Asklepios - Archetypal Image of Physician s Existence Archetypal Images in Greek

A landmark account of the divine physician of the Greeks in myth and archetype

To the physicians of classical antiquity, Asklepios was the ideal of their existence as healers. In this book, acclaimed mythologist and historian of religion Carl Kerényi takes readers on a tour of the sacred sites of the Greek god of medicine to investigate the origins and archetypal significance of Asklepios as the divine physician. Drawing on mythology to trace the obscure beginnings of the cult, Kerényi argues that Asklepios was an aspect of his father, the god Appollo, closely associated with the light of rising sun and embodying the qualities of a healing deity. He shows how the Greeks revered Asklepios as the divine ancestor and prototype of mortal physicians and explores the role of the Asklepios archetype in modern psychology.

About the author

Carl Kerényi (1897–1973) was a Hungarian scholar of classical philology and the history of religion. He made significant contributions to the modern study of Greek mythology and collaborated with figures like C. G. Jung in exploring mythological archetypes.

Product details

• Authors: Karl Kerenyi, Karl Kerényi
• Assisted by: Ralph Manheim (Translation)
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 14.04.2026
• EAN: 9780691281827
• ISBN: 978-0-691-28182-7
• No. of pages: 180
• Series: Bollingen Series; Bollingen Recollections
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Miscellaneous; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > General; HISTORY / Civilization, Ancient Greece, HISTORY / Ancient / Greece, RELIGION / Ancient, History of Medicine, Ancient Greek religion & mythology, Ancient History, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Ancient Greek religion and mythology