![]() These representations feature the two snakes atop the staff (or rod), crossed to create a circle with the heads of the snakes resembling horns. ![]() In some vase paintings ancient depictions of the Greek kerukeion are somewhat different from the commonly seen modern representation. In Rome, Livy refers to the caduceator who negotiated peace arrangements under the diplomatic protection of the caduceus he carried. Separating them with his wand he brought about peace between them, and as a result the wand with two serpents came to be seen as a sign of peace. This staff later came into the possession of the god Hermes, along with its transformative powers.Īnother myth suggests that Hermes (or Mercury) saw two serpents entwined in mortal combat. Tiresias was immediately turned into a woman, and so remained until he was able to repeat the act with the male snake seven years later. One Greek myth of origin of the caduceus is part of the story of Tiresias, who found two snakes copulating and killed the female with his staff. Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (1913) pointed out that the serpent as an attribute of both Hermes and Asclepius is a variant of the "pre-historic semi-chthonic serpent hero known at Delphi as Python", who in classical mythology is slain by Apollo. The association of Apollo with the serpent is a continuation of the older Indo-European dragon-slayer motif. The association with the serpent thus connects Hermes to Apollo, as later the serpent was associated with Asclepius, the "son of Apollo". Apollo in return gave Hermes the caduceus as a gesture of friendship. The Homeric hymn to Hermes relates how his half brother Apollo got enchanted by Hermes's music from his lyre fashioned from a tortoise shell, which Hermes kindly gave to him. Ĭoin from Sardis (Turkey) with caduceus (c. Given that the caduceus is primarily a symbol of commerce and other non-medical symbology, many healthcare professionals disapprove of this usage. The caduceus is also used as a symbol representing printing, again by extension of the attributes of Mercury (in this case associated with writing and eloquence).Īlthough the Rod of Asclepius, which has only one snake and is never depicted with wings, is the traditional and more widely used symbol of medicine, the Caduceus is sometimes used by healthcare organizations. This association is ancient, and consistent from the Classical period to modern times. īy extension of its association with Mercury and Hermes, the caduceus is also a recognized symbol of commerce and negotiation, two realms in which balanced exchange and reciprocity are recognized as ideals. If applied to the dying, their death was gentle if applied to the dead, they returned to life. It is said the wand would wake the sleeping and send the awake to sleep. Thus, through its use in astrology, alchemy, and astronomy it has come to denote the planet and elemental metal of the same name. In later Antiquity, the caduceus provided the basis for the astrological symbol representing the planet Mercury. Īs a symbolic object, it represents Hermes (or the Roman Mercury), and by extension trades, occupations, or undertakings associated with the god. Some accounts suggest that the oldest known imagery of the caduceus has its roots in Mesopotamia with the Sumerian god Ningishzida his symbol, a staff with two snakes intertwined around it, dates back to 4000 BC to 3000 BC. In Roman iconography, it was often depicted being carried in the left hand of Mercury, the messenger of the gods. ![]() It is a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings. The same staff was also borne by heralds in general, for example by Iris, the messenger of Hera. ![]() The caduceus (☤ / k ə ˈ dj uː ʃ ə s, - s i ə s/ Latin: cādūceus, from Greek: κηρύκειον kērū́keion "herald's wand, or staff") is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. A Roman copy after a Greek original of the 5th century BCE ( Museo Pio-Clementino, Rome). Hermes Ingenui carrying a winged caduceus upright in his left hand.
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