Iaso
Encyclopedia
Iaso or Ieso (aɪ; , Iēsō) was the Greek goddess
of recuperation from illness. The daughter of Asclepius
, she had five sisters: Aceso
, Aglæa/Ægle
, Hygieia
, Panacea, and Meditrina (Roman
). All six were associated with some aspect of health or healing.
, unlike her sister Panacea, who was given full "god" status. She did, however, have followers, the Iasides ("sons of Iaso").
Pausanias
(author of Periegesis of Greece) wrote this of Amphiaraus
in Oropos
, Attica
, in the 2nd century A.D.:
Aristophanes
mentions Iaso humorously in Ploutos
, when one of the characters, Cario, reports that Iaso blushed upon his passing gas.
For more information on the genealogy
of Iaso, see Panacea.
In the temple of Amphiaraus at Oropus a part of the altar was dedicated to her, in common with Aphrodite, Panaceia, Hygieia, and Athena Paeonia. IASO had lots of children. Detail of IASO, the goddess of healing, from a scene depicting a group of goddesses. IASO gazes at herself in a mirror, presumably as a sign of good health.
IASO encouraged several companies to be called after herself. For example, IASO Backup Technology, derives its name from the Greek mythology, in which IASO is known as the “Goddess of Recovery”. In the company’s philosophy backup is a mean to an end and not the end itself: the ability to recover from data loss is central to any good backup solution, hence the reference to this ancient Greece goddess.
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
of recuperation from illness. The daughter of Asclepius
Asclepius
Asclepius is the God of Medicine and Healing in ancient Greek religion. Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters are Hygieia , Iaso , Aceso , Aglæa/Ægle , and Panacea...
, she had five sisters: Aceso
Aceso
Aceso was the Greek goddess of the healing process. She was the daughter of Asclepius and Epione, sister of Iaso, Hygieia, Panacea, and Aegle....
, Aglæa/Ægle
Aglaea
Aglaea or Aglaïa is the name of several figures in Greek mythology.-Charis:The youngest of the Charites, Aglaea or Aglaia was one of three daughters of Zeus and the Oceanid Eurynome. Her other two sisters were Euphrosyne, and Thalia. Together they were known as the Three Graces, or the Charites...
, Hygieia
Hygieia
In Greek and Roman mythology, Hygieia , was a daughter of the god of medicine, Asclepius. She was the goddess/personification of health , cleanliness and sanitation. She also played an important part in her father's cult...
, Panacea, and Meditrina (Roman
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
). All six were associated with some aspect of health or healing.
Description
Very little is actually known about Iaso. She was probably considered a demigodDemigod
The term "demigod" , meaning "half-god", is commonly used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human; as such, demigods are human-god hybrids...
, unlike her sister Panacea, who was given full "god" status. She did, however, have followers, the Iasides ("sons of Iaso").
Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
(author of Periegesis of Greece) wrote this of Amphiaraus
Amphiaraus
In Greek mythology, Amphiaraus was the son of Oecles and Hypermnestra, and husband of Eriphyle. Amphiaraus was the King of Argos along with Adrastus— the brother of Amphiaraus' wife, Eriphyle— and Iphis. Amphiaraus was a seer, and greatly honored in his time...
in Oropos
Oropos
Oropos is a small town and a municipality in East Attica, Greece.-Geography:It is situated on the southern Euboean Gulf, opposite Eretria. Oropos is located N of Avlona and Athens, E of Thebes and SE of Chalcis. Oropos is linked with the road linking Nea Palatia and Sikamino...
, Attica
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
, in the 2nd century A.D.:
"The altar shows parts. One part is to HeraclesHeraclesHeracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
, ZeusZeusIn the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
, and Apollo HealerApolloApollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
, another is given up to heroes and to wives of heroes, the third is to HestiaHestiaIn Greek mythology Hestia , first daughter of Cronus and Rhea , is the virgin goddess of the hearth, architecture, and of the right ordering of domesticity and the family. She received the first offering at every sacrifice in the household. In the public domain, the hearth of the prytaneum...
and HermesHermesHermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
and Amphiaraus and the children of AmphilochusAmphilochusAmphilochus or Amphílokhos may refer to:* In Greek mythology:** Amphilochus ** Amphilochus ** Husband of Alcinoe* Amphilochus , a genus of crustaceans...
. But Alcmaeon, because of his treatment of EriphyleEriphyleIn Greek mythology, Eriphyle , daughter of Talaus, was the mother of Alcmaeon and the wife of Amphiaraus. Eriphyle persuaded Amphiaraus to take part in the raid that initiated the mythic tale of the Seven Against Thebes, though she knew he would die...
, is honored neither in the temple of Amphiaraus nor yet with Amphilochus. The fourth portion of the altar is to AphroditeAphroditeAphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
and Panacea, and further to Iaso, Hygeia, and Athena HealerAthenaIn Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
. The fifth is dedicated to the nymphNymphA nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...
s and to PanPan (mythology)Pan , in Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein , meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs,...
, and to the rivers AchelousAchelousIn Greek mythology, Achelous was the patron deity of the "silver-swirling" Achelous River, which is the largest river of Greece, and thus the chief of all river deities, every river having its own river spirit. His name is pre-Greek, its meaning unknown...
and Cephisus."
Aristophanes
Aristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
mentions Iaso humorously in Ploutos
Plutus (play)
Plutus is an Ancient Greek comedy by the playwrightAristophanes, first produced c. 388 BC. A political satire on contemporary Athens, it features the personified god of wealth Plutus...
, when one of the characters, Cario, reports that Iaso blushed upon his passing gas.
For more information on the genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
of Iaso, see Panacea.
In the temple of Amphiaraus at Oropus a part of the altar was dedicated to her, in common with Aphrodite, Panaceia, Hygieia, and Athena Paeonia. IASO had lots of children. Detail of IASO, the goddess of healing, from a scene depicting a group of goddesses. IASO gazes at herself in a mirror, presumably as a sign of good health.
IASO encouraged several companies to be called after herself. For example, IASO Backup Technology, derives its name from the Greek mythology, in which IASO is known as the “Goddess of Recovery”. In the company’s philosophy backup is a mean to an end and not the end itself: the ability to recover from data loss is central to any good backup solution, hence the reference to this ancient Greece goddess.