The bowl of Hygeia is a modern emblem for pharmacy, used interchangeably with the Rx symbol. The goddess Hygeia was the daughter of Asklepios, the god of healing and medicine. (see: wand of Asclepius) Hygeia was often pictured holding a cup, (a kylix, or wine cup), with a snake coiled about her body or arm.
The serpent is a symbol of resurrection; the cup, medicine.
Hygeia’s cup may have been an early inspiration for grail stories.
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