![]() Today, the laurel is still used as a symbol of achievement.Ī laureate is a person who achieves the highest possible honors in their field. They later became common in the iconography of the emperors as well. Laurel crowns were placed on the heads of generals when they were honored in a triumph. To them, they were specifically symbols of military victory. The Romans continued to associate the laurels with great achievement. The medals that are given to winners today often have traditional motifs including the laurel wreath of Apollo. Laurels continue to be associated with the modern Olympics. Victors in the ancient Olympiads were given laurel crowns as prizes to show the eternal glory that was granted to them. He made it an evergreen to symbolize the eternal nature of his love for Daphne.Īs the god of athleticism and contests, Apollo was a patron of the Olympic games. In ancient Greece, it was a symbol of Apollo.Īfter the nymph Daphne turned herself into a laurel tree to escape the god’s unwanted advances, Apollo adopted the plant as one of his sacred symbols. ![]() LaurelsĪ crown or wreath of laurel leaves is a symbol of victory and achievement today. The two symbols were similar enough that in later eras, when the stories of the gods were not as well-known, they were confused for one another. ![]() The caduceus is still sometimes used by merchants and messengers, but its modern use is more often in place of the rod of Asclepius. It also had wings on the top in honor of the god it represented. While the rod of Asclepius had only one snake, the caduceus was intertwined with two. It came to be associated more generally with trade and travel. The caduceus was the staff carried by messengers and heralds to identify them. It is sometimes confused, however, with a similar staff belonging to Hermes. The rod of Asclepius is still used today as a symbol for medical professions. Asclepius learned the secrets of resurrecting the dead and the snake entwined around his rod became an immediately recognizable symbol of his profession. The first snake soon began to move again and in a matter of moments was completely restored. It carried an herb in its mouth which it laid on the head of the snake Asclepius had killed. He absentmindedly hit it with his staff and killed it.Ī few minutes later, a second snake entered the cell. ![]() Asclepius did not know how to do this, despite his reputation for cheating death.Īs he pondered his problem, a snake wound its way across the floor of his cell. The doctor was locked in the dungeons of King Minos, who was demanding that he resurrect a young man who had recently died. He went too far, however, when he learned to bring the dead back to life. He was honored as the father of Greek medicine and the first true doctor. During his life, he learned medicine from both his father and the centaur Chiron.Īsclepius became renowned as the greatest healer in the world. The rod of Asclepius was the symbol of the god of medicine.Īccording to legend, Asclepius was the son of Apollo but was born as a mortal. One of the most common symbols from ancient Greece that is still used today is of a god who is not as well-known as many others. These five common symbols are among many remnants of ancient Greek symbolism that are still used today. Even when they were loosely tied to Greek and Roman traditions, the myths that inspired them were not always remembered.Īs a result, many symbols that are still used today have more ancient origins than many people realize. Over the centuries, the origins of many of these details were largely forgotten. While ancient myths were suppressed or forgotten, some elements of them remained in the popular imagination. In truth, however, not everything from Greece and Rome was lost. The arts, sciences, philosophy, and infrastructure of Greece and Rome are often contrasted against the so-called Dark Ages. The fall of Rome is sometimes seen as a time when the Classical world was entirely separated from medieval European culture.
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