker
And then the year before, you know weep pcs So we were prepping a house to sell, packing and organizing and purging and doing all the fun stuff that comes with the PCS, especially one overseas. and So like, I feel like I missed out on a lot.
00:08:22
Speaker
And so I've kind of like the same thing. I've been like, I need to do more because I want to. ah just, I have to plan it better because I forget so easy. here Yeah. I am the same way. Yeah. But this year we're going to be so much better at this. yeah At least we're going to try.
00:08:44
Speaker
We do our best. But we're not talking about our practice, our forgetfulness, celebrations. No. What are we talking about? We're not.
00:08:55
Speaker
We're talking about Greek deities again. So we are, I don't even know which installment this is on our deity episode, but And I love how I just like interchange deity and deity. It's fine. You can say it however you want to say it. It is what it is.
00:09:13
Speaker
um But yeah, so we are going to be going back to ancient Greece. Yeah. about I didn't even look at who you were talking about, but we're going be talking about Hestia. And then who are you talking about? Asclepius.
00:09:27
Speaker
Asclepius. Asclepius. So I'm really excited to learn more about that god. Mm-hmm. I was like, I don't even know this is. So this will be a surprise for me.
00:09:40
Speaker
but I was like, who am I talking about? I have forgotten. Yeah. Yes. Well, to start it off, I am going to talk about Hestia. So some background, history, some fun facts, all of the little things.
00:09:55
Speaker
Hestia rules over the hearth, the home, architecture, domesticity, family, and the state. The symbols associated with Hestia are the hearth and its fire and also the kettle.
00:10:09
Speaker
The sacred animal of Hestia is the pig. And the sacred plant is the chase tree. And I'm going to mention this a few times throughout the episode and because I didn't know what the chase tree or chase berries where I thought I'd include that here.
00:10:23
Speaker
The chase tree is a is native to the Mediterranean and parts of Asia. The fruit of the chase tree, the chase berry, is used in herbal medicine to balance hormones and to support reproductive health.
00:10:36
Speaker
And it can help to support the mood. And monks used it to reduce their libido, hence the name the chase berry. thought that was a little bit interesting because I had never heard of that before. Yeah.
00:10:49
Speaker
So Hestia's parents are Cronus and Rhea. She did not have any consorts or children. Her siblings included Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus.
00:11:02
Speaker
Her Roman name is Vesta. And there's some... There's some similarities between her and Vesta, and then there's a lot of differences as well, but that would be her Roman equivalent.
00:11:14
Speaker
She's one of the 12 Olympian deities, and her home was located in Delphi, Mount Olympus. So Hestia is the eldest child of Cronus and Rhea, as I mentioned, and her name means hearth or fireplace.
00:11:29
Speaker
Her status as a god shows how important the hearth was in the social and religious lives of the ancient Greeks. Fire was a sacred element of the home and making and preserving a fire was both essential and could be difficult to do during this time period.
00:11:44
Speaker
So that kind of leans more into the fact that she was like an everyday goddess to ancient Greeks. She is known to be peaceful and pure and always had the tendency to stay home and tend the fireplace.
00:11:58
Speaker
And so out of all of the gods and goddesses, Hestia is known as the gentlest and most mild. She is usually portrayed as a modest middle-aged woman wearing a veil and sometimes seen standing by a large fire, carrying a staff, or holding flowers in her hands.
00:12:15
Speaker
Now, as far as the myths and the lore surrounding Hestia, she isn't featured in many myths at all. However, her her influence permeates throughout the customs and values of not just ancient Greek society, but the Homeric society as well.
00:12:30
Speaker
And in both the Iliad and the Odyssey, the hearth is central to both epics. The hearth in both the Iliad and the Odyssey is seen as a source of warmth and nourishment and is seen as the heart of the household, where the gods are honored and familial bonds are reinforced.
00:12:47
Speaker
In Homer's epics, many of the practices of hospitality and sacrifice began and ended at the hearth. Guests were welcomed with rituals that honor the hearth and sacrifices to the gods often involved offerings to Hestia as well.
00:13:01
Speaker
And she is acknowledged as the first and last recipient of worship when that is given at the hearth. She is featured in works by poets like, i okay, I tried looking this up and the pronunciation was like, I'll pull up a door.
00:13:18
Speaker
And I was like, I'm sorry, come again. So I'm sorry, I'm going to butcher this, but Apollodorus, I believe is the name. um Also the poet Hesiod and Ovid.
