Their mother wasLeda, but they had different fathers; Castor was the mortal son ofTyndareus, the king of Sparta, while Pollux was the divine son ofZeus, who seduced Leda in the guise of a swan.[2] The pair are thus an example of heteropaternalsuperfecundation. Though accounts of their birth are varied, they are sometimes said to have been born from an egg, along with their twin sistersHelen of Troy andClytemnestra.
In Latin, the twins are also known as theGemini ("twins") orCastores, as well as theTyndaridae orTyndarids.[e] Pollux asked Zeus to let him share his own immortality with his twin to keep them together, and they were transformed into the constellationGemini. The pair were regarded as the patrons of sailors, to whom they appeared asSt. Elmo's fire. They were also associated with horsemanship, in keeping with their origin as theIndo-Europeanhorse twins.
There is much contradictory information regarding the parentage of the Dioscuri. In the HomericOdyssey (11.298–304), they are the sons of Tyndareus alone, but they were sons of Zeus in the HesiodicCatalogue (fr. 24 M–W). The conventional account (attested first in Pindar, Nemean 10) combined these paternities so that only Pollux was fathered by Zeus, while Leda and her husbandTyndareus conceived Castor. This explains why they were granted an alternate immortality. The figure of Tyndareus may have entered their tradition to explain their archaic nameTindaridai in Spartan inscriptions, orTyndaridai in literature,[3] in turn occasioning incompatible accounts of their parentage. Their other sisters wereTimandra,Phoebe, andPhilonoe.
Castor and Pollux are sometimes both mortal, sometimes both divine. One consistent point is that if only one of them is immortal, it is Pollux. In Homer'sIliad, Helen looks down from the walls of Troy and wonders why she does not see her brothers among the Achaeans. The narrator remarks that they are both already dead and buried back in their homeland of Lacedaemon, thus suggesting that at least in some early traditions, both were mortal. Their death and shared immortality offered by Zeus was material of the lostCypria in theEpic cycle.
The Dioscuri were regarded as helpers of mankind and held to be patrons of travellers and of sailors in particular, who invoked them to seek favourable winds.[4] Their role as horsemen and boxers also led to them being regarded as the patrons of athletes and athletic contests.[5] They characteristically intervened at the moment of crisis, aiding those who honoured or trusted them.[6]
Ancient Greek authors tell a number of versions of the story of Castor and Pollux.Homer portrays them initially as ordinary mortals, treating them as dead in theIliad:
but in theOdyssey they are described as both being alive, even though "the grain-bearing earth holds them". The author describes them as "having honour equal to gods", living on alternate days because of the intervention of Zeus. In both theOdyssey and inHesiod, they are described as the sons of Tyndareus and Leda. InPindar, Pollux is the son of Zeus, while Castor is the son of the mortal Tyndareus. The theme of ambiguous parentage is not unique to Castor and Pollux; similar characterisations appear in the stories ofHerakles andTheseus.[8] The Dioscuri are also invoked inAlcaeus' fragment 34a,[9] though whether this poem antedates the Homeric Hymn to the twins[10] is unknown.[11] They appear together in two plays byEuripides,Helen andElektra.
Cicero tells the story of howSimonides of Ceos was rebuked by Scopas, his patron, for devoting too much space to praising Castor and Pollux in an ode celebrating Scopas' victory in achariot race. Shortly afterwards, Simonides was told that two young men wished to speak to him; after he had left the banqueting room, the roof fell in and crushed Scopas and his guests.[6]
According to the ancient sources the horse of Castor was namedCyllarus.[12]
Both Dioscuri were excellent horsemen and hunters who participated in the hunting of theCalydonian Boar and later joined the crew ofJason's ship, theArgo.
During the expedition of theArgonauts,[13] Pollux took part in a boxing contest and defeated KingAmycus of theBebryces, a savage mythical people inBithynia. After returning from the voyage, the Dioscuri helped Jason andPeleus to destroy the city ofIolcus in revenge for the treachery of its kingPelias.
When their sister Helen was abducted byTheseus, the half-brothers invaded his kingdom ofAttica to rescue her. In revenge they abducted Theseus's motherAethra and took her to Sparta while setting his rival,Menestheus, on the throne of Athens. Aethra was then forced to become Helen's slave. She was ultimately returned to her home by her grandsonsDemophon andAcamas after the fall ofTroy.
