Epione
Goddess of the soothing of pain, wife of Asclepius and mother of the healing deities who attended his cult at Epidaurus.
The Myth of Epione
Epione was the wife of Asclepius and the mother of a family of healing deities that together covered every aspect of medicine and health. Her name means "soothing" and she personified the relief of pain — the moment the treatment begins to work. Her children included Hygeia (health), Panacea (cure-all), Iaso (recovery), Aceso (healing process), and Aglaea (radiance of good health), as well as Machaon and Podalirius, the two physician-heroes who served as surgeons in the Greek camp at Troy. The family of Asclepius and Epione together represented a complete medical system: Asclepius cured; Epione soothed; Hygeia prevented; Panacea treated everything; Iaso aided recovery. Their sanctuary at Epidaurus was the most important healing shrine in the ancient world.
Parents
{}
Children
{Hygeia,Panacea,Iaso,Aceso,Aglaea,Machaon,Podalirius}
Symbols
Fun Fact
Epione's children together form a complete ancient medical system — preventive, curative, pain-relieving, and rehabilitative care all distributed among her daughters.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Hygeia
goddesshealth, cleanliness, sanitation, prevention of illness
Goddess of health, cleanliness, and the prevention of sickness, daughter of Asclepius and one of the most widely worshipped healing deities.
Panacea
⚡ godGoddess of universal remedy
Panacea was the goddess of the universal cure — her name literally means "all-healing."
Hygieia
⚡ godGoddess of health and cleanliness
Hygieia was the goddess of health, cleanliness, and disease prevention — daughter of Asclepius and the personification of staying well rather than getting cured.
Asclepius
⚡ godGod of medicine and healing
Asclepius began as a mortal hero trained by Chiron who became so skilled at medicine that he could raise the dead — Zeus struck him down, then deified him.
Achelois
🐉 creatureMoon, healing
Minor moon goddess or epithet meaning she who washes away pain, associated with lunar healing rites
Aesculapius
⚡ godMedicine, healing, physicians
Roman god of medicine and healing, adopted from the Greek Asclepius
Paean
⚡ godHealing, deliverance from evil
A healing deity invoked in hymns of thanksgiving, later absorbed into the worship of Apollo
Lucina
⚡ godChildbirth, light, newborns
Roman goddess of childbirth who brought babies into the light, equivalent to the Greek Eileithyia
Telesphorus
🐉 creaturedaimones
A hooded dwarf-like healing spirit who accompanied Asclepius and presided over convalescence
Asclepius
⚡ godGod of medicine who could raise the dead
The divine physician whose healing art grew so powerful that he could resurrect the dead — forcing Zeus to strike him down to preserve cosmic order.
Juno
⚡ godMarriage, childbirth, women, the state
Queen of the Roman gods and protector of women and the state, counterpart to the Greek Hera
Venus
⚡ godLove, beauty, desire, fertility
Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, identified with the Greek Aphrodite but also revered as ancestress of the Roman people