00:13:31
Speaker
Plato also stated that the reason why Hestia was not featured in many myths or stories is because she was to remain at the house of the gods tending to the celestial fire.
00:13:42
Speaker
And additionally, her only manifestation among humans is said to be the crackling of fire. And Aristotle claimed that the crackling of fire is the sound of her laughter. oh I love that.
00:13:53
Speaker
ah love that. so yeah, because she isn't featured in many myths, there is a common misunderstanding that she was also a minor goddess and her importance is often underestimated.
00:14:04
Speaker
She is also mistakenly considered a passive or weak goddess because she is known to have a non-confrontational nature. And all of this is wrong. She was actually steadfast in her duties and was committed to peace and purity and serves as a reminder of the importance of warmth, comfort, and community.
00:14:22
Speaker
And as we know, in ancient Greece, things were a bit rapey in the myths and legends. But the only time that she was put in danger of being raped was at a rustic feast where she was sleeping and the drunken god of fertility, Priapus, tried to rape her.
00:14:38
Speaker
But a donkey started braying and woke up Hestia and the other guests at the feast who then chased away Priapus. Oh, I'm going to say that again. Who then chased away Priapus.
00:14:49
Speaker
After this, donkeys were allowed to rest and during Hestia's feast day and garlands were placed on their heads, which I thought was cute.
00:15:00
Speaker
So moving on to how ancient Greeks honored Hestia. In ancient Greece, each city had a public hearth that was sacred to Hestia and the fire lit there was never allowed to go out.
00:15:12
Speaker
New colonies would also take the fire from the hearth of the town hall known as the Shit, I forgot to look that up. Prytanian? That's what I would guess. is say Okay.
00:15:24
Speaker
Known as the Prytanian and keep the fires going in new locations. Also, the hearth in the sanctuary of Hestia at Olympia played a crucial role at the Olympic Games because this is where athletes would light their torches from Hestia's sacred flame and then carry them back to their home cities.
00:15:42
Speaker
And also, in every household, daily offerings were made to Hestia before meals began. So families would place a portion of the first food that they were eating to her by placing it in, on, or near the hearth.
00:15:55
Speaker
and children were accepted into the family by being presented at Hestia's hearth in each home, and this was thought to ensure the goddess's blessing. Hestia was also known as a virgin goddess, and although Apollo and Poseidon proposed marriage to Hestia, she requested to remain a maiden forever.
00:16:14
Speaker
The myth goes that she felt that if she chose between Apollo and Poseidon, whoever she chose would result in turmoil. So she requested of Zeus to remain a virgin forever. And because he saw that she was doing this to maintain order in place of marriage, he granted her the central place in the house and the first and richest portion of humans' divine offerings.
00:16:35
Speaker
um Yeah. So I mean, and also I feel like- Right, doing something good. And also I feel like this speaks to how this quiet power that she has where this self-control and power and how much she was respected throughout ancient Greece. I just love it. Yeah.
00:16:55
Speaker
Hestia had few significant temples and shrines dedicated to her because she presided over the hearth at the center of each home. So that was where she was honored. Additionally, as I mentioned, she was honored at the public hearth of each city as well as the altars of all of the gods.
Asclepius: Mythology and Medicine
00:17:12
Speaker
So there was also a festival called Hestia. So I don't know how to say this. I tried looking this up and did not find a pronunciation for this. But I am just going to, because it's like basically for those who are listening, it's Hestia with an EA at the end. So Hestia, I don't know.
00:17:31
Speaker
ah Whatever that is. Pestia. Pestia. It was a festival dedicated to honor her. And during this festival, communities would gather to celebrate her presence at public hearths, located, of course, in the communal spaces and in temples.
00:17:52
Speaker
In larger cities like Athens, priests and priestesses were appointed to oversee rituals dedicated to Hestia like this festival, and they also facilitated ceremonies to honor her and ensure her favor over different families and communities within the cities.
00:18:08
Speaker
And today in modern Greece, there are aspects of Hestia seen in how Greeks live their life. There is a lot of value placed on family gatherings around shared meals and a prioritization on connection and community bonding.
00:18:23
Speaker
So Hestia's calling cards, if you want to know if she's calling to you or maybe if she wants to work with you, there are many different things that can be tied back to her.
00:18:35
Speaker
So if you're a kitchen witch or you're learning to become one, this can be a calling card to work with Hestia. And this includes even baking bread or wanting to even learn how to bake bread.
