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Greek Mythology >> Greek Gods >> Olympian Gods >> Asclepiades >> Telesphorus (Telesphoros)

TELESPHOROS

Greek Name

Τελεσφορος

Transliteration

Telesphoros

Latin Spelling

Telesphorus

Translation

Accomplisher

TELESPHOROS (Telesphorus) was the god of convalescence who "brought to fulfillment" recuperation from illness and injury. He was depicted on ancient coins and reliefs as a boy wearing a wide cloak and low hood or Phrygian cap, and sometimes holding a scroll or tablet in his hands.

Telesphoros had his own temple, the Telesphorion (Telesphorium), in the precinct of Asklepios (Asclepius) at Pergamon in Anatolia. He was also recognised as one of the healing gods at the Asklepian sanctuary of Epidauros.

Telesphoros was also named Akesis and as such his female counterpart was the minor goddess Akeso.


PARENTS

Presumably a son of ASKLEPIOS, though nowhere stated


ENCYCLOPEDIA

TELE′SPHORUS (Telesphoros), that is, "the completing," is the name of a medical divinity who is mentioned now and then in connection with Asclepius. Pausanias (ii. 11. § 7) says : "In the sanctuary of Asclepius at Titane sacrifices are offered to Euamerion, to whom a statue is there erected; and, if I am not mistaken, this Euamerion is called at Pergamus Telesphorus, and at Epidaurus Acesis."

Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.


ALTERNATE NAMES & TITLES

Greek Name

Ακεσις

Ευαμεριων

Transliteration

Akesis

Euameriôn

Latin Spelling

Acesis

Euaemerion

Translation

Healing, Cure

Prosperous


CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES

Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 11. 4 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"Alexanor, the son of Makhaon (Machaon), the son of Asklepios (Asclepius), came to Sikyonia and built the sanctuary of Asklepios at Titane . . . There are images [within the shrine] also of Alexanor and of Euamerion; to the former they give offerings as to a hero after the setting of the sun; to Euamerion, as being a god, they give burnt sacrifices. If I conjecture aright, the Pergamenes, in accordance with an oracle, call this Euamerion Telesphoros (Accomplisher) while the Epidaurians call him Akesis (Cure)."


SOURCES

GREEK

OTHER SOURCES

Other references not currently quoted here: Inscriptiones Graecae 22.4533.27, Corpus Scriptionum Graecum 6753.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A complete bibliography of the translations quoted on this page.