Castor and Pollux aspired to marry the Leucippides ("daughters of the white horse"),Phoebe andHilaeira, whose father wasLeucippus ("white horse").[f] Both women were already betrothed to cousins of the Dioscuri, the twin brothersLynceus andIdas ofMessenia, sons ofTyndareus's brotherAphareus. Castor and Pollux carried the women off toSparta wherein each had a son; Phoebe bore Mnesileos to Pollux and Hilaeira bore Anogon to Castor. This began a family feud among the four sons of the brothers Tyndareus and Aphareus.
The cousins carried out a cattle-raid inArcadia together but fell out over the division of the meat. After stealing the herd, but before dividing it, the cousins butchered, quartered, and roasted a calf.[15] As they prepared to eat, the gigantic Idas suggested that the herd be divided into two parts instead of four, based on which pair of cousins finished their meal first.[15] Castor and Pollux agreed.[15] Idas quickly ate both his portion and Lynceus' portion.[15] Castor and Pollux had been duped. They allowed their cousins to take the entire herd, but vowed someday to take revenge.[15]
Some time later, Idas and Lynceus visited their uncle's home in Sparta.[15] The uncle was on his way to Crete, so he left Helen in charge of entertaining the guests, which included both sets of cousins, as well as Paris, prince of Troy.[15] Castor and Pollux recognized the opportunity to exact revenge, made an excuse that justified leaving the feast, and set out to steal their cousins' herd.[15] Idas and Lynceus eventually set out for home, leaving Helen alone with Paris, who then kidnapped her.[15] Thus, the four cousins helped set into motion the events that gave rise to the Trojan War.
A twin supported byTriton, from aLocrian sculpture group (latter 5th century BCE)
Meanwhile, Castor and Pollux had reached their destination. Castor climbed a tree to keep a watch as Pollux began to free the cattle. Far away, Idas and Lynceus approached. Lynceus, named for the lynx because he could see in the dark, spied Castor hiding in the tree.[15] Idas and Lynceus immediately understood what was happening. Idas, furious, ambushed Castor, fatally wounding him with a blow from his spear – but not before Castor called out to warn Pollux.[15] In the ensuing brawl, Pollux killed Lynceus. As Idas was about to kill Pollux, Zeus, who had been watching fromMount Olympus, hurled a thunderbolt, killing Idas and saving his son.[15]
Returning to the dying Castor, Pollux was given the choice by Zeus of spending all his time onMount Olympus or giving half his immortality to his mortal brother. He opted for the latter, enabling the twins to alternate between Olympus andHades.[16][17] The brothers became the two brightest stars in the constellationGemini ("the twins"):Castor (Alpha Geminorum) andPollux (Beta Geminorum). As emblems of immortality and death, the Dioscuri, likeHeracles, were said to have been initiated into theEleusinian mysteries.[g] In some myths,Poseidon rewarded them with horses to ride and power to aid shipwrecked men.[19]
Roman sarcophagus (160 CE) depicting the rape of the Leucippides, Phoebe and Hilaeira(Vatican Museum)
Castor and Pollux are consistently associated with horses in art and literature. They are widely depicted as helmeted horsemen carrying spears.[16] The Pseudo-Oppian manuscript depicts the brothers hunting, both on horseback and on foot.[20]
One of the twins wearing the egg-shaped cap, here marked with a celestial symbol (2nd century CE)
Onvotive reliefs they are depicted with a variety of symbols representing the concept of twinhood, such as thedokana (δόκανα – two upright pieces of wood connected by two cross-beams), a pair ofamphorae, a pair of shields, or a pair of snakes. They are also often shown wearing felt caps, sometimes with stars above. They are depicted onmetopes (an element of a Doric frieze) fromDelphi showing them on the voyage of theArgo (Ἀργώ) and rustling cattle with Idas.Greek vases regularly show them capturing Phoebe and Hilaeira, asArgonauts, as well as in religious ceremonies and at the delivery toLeda of the egg containing Helen.[8] They can be recognized in some vase-paintings by theskull-cap they wear, thepilos (πῖλος), which was already explained in antiquity as the remnants of the egg from which they hatched.[22]
They were described byDares Phrygius as "blond haired, large eyed, fair complexioned, and well-built with trim bodies".[23]
Dokana were ancient symbolical representation of the Dioscuri. It consisted of two upright beams with others laid across them transversely. The Dioscuri were worshipped as gods of war, and their images accompanied the Spartan kings whenever they took the field against an enemy. But when in the year 504 B.C. the two kings, during their invasion of Attica, failed in their undertaking on account of their secret enmity towards each other, it was decreed at Sparta, that in future only one king should command the army, and in consequence should only be accompanied by one of the images of the Dioscuri. It is not improbable that these images, accompanying the kings into the field, were the ancient δόκανα, which were now disjointed, so that one-half of the symbol remained at Sparta, while the other was taken into the field by one of the kings.[24]