00:18:47
Speaker
Additionally, you may see symbols on a regular basis, whether that be the hearth, the fireplace, fire, candlelight, or kettles. Any of these things can be her calling cards.
00:18:58
Speaker
Your home and your family might need protection and guidance. So if you're feeling that, that might be a calling card of hers to connect with her on a deeper level. um You may also hear her name repeatedly in passing conversations, or maybe you see her name appear in books, TV, online, or maybe even feeling drawn to listen to this episode of the podcast.
00:19:20
Speaker
Even just just generally feeling called to work with her. Maybe if you have a job working in the community and you need helper guidance, this could also be a sign that she's wanting to work with you. Maybe if you see pigs everywhere you go, that could also be a sign.
00:19:34
Speaker
And then lastly, if you are taking chasteberry as an herb in your health routine or are working with the chaseberry in your actual practice, this could be seen as a calling card for Hestia.
00:19:45
Speaker
So if you're wanting to work with Hestia, how can you begin working with her? First, as with every deity, if you want to work with them, do your research. Read and study whatever you can about this goddess, and also spend some time researching and studying kitchen witchery.
00:20:01
Speaker
Next, you want to dedicate a space for Hestia. She prefers a space in the kitchen if possible, but if that's not a possibility, including a space on your altar dedicated to her is fine as well. And you can even set up an altar for her above or near a fireplace.
00:20:16
Speaker
I will get into some correspondences and offerings soon, but for Hestia, she enjoys regular offerings from her devotees, and this can be as simple as offering her the first bite or sip of whatever you're making or leaving a cup of water or a cup of wine at her altar.
00:20:30
Speaker
Additionally, fire. Any fire ritual or cooking with fire appeases Hestia. She can be present in the kitchen, at the grill, the fire pit, or a fireplace. So during the winter, this could be as simple as keeping a fire going in your fireplace to honor her, dedicate your grill fire to Hestia, or maybe even keep a candle going while you are cooking or baking to honor her.
00:20:53
Speaker
Traditionally, Hestia's fire should never be allowed to burn out or be blown out. And that's not super realistic for you know fire safety and all that. um But um this can look like lighting a candle and then extinguishing it.
00:21:08
Speaker
but So lighting a candle at the beginning of a ritual and then extinguishing it at the end of the ritual. Additionally, cooking is an easy way to honor Hestia, and every time you cook, especially if you're a Hestia devotee, this is a way to honor her, and it's probably one of the easiest things you can do.
00:21:23
Speaker
Brewing tea, so charging your kettle, herbs, and teacups with Hestia's energy, and making a tea specifically created to honor Hestia, so whether that be researching the herbs and teas that ancient Greeks would have drank, or using some of her correspondences to guide you in crafting tea to honor her,
00:21:41
Speaker
And so like an example, if you're looking at maybe protection, warmth, calming, and maybe some herbs that provide more of a homey energy, this could be as simple as a tea containing chamomile, cinnamon, and rosemary with some honey and of course, hot water to make the tea.
00:22:00
Speaker
And it would could be something just as simple as that. And then as far as um protection, calling on Hestia for protection is a wonderful way to work with her because she's the watchful, protective virgin matriarch. And as her domain is the household and family, she's the perfect goddess to call upon if you're experiencing discord in your home or with your family and you are in need of protection.
00:22:23
Speaker
So as far as correspondences go, offerings, I'm going to go over some of the ancient offerings and some more modern day offerings because, you know, sometimes ancient offerings are not always something that we can do.
00:22:35
Speaker
But ancient offerings consisted of wine, oil, and portions of sacrificed animals. I would say maybe not sacrificed animals, but, you know, what do I know? i mean, maybe you could just do like meat from the butcher Yeah. so Or yeah something like that.
00:22:52
Speaker
Something like that could be your sacrificial animal. Animal like, every time we do deity episodes, I feel like that comes up so much. And I'm like, will not be sacrificing an animal. I'm sorry. Right. I'm not going to that.
00:23:05
Speaker
And then during her festival, Hestier whatever the hell it was called, offerings would consist of cakes made from wheat flour and so more modern day offerings. So this could be just pork in general, candlelight or fire,
00:23:19
Speaker
Wine and even engaging in the act of cooking, like i mentioned, or baking bread can be an offering for her. And then additional correspondences would include things like the herbs, chaseberry, rosemary, parsley, and basil, and then gemstones such as carnelian, garnet, goldstone, and yellow calcite.
