In mythology, Asclepius was the Greek god of what?

Asclepius was the Greek god of medicine. He was also the patron god, and reputed ancestor, of the Asclepiades, the ancient guild of doctors.

Asclepius was the son of Apollo and the Triccaean princess Coronis. His mother died in labour and when she was laid out on the pyre, Apollo cut the unborn child from her womb. From this Asclepius received his name which means 'to cut open.' Asclepius was raised by the centaur Chiron who instructed him in the art of medicine. He grew so skilled in the craft that he was able to restore the dead to life. This was a crime against the natural order and so Zeus destroyed him with a thunderbolt.

After his death Asclepius was placed amongst the stars as the constellation Ophiochus ('the Serpent Holder'). Some say his mother was also set in the heavens as Corvus, the crow. Asclepius' apotheosis into godhood occurred at the same time. He was sometimes identified with Homer's Paion, the physician of the gods.

Asclepius was depicted as a kindly, bearded man holding a serpent-entwined staff. Although he is largely absent from ancient Greek vase painting, statues of the god are quite common.