In
Greek mythology, the Elasioi (
Ancient Greek: Ἐλάσιοι, meaning 'Averters' or 'Expellers'; in Latin, 'Elasii') were minor personages with power to avert epileptic attacks.
In the case of someone suffering an epileptic episode in progress, they were sometimes said to cure the ailment by banishing it into the bodies of wild goats.
Yet, their role in society beyond the former remains unclear. Most seem to regard them as divinities of healing; some conflate them with an
Argive incarnation of
The Dioskouroi (which implies that there are only two, and that both are male), though other sources claim they are female (without regard for their number), and some seem to imply that they were simply mortal magicians or wizards (and takes no regard of either specific number ''or'' gender).
[
Either way, the Elasioi were said to be children or descendants of the heroine ]Alexida
In Greek mythology, Alexida ( Ancient Greek: Ἀλεξίδη) was a daughter of Amphiaraus, from whom certain divinities called ''Elasii'' (in Greek, '' Elasioi'' or , i. e. the averters of epileptic fits) were believed to be descended. Plutarch ...
, daughter of the deified Amphiaraus.
References
{{Reflist
Mythology of Argos
Greek gods
Demigods in classical mythology
Fictional twins
Epilepsy