00:23:40
Speaker
So I'm covering Asclepius. So just some like background and mythology. Asclepius, whose name translates to mean to cut open, is known as the god of medicine and doctors, as well as the patron god and reputed ancestor of an ancient guild of doctors known as the Asclepiades.
00:24:00
Speaker
And but majority of the members of the Asclepiades descended from Asclepius's two sons, Machon and Podolirius.
00:24:11
Speaker
I practiced that one multiple times when I was doing my notes. I was like, I'm going to mess this up. um But the thing about Asclepius is that he started out as a mortal human.
00:24:22
Speaker
His home was Mount Olympus, and his symbol was a serpent entwined staff that's known as the Rod of Asclepius. And this rod is the one that you see in the center of the star um on the emergency medical services badge.
Honoring Asclepius: Rituals and Sanctuaries
00:24:38
Speaker
is So the Rod of Asclepius is the dominant symbol for professional healthcare care associations today. His sacred animal was the snake, though sometimes mentioned were dogs and goats as well, and We'll figure out why later. And his closest relationships were to Hygeia, who sometimes is said to be his daughter in some stories and then other times is said to just be one of his closest friends.
00:25:02
Speaker
Iaso, Panachea, and I could not find out how to say this one, so I i could be butchering it, but Egil? Egil? Egil? Eglet?
00:25:13
Speaker
Don't know. There was not a pronunciation for this one. He is depicted as a kindly bearded man holding a serpent, entwined staff, and in art, he's often only depicted in statues, rarely in paintings.
00:25:28
Speaker
His wife was Epione, the goddess and the personification of the soothing of pain and the care needed in recovery. And their children were Makan and Podolarius, who I mentioned earlier, both of which were highly valued surgeons and medics.
00:25:44
Speaker
Both brothers also led an army for the Greeks in the Trojan War. And then Hippocrates, the father of medicine, is believed to have been produced by the Asclepiades,
00:25:54
Speaker
He had a daughter named Ayaso, was the goddess of recuperation from illness. And then Hygieia, again, sometimes she's said to be his daughter and sometimes she's said to have just been a good friend.
00:26:07
Speaker
But Hygieia is the goddess of health, cleanliness, and sanitation. he is the son of Apollo, known in Greece as Apollon, which got really confusing for me at first because none of it came up Apollo. It was all coming up as Apollon. And i was like, who is this one? And then it was like, oh, it's literally the same person.
00:26:25
Speaker
oh And the triccane princess, Coronis, who was mortal. And it's said that Coronis died before giving birth to Asclepius. But there's like several versions of this story.
00:26:36
Speaker
So let's talk about this. The first version is that she just passed during childbirth before the baby had made any progress out of the womb. And when Apollo laid her on the pyre, he cut the unborn child from her womb, which brings us full circle to how he got his name to mean to cut open.
00:26:53
Speaker
In the second, the story is that when Apollo met Cronus for the first time, he fell madly in love with her and immediately like had sex with her on the spot, impregnating her.
00:27:07
Speaker
Because Greek deities are wild. So Coronas' father advised her to stay with Apollo, but she decided that she preferred Canius, and she went off to live with him.
00:27:19
Speaker
And the story goes that a white raven carried the message to Apollo, who became so enraged at the news that he punished the raven by turning its feathers black, which...
00:27:30
Speaker
Weird flex, but okay. Like, why And then he goes and he kills Coronis and places her body on the funeral pyre. And before the flames consume her, he steals the child before, like, the fire actually catches And in another version of this story, it's not Apollo that kills Coronis, but rather his sister Artemis.
00:27:51
Speaker
But the biggest takeaway here is that in both of these versions, Apollo performs the world's very first C-section, fading Asclepius' future to be in medicine. Sometimes in these versions, Hermes is the one that saves the unborn Asclepius.
00:28:06
Speaker
And then in yet another version, because Coronas was ashamed of the illegitimacy of her child, she abandoned him to be raised by a goat and a dog. And that's why sometimes we see goats and dogs as his sacred animals.
00:28:18
Speaker
oh I really hope that that's not the story. I know. But in all of these stories, Apollo ends up with Asclepius. So instead of raising him, Apollo sends Asclepius to the centaurs where Chiron...
00:28:34
Speaker
raised him, teaching him to hunt, as well as instructing him in the art of medicine. And his medical talents were so strong that he was eventually able to bring the dead back to life.
00:28:45
Speaker
And remember, at this point, he's just a mortal human. Like, basically, this is the act that becomes his downfall. So restoring life back to the dead was seen as a crime because it went against the natural order.
