The Obituary
Eshmun was the Phoenician god of healing and the tutelary deity of Sidon, where a large sanctuary drew pilgrims seeking cures. His myth tells of a beautiful youth pursued by the goddess Astronoe, who castrated himself to escape her and was restored to life by her divine heat, becoming a god. Greeks equated him with Asclepius. Worshipped across the Punic world, his cult was absorbed into Greco-Roman practice and finally extinguished as Christianity took hold of the Levant.
Worth remembering
- Pursued by the goddess Astronoe, the youth Eshmun castrated himself; she revived him with her warmth as a god.
- Greeks identified him with Asclepius, and sick pilgrims sought cures at his sanctuary near Sidon.
Sources
- Eshmun was a Phoenician god of healing, tutelary deity of Sidon Wikipedia
- The Temple of Eshmun near Sidon was a major healing sanctuary World History Encyclopedia
A graveyard tradition: leave a stone to show you came, and remembered.