Hygieia (also Hygiea or Hygeia, in Latin Hygea or Hygia), was the daughter of Aesculapius, the god of medicine and healing, and Epione, the goddess of soothing of pain. She was the goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation. While her father was more directly associated with healing, she was associated with the prevention of sickness and the continuation of good health. Her name is the source of the word "hygiene." She was imported by the Romans as the Goddess Valetudo, the goddess of personal health, but over time she was increasingly identified with the ancient Italian goddess of social welfare, Salus.