00:28:57
Speaker
But also, because of course he did, Zeus feared that the humans would learn these skills from Asclepius. So it was for this crime that Zeus punished Asclepius to death by lightning bolt.
00:29:09
Speaker
And this apparently enraged Apollo. But knowing that he couldn't exactly stand toe to toe with Zeus, Apollo killed the Cyclops because they were the ones that designed Zeus's lightning bolt.
00:29:21
Speaker
So basically a bunch of nonsensical killing just because Zeus couldn't handle others like being great at something. So there's that. In terms of his resurrection powers, there's also several different stories about how he gained them.
00:29:35
Speaker
So in the first version, it's said that Athena gifted Asclepius with the blood of Medusa because it was believed that the blood from the veins in the right side of her body could be used for resurrection.
00:29:48
Speaker
In another version, Asclepius was commanded to bring Glaucus, who was king Minas' son, back to life. And when he couldn't, he was imprisoned until he could figure it out.
00:30:00
Speaker
So while in prison, he was like lost in thought, trying to figure out how he was going to restore Glaucus' life. And he was pacing and tapping his rod on the ground. And it said that a snake wandered too close and was killed when Asclepius like tapped his rod.
00:30:15
Speaker
And then the snake's snake friend brought this herb to the dead snake and brought him back to life. And the snake agreed to teach Asclepius the use of the herb of resurrection in exchange for some kindness, which is just precious. Like he just wanted some love from a little human.
00:30:31
Speaker
He's like, please give me love and I'll teach you how to use this like herb. So Asclepius was then able to restore life to Glaucus and then was released. In some versions, that's the end of the road for Asclepius and his resurrection powers.
00:30:44
Speaker
But in other versions, the word gets out and Asclepius was known to have resurrected several persons. And this is what angers Zeus. So many of the resurrected apparently were among Zeus's enemies that he himself had killed.
00:30:59
Speaker
And in yet another version, it was actually Hades that brought the wrath of Zeus to Asclepius after he complained to Zeus that the number of the dead had begun to diminish due to Asclepius bringing the dead back to life.
00:31:12
Speaker
So, like, people were just, like, leaving the underworld. And he was like, what the hell? so Right. Like, that's not how this is supposed to work. Yeah. And then Zeus is like, you know what? You're right. And then he goes and it kills Asclepius.
00:31:23
Speaker
But... So after his death, Asclepius was placed among the stars as the constellation of Pheochus, which is also known as the serpent holder. However, there's also another version that states that Apollo begged Zeus to bring Asclepius back as a god, which he surprisingly did.
00:31:42
Speaker
In antiquity, there were many temples dedicated to Asclepius all throughout Greece, And the cult of Asclepius eventually spread to Rome. These temples were always built in places that were seen as healthy places.
00:31:55
Speaker
So spaces like near wells that were believed to have healing powers. But the main place that Asclepius was worshipped was in the sanctuary Epidaurus. This sanctuary was dedicated strictly to healing deities and no one was allowed to die or be born on the grounds.
00:32:13
Speaker
Which, wild. Like, what if you go there and you have a heart attack? Right. Yeah. Someone have to like yeah you would run you out. Yeah. So um within the sanctuary, there's a large ivory statue of Asclepius with a dog and a snake on either side of him.
00:32:30
Speaker
And because snakes were sacred to Asclepius, there was a special type of tame snake within, like, kept within the sanctuary. But I couldn't find out, like, what snake it was, like, what breed of snake, I guess.
00:32:45
Speaker
But I did, however, find a source that stated that non-venomous rat snakes were often used in healing rituals, and And these were known as the Esculapian snakes.
00:32:57
Speaker
And they were allowed to crawl around freely in dormitories where the sick and injured slept. And I believe that these were probably the snakes that would have been used in the sanctuary because they were noted to have often been found on temple grounds that were dedicated to Asclepius or his lineage. But there wasn't like an actual source that said it was rat snakes in the temples.
00:33:19
Speaker
So right that's just my best guess. Many rituals have been held on the grounds that were all part of Asclepius' work. And the first was a healing ritual. While I couldn't find a full explanation, the closest that I found was in a YouTube video that shared it would start with a series of ritual baths and a cleansing diet for up to six days that was meant to purify the body.
00:33:42
Speaker
And it was known as catharsis. Once you're pure, you could be diagnosed and begin to receive prescriptions and And this was done through what was known as incubatio, or it was like a type of dream therapy, apparently.
