Paean (god) facts for kids

In Greek mythology, Paean (Paeëon or Paeon) was the Greek doctor of the gods.

Homer and Hesiod

In the Iliad, book 5, the Olympian god of war Ares is wounded by mortal hero Diomedes. Ares is to Olympus in a hurry, where Paeon applies medicine that gave an instant relief. Hades too was helped by Paeon when he was shot with an arrow by Heracles.

Hesiod says Paeon is an individual god and not a group of people.

In time, Paeon (more usually spelled Paean) became a name used for Apollo. This is because Apollo was able to bring disease. Later, Paeon became a name used for Asclepius, the healer-god.

• Connor, Peter, "Paeon" in Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology, Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corporation (January 2005). ISBN: 978-0-7614-7559-0.

• Homer. The Iliad with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924.
• Homer. The Odyssey with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, PH.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1919.

See also

In Spanish: Peón (dios) para niños