Asklepios as a Mythological Figure Between Deification and Demonization

Year 2016, Volume: 13 Issue: 2, 154 - 182, 28.12.2016

Bilal Patacı

https://doi.org/10.17131/milel.284851

Cited By: 4

Abstract

Greek mythology encloses whole of the sacred story that was told about

the paganism as adopted in the Hellenic world. Although they formed the

worldviews of human beings in ancient times as much as the Olympian gods

did, figures described as heroes in the mythical narrative about these gods

and their adventures have not been discussed adequately in academic

works. One of these is definitely Asklepios. Sources spoke of him as a man

but later he became a deity with the help of the cults and temples built in

his name. As the cult was deeply embraced by the Greco-Roman world,

with the Christian faith’s spreading in the same region, it was demonized

and gradually disappeared from the scene. This study presents a twofold

reading on the basis of the historical facts. The first one will deal with the

process of Asklepios’s deification while the second one will enlighten the

way towards his demonization.

Keywords

Asklepios, Asklepeion, Cult, Deification, Demonization

Tanrılaştırma ve Şeytanlaştırma Arasında Mitolojik Bir Figür Olarak Asklepios

Abstract

Yunan mitolojisi Helen coğrafyasında kabul gören paganizme ilişkin anlatılan

kutsal hikâyenin bütününü teşkil eder. Olimpos tanrıları ve onların

serüvenleri etrafında dönen bu mitik kurgu içerisinde kahramanlar olarak

ifade edilen kategoride yer alan bazı figürler esasında eskiçağ insanının

inanç dünyasını Olimpos tanrıları kadar şekillendirmekle birlikte akademik

çalışmalarda yeteri kadar ele alınmamıştır. Bunlardan birisi de kuşkusuz

Asklepios’tur. Kaynaklar ilk olarak ondan insan olarak bahsetmekteyken,

adına tesis edilen kült ve tapınaklar aracılığıyla tanrılaştırılmıştır. Greko-

Romen dünyanın en önemli kültlerinden biri olarak kabul gördüğü sırada,

Hıristiyan inancının aynı coğrafyada yayılması neticesinde bu kez şeytanlaştırılmış

ve buna bağlı olarak Asklepios kültü de zamanla ortadan kalkmıştır.

Bu çalışmada bilinen tarihsel verilerin ışığında iki aşamalı bir

değerlendirme öngörülmektedir. İlk aşamada Asklepios’un “tanrılaştırma”

süreci, ikinci aşamada ise “şeytanlaştırma” süreci metinler aracılığıyla

ortaya konulmaya çalışılacaktır.

Keywords

Asklepios, asklepion, kült, tanrılaştırma, şeytanlaştırma

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