Who was Telesphrous, the figure on Jung’s 75th birthday stone?

Jung and the stone carving of Telesphorus

 

Jung's stone and Bollingen- Telesphorus Jungcurrents

In 1950, Jung carved this stone, partially in celebration of his 75th birthday. The translation:

This is Telesphorus,

who roams through the dark regions of this cosmos

and glows like a star out of the depths.

He points the way to the gates of the sun and to the land of dreams.

 


 

Link: Jung at Bollingen, talking about carving this stone

 


Temple of Telesphorus


Temple of Telesphorus: (left) underground access; (centre) the circular perambulatorium; (right) a pillar with a bath tub

Telesphorus was a son of Asclepius who had healing powers and more exactly he was the god of convalescence (theles = fulfilment; phorus = bearer). The design of his temple in the Asklepion is amazing; although the main building was almost at the same level as the central square, an underground passage led to it so that the patients went down a short flight of steps into a tunnel: cubicles were located at the sides of the passage: patients spent the night there to then tell their dreams to the priests/doctors to facilitate the diagnosis of their disease. In the morning the patients ascended to the temple which had a circular shape so that they could walk in a never ending procession: the pillars supporting the vaults had individual tubs for bathing. There is no doubt that this sophisticated therapy based on both psychological and physical treatments was often successful in restoring health. (Source)

 

From Wikipedia:

Greek mythology, Telesphorus (or Telesphoros; Τελεσφόρος) was a son of Asclepius. He frequently accompanied his sister, Hygieia. He was a dwarf whose head was always covered with a hood or cap. He symbolized recovery from illness, as his name means “the accomplisher” or “bringer of completion” in Greek. Representations of him are found mainly in Anatolia and along the Danube.
Telesphorus is assumed to have been a Celtic god in origin, who was taken to Anatolia by the Galatians in the 3rd century BC, where he would have become associated with the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius, perhaps in Pergamon, an Asclepian cult center. and spread again to the West due to the rise of the Roman Empire, in particular during the 2nd century AD, from the reign of Hadrian, after Epidaurus, the main center of the cult of Asclepius, had adopted him.



Asclepius, Hygiea and Telesphorus

Gallo-Roman limestone statue of Telesphorus discovered in 1884 in France

 




 

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