Panacea

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In Greek mythology, Panacea (Greek Πανάκεια, Panakeia) was the goddess of healing. She was the daughter of Asclepius, god of medicine, and the granddaughter of Apollo, god of healing (among other things).

Panacea and her five sisters each performed a facet of Apollo's art: Panacea was the goddess of cures, Iaso was the goddess of recuperation, Hygieia was the goddess of disease prevention, Aceso was the goddess of recovery, Meditrina was the goddess of longevity, and Aglaea was the goddess of natural beauty.

Panacea also had four brothers — Podaleirus, one of the two kings of Tricca, who had a flair for diagnostics, and Machaon, the other king of Tricca, who was a master surgeon (these two took part in the Trojan War until Machaon was killed by Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons); Telesphoros, who devoted his life to serving Asclepius; and Aratus, her step-brother, who was a Greek hero and the patron/liberator of Sicyon.

Panacea was said to have a poultice or potion with which she healed the sick. This brought about the concept of the panacea in medicine.

Etymology

• Panacea is from Greek Panakeia, from panakés, "all healing"; pas (neuter pan), "all" (from Indo-European *kua-nt-, a zero-grade extension of *keu-, "large space; vault; hole") + akos, "cure" (perhaps from Indo-European *yék-, "to heal").
• Hygieia is from Greek hugeia, "health", from Indo-European *su-gwiyes-ya, "living in good condition"; *su-, "well" + *gwei-, "to live".
• Iaso is from Greek iasthai, "to cure; to heal".

Genealogy

Ophion + Chaos

(the primordial serpent Ophion sets alight the edges of Chaos, out of which is born Eurynome)
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Ophion + Eurynome
(Ophion coils around Eurynome, the moon, and she flies away as a white bird, laying six silver eggs, one of which will be Gaea)
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Gaea
(conceives a child without fertilization)
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Uranus + Gaea
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Cronus + Rhea
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Zeus + Leto
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Apollo + Coronis, princess of Epidaurus (or Arsinoe, princess of Messenia)
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Asclepius + Epione (or Salus)
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Panacea

References

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