Apollo was the Greek god of healing among other things. In the above picture, he is shown with his sister Artemis. Notice that Apollo is carrying a bow and arrow. This closely correlates with Inle, who, besides being a fisherman, was also a hunter and was deeply connected with the woods. According to myth, Apollo was very handsome and had a youthful appearance. Likewise, Inle was so handsome that Yemaya fell head over heels in love with him, for a time. Apollo was originally the owner of the herald's wand or caduceus. He exchanged it with Hermes for a lute, since Apollo was also fond of music. Thus the gift of healing passed from the Sun god to Hermes. This is similar to the story of Chango and Orunla, where Chango exchanged the "table" of divination with Orunla for the gift of dancing.
Asclepius was the son of Apollo and Athena. He is almost always pictured with a staff, entwined by a serpent. The serpent is sacred to many of the Orishas. Remember that the symbol of Inle is an arrow, surrounded on each side by a serpent. The arrow, of course, since it is held upward, is the same basically as the staff. Asclepius was involved with the Mystery school of Hermes, which was descended from the Egyptian Mysteries of Thoth. Staffs with serpents such as Asclepius holds are very often used in calling the dead. Remember that Hermes was also the guide of the dead and that Thoth was closely associated with Anubis in his role as Judge of the Dead. Asclepius was a great physician and because of that, he became the god of healing. Much of his knowledge he learned from his father Apollo, but also learned from Cheiron, the centaur, who later became the constellation Sagittarius. It is interesting to note that the priests and priestesses of Asclepius also used oracles to determine the causes of diseases in those that were seeking cures for their afflictions. This closely corresponds with our healing practices, where the exact cause of a disease must be discovered before the disease can be fully cured. This is holistic medicine, the treating of the cause, not just the symptoms. Sometimes disease comes because one has not taken care of the body. Sometimes disease comes because of witchcraft that has been done. Sometimes disease comes as a result of a possessing spirit. Sometimes disease comes as a punishment for wrongs done. Sometimes disease can come because taboos were broken. Until you have accurately determined the cause of a disease, you will be only treating the symptoms. Perhaps our ancestors were wiser than our present modern day health practioners would like to admit. Many times, people have to make the Saint in order to rid themselves of a disease. The reason for this is that the Guardian Orisha of the person has to be crowned on the head of the person in the ceremony of making the Saint for the Orisha to be able to get rid of a disease or restore the health of a person. This is, of course, not the only reason for making the Saint, as many people do so because it is their destiny, so that they may work with the Orishas to help others.
