CHAPTER XIV.HYGEIA, THE GODDESS OF HEALTH.

The need of a special divinity to preserve people in a state of health was widely felt, even in very early times. In Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and elsewhere, this need found pronounced expression. Isis and Istar[433]and Athene were each, in one way or another, accorded great power over bodily or mental health. But the Greeks, in their Hygeia, markedly emphasized and entirely specialized the conception. Here we have an exclusively health divinity, who had more or less of a counterpart in theSalusof the Romans,—a goddess highly esteemed, worshipped on set days, and to whom a fine temple was devoted at the Eternal City, situated near the gate called from it Porta Salutaris.

Fig. 17.—Serpent and Bowl of Hygeia.[434]

From the preceding statements, the reader will observe that the divinities who were specially interestedin the preservation of health were all females. This is an exceedingly interesting fact. It is not an incongruous one, either. The ancients were keenly alive to the sense of fitness in things; and hence it is hardly likely that they made a mistake in Hygeia, the health goddess. From the exercise of the great function of nurturing and caring for the young of the species, woman has sufficient claim to the distinction of being,par excellence, the guardian of health. Why the goddess should be a maid rather than a matron is not extremely clear. Likely the idea was to present in her a woman just mature and free from blemish, in a typically perfect state.

However, we have in Hygeia, “daughter of Pæon, queen of every joy,” to use the appropriate words with which Armstrong starts off in the invocation to her, at the beginning of his fine poem,[435]a very interesting and beautiful conception. It is easy to understand why this divinity became very popular. O Goddess! if—

“But for thee,Nature would sicken, nature soon would die,”

“But for thee,

Nature would sicken, nature soon would die,”

as the author just quoted declares, thy worship might well have become universal, for without health life is burdensome, a gift of doubtful value! Health and long life are things mortals have always craved and always prized. In that interesting Hebræo-Chaldean history, “Tobias,” Sara, with her husband, gives utterance to a truly human prayer: “Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, and let us grow old both together in health.”[436]“At heart,” says Dr. Brinton, “all prayers are for preservation; the burden of all litanies is a begging for life.”[437]

The symbolic representation of the myth of Hygeia afforded a fine subject for the sculptors and other artists. Extremely attractive figures of her were produced. One of them, at least, is doubtless familiar to the reader. I have reference to the one in which she is represented as a blooming girl with a serpent twined around her left arm[438]and feeding out of apateraor chalice held in her right hand. With this ideal in his mind, the late Dr. Aitken Meigs, in a remarkable address[439]delivered in 1879, pronounces “the high-born maid” to be “of beauty’s types, the highest, best idea,” and continues:—

“Nor fragile she, nor pale, but ruddy, strong,And gladsome as a tuneful, joyous song;Her comely form, in swelling curves designed,Is perfect grace, with glowing strength combined;Crimson and white in her fair face contend,Upon her cheeks in sweet confusion blend;Her rosy lips excel the coral’s brightness,Brow, nose, and chin are fleecy ways of whiteness;Loose, flowing, falls her hair, a golden spray;Forth from her lustrous eyes she scatters day....In one small hand a cup she deftly holds,Whilst round her soft, white arm, in many foldsA serpent twines and from the chalice drinks.Low crouches sometimes, at her feet, a sphinx.From these strange emblems learn her character:How very cunning she, and how exact herKnowledge and profound; how with wondrous skillHer youth renews, and is discreet and still.”

“Nor fragile she, nor pale, but ruddy, strong,

And gladsome as a tuneful, joyous song;

Her comely form, in swelling curves designed,

Is perfect grace, with glowing strength combined;

Crimson and white in her fair face contend,

Upon her cheeks in sweet confusion blend;

Her rosy lips excel the coral’s brightness,

Brow, nose, and chin are fleecy ways of whiteness;

Loose, flowing, falls her hair, a golden spray;

Forth from her lustrous eyes she scatters day.

...

In one small hand a cup she deftly holds,

Whilst round her soft, white arm, in many folds

A serpent twines and from the chalice drinks.

Low crouches sometimes, at her feet, a sphinx.

From these strange emblems learn her character:

How very cunning she, and how exact her

Knowledge and profound; how with wondrous skill

Her youth renews, and is discreet and still.”

As will be observed, Dr. Meigs gives an explanation of the symbols usually connected with figures of Hygeia,whom he regarded as to the physician what the chosen maid was to the knight of old,—the patron saint. The view taken of the serpent is not satisfactory, although better than that held by Cuvier, namely, that it is “to show that temperance is the source of lengthened life.”[440]And if one take the reptile to be symbolic of the art of healing, why it should be connected with the goddess of health is not clear. In this connection its presence might imply that it is only through medicine that health can be preserved. Taking it as symbolic of life, one has little difficulty in understanding its appropriateness. Closely attached to her, and drawing nourishment from a chalice held in her hand, the meaning might be, that health and life are intimately related to each other, the former sustaining the latter. Regarding it, however, as simply abonus geniusis not out of the way. The mode of representing it at Rome and elsewhere strongly supports this view, namely, encircling the altar of the goddess, with the head extending over it.[441]In Teutonic mythology, “the white lady with the snake” was associated with medicinal springs.

Fig. 18.—Hygeia.(As given in Murray’s Mythology.)

According to the mythological record, Hygeia[442]was the daughter of the god of medicine, Æsculapius. Ofher personal history one might almost say that it is a blank.

Numerous representations of Hygeia were to be found in Greece, and later in Rome. One was usually placed by the side of each of Æsculapius.

The worship of Hygeia began soon after that of Æsculapius and became wide-spread and popular. The Romans were quite as devoted in their attentions to her as the Greeks.

I have said sufficient already to indicate that there was no divinity precisely similar to Hygeia in Egypt, or any eastern country. Some of the great goddesses were believed to exercise functions akin to hers.[443]Indeed, many of the prominent divinities, from the spouse of Hea down, had accorded to them more or less control over affairs of health and life. Dr. Meigs conveys a wrong impression when he says:—

“Hygeia, daughter of Asclepios,Descended from Apollo Delios,Adored as Maut[444]beside the mystic Nile,With Amen-Ra in Theban peristyle.”[445]

“Hygeia, daughter of Asclepios,

Descended from Apollo Delios,

Adored as Maut[444]beside the mystic Nile,

With Amen-Ra in Theban peristyle.”[445]

There is about as much reason to say that Athene was Hygeia, as that Maut was, or Isis, although, as Ebers says, she was the divinity “to be called on to destroy the germs of disease.”[446]Arguments could be advanced in favor of the idea that Hygeia sprang into existence as a personification of the great serpent-accompanied virgin, river-mist, or cloud-goddess, Pallas Athene, in her capacity of health-preserver. The claim in regard to Isis is little or no better; and, in fact, oneform of Isis, called Neith, or Neit, the great mother of the sun-god, Ra, and the titular goddess of Sais, has always[447]been believed to correspond closely with Athene. The former was not only usually accompanied by a serpent, like the latter, but was often represented by one; still, the same might be said of, perhaps, all the Egyptian goddesses.

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