00:33:55
Speaker
Patients were then led to a dormitory where they would be given hallucinogens and put into a hypnotic state to begin their dream journey where Asclepius or one of his children would come to them and reveal the remedy for their illness or disease.
00:34:10
Speaker
The cures usually involved specific diets or herbs, visits to the baths, the gymnasium. And should it be a more serious element that like required surgery, it would be performed on the grounds by skilled surgeons.
00:34:24
Speaker
And it was suggested that the person had to create a likeness of the area that needed to be removed from the body. And that would be hung in the surgical center and it would have like a little plaque with their name and like what it was that they did, what the illness was.
00:34:37
Speaker
And the cured were also told to make a sacrifice to the deity that took place in their healing. So whichever version came to them in their dream therapy. The sanctuary was sacred through the 3rd and 4th century BC, and it like continued to be utilized, but it was raided in 395 AD, it was shut down completely in 426 AD by Emperor Theodosius II, who decreed the closure of all pagan sites in Greece, where it was then converted to a Christian healing center, typical. Oh my god. Yeah, until it was destroyed by an earthquake in 551 AD, where it was abandoned for good.
00:35:16
Speaker
To work with Asclepius, there wasn't a lot of information on this. So should you want to work with Asclepius, you should spend time researching and reading about him, his work, his origin, his family, etc.
00:35:31
Speaker
While oftentimes it's easy to find correspondences for deity, I'm sorry to share that that's not the case here. So what we do know is that Asclepius' sacred animals were definitely snakes, sometimes dogs, and in one or two sources, goats.
00:35:45
Speaker
While it was not noted anywhere, my guess would be that working with healing herbs would be a great way to honor him or even bring him into your practice.
Working with Deities and Podcast Wrap-up
00:35:54
Speaker
He would also seem to be a great deity to work with if you are in a healthcare profession, be that a doctor, a nurse, or like daily or clinical herbalist.
00:36:05
Speaker
For an altar, I would probably suggest having a snake figurine incorporated, keeping healing herbs and plants there, maybe a depiction of his rod. Again, outside of what I gleaned from his story, there wasn't anywhere that I could find like listed out correspondences for him.
00:36:20
Speaker
And something that, you know, maybe if you've been considering a new pet, looking into a pet snake maybe would be a great way to honor Asclepius. But as someone who has owned a pet snake before, please do your research because they require a lot of work that most might not be willing to do. yeah.
00:36:41
Speaker
Outside of that, though, there wasn't like anything. I could not find anything on YouTube, on Google. I went to TikTok and I couldn't find anything of people working with Asclepias or like correspondences. So I don't know.
00:36:57
Speaker
That's that's the best I could do. Yeah. And I think with some of these deities too, it's kind of like if you feel called to work with them, like with the tea that I was talking about for Hestia and stuff, like it's just kind of you know doing the research first yeah and then figuring out what makes the most sense. Yeah.
00:37:15
Speaker
And so I think that the information that you provided like based on the research that you did, those are I feel like are really amazing ways to start out honoring him. bating and Yeah. and creating an altar that you know, if if you did have these correspondences, this would be most likely the path that you need to take. Yeah. If you want to honor and this is the path that you would take. I think that that's perfect.
00:37:40
Speaker
Well, sweet, because that's the best I got.
00:37:44
Speaker
You're not going to get anything better from me.
00:37:49
Speaker
But yeah, that is Asclepius. I found his story so interesting to be like born this man to gain these powers just through like studying medicine to be offed by Zeus and then to be brought back as a ah god. I thought that was pretty cool.
00:38:09
Speaker
That is because it's definitely not the typical story we see when we're researching these. No. So it's all doom and gloom usually. So this this was a nice one. Even yours too. Like yours, like like you said, a lot of times we see a lot of rape in these deity episodes, especially when it comes to like the Greek pantheon for whatever reason.
00:38:28
Speaker
And yours is like, there was like a possible almost happened, but didn't. Yeah. but Yeah. But it didn't, thank God. Yeah. um so This is a much more lighthearted Greek deity episode than our last one for sure.
00:38:43
Speaker
But that's it. That's it.
00:38:58
Speaker
That's a wrap on this episode of Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft. We hope you had as much fun as we did. If you loved this episode, we'd be eternally grateful if you left us a five-star review wherever you listen to your podcasts. It helps more witches, seekers, and magical misfits find our show.
00:39:13
Speaker
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00:39:28
Speaker
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