Have you ever wondered why serpents wrapped around a staff became the medical symbol? There are several versions of the story behind the snakes on the caduceus,plus there is more than one depiction of the staff. The winged caduceus was carried by Hermes (the messenger) who was the patron of travelers and doctors often traveled great distances to see their patients (unlike modern day!). Another depiction has no wings and only one snake,it is known as the staff of Asclepius,a demigod of medicine. Zeus was angered by Asclepius and killed him with a thunderbolt then placed him in the sky where he became the "serpent bearer" constellation. The Greeks regarded snakes a sacred and used them in healing rituals (even today snake venom has medicinal purposes) and their skin shedding was viewed as rebirth and renewal.
No comments:
Post a Comment