The name δόκανα seems that it comes from δοκός which meant beam, butSuda and theEtymologicum Magnum state that δόκανα was the name of the graves of the Dioscuri at Sparta, and derived from the verb δέχομαι.[24]
The Dioskouroi were worshipped by the Greeks and Romans alike; there were temples to the twins inAthens, such as theAnakeion, andRome, as well as shrines in many other locations in the ancient world.[25]
The Dioskouroi and their sisters grew up inSparta, in the royal household ofTyndareus; they were particularly important to theSpartans, who associated them with the Spartan tradition of dual kingship and appreciated that two princes of their ruling house were elevated to immortality. Their connection there was very ancient: a uniquely Spartan aniconic representation of the Tyndaridai was as two upright posts joined by a cross-bar;[26][27] as the protectors of the Spartan army the "beam figure" ordókana was carried in front of the army on campaign.[28] Sparta's unique dual kingship reflects the divine influence of the Dioscuri. When the Spartan army marched to war, one king remained behind at home, accompanied by one of the Twins. "In this way the real political order is secured in the realm of the Gods".[3]
Theirherōon or grave-shrine was on a mountain top atTherapne across theEurotas from Sparta, at a shrine known as theMeneláeion where Helen, Menelaus, Castor and Pollux were all said to be buried. Castor himself was also venerated in the region ofKastoria in northern Greece.
Relief (2nd century BCE) depicting the Dioskouroi galloping above a winged Victory, with a banquet(theoxenia) laid out for them below
They were commemorated both as gods on Olympus worthy ofholocaust, and as deceased mortals in Hades, whose spirits had to be propitiated bylibations. Lesser shrines to Castor, Pollux and Helen were also established at a number of other locations around Sparta.[29] Thepear tree was regarded by the Spartans as sacred to Castor and Pollux, and images of the twins were hung in its branches.[30] The standard Spartan oath was to swear "by the two gods" (inDoric Greek: νά τώ θεὼ,ná tō theō, in theDual number).
The rite oftheoxenia (θεοξενία), "god-entertaining", was particularly associated with Castor and Pollux. The two deities were summoned to a table laid with food, whether at individuals' own homes or in the public hearths or equivalent places controlled by states. They are sometimes shown arriving at a gallop over a food-laden table. Although such "table offerings" were a fairly common feature of Greek cult rituals, they were normally made in the shrines of the gods or heroes concerned. The domestic setting of thetheoxenia was a characteristic distinction accorded to the Dioskouroi.[8]
The image of the twins attending a goddess are widespread[h] and link the Dioskouroi with the male societies of initiates under the aegis of theAnatolian Great Goddess[3] and the great gods ofSamothrace. During theArchaic period, the Dioscuri were venerated inNaukratis.[32] The Dioscuri are the inventors of war dances, which characterize theKuretes.
Anakeia (ἀνάκεια) or Anakeion (ἀνάκειον) was a festival held at Athens in honor of the Dioscuri who also had the name Anakes (Ἄνακες).[33][34]
One of the Dioscuri, on aLas Incantadas pillar (2nd century CE)
The ancient city of Dioscurias or Dioskurias (Διοσκουριάς) on theBlack Sea coast, modernSokhumi, was named after them. In addition, according to legend the city was founded by them.[35][36] According to another legend, the city was founded by theircharioteers, Amphitus and Cercius ofSparta.[37][38]
The island ofSocotra, located between theGuardafui Channel and theArabian Sea, was called by the GreeksDioskouridou (Διοσκουρίδου νήσος), meaning "the island of the Dioscuri".
TheEtruscans venerated the twins asKastur andPultuce, collectively as thetinas cliniiaras, "Sons ofTinia", Etruscan counterpart of Zeus. They were often portrayed on Etruscan mirrors.[41] As was the fashion in Greece, they could also be portrayed symbolically; one example is seen in theTomb of the Funereal Bed atTarquinia where alectisternium is painted for them. Another is symbolised in a painting depicted as two pointed caps crowned with laurel, referring to thePhrygian caps.[42]
The House of the Dioscuri,Pompeii, was named for the paintings flanking the entrance
From the 5th century BCE onwards, the brothers were revered by the Romans, probably as the result of cultural transmission via the Greek colonies ofMagna Graecia in southern Italy. An archaic Latin inscription of the 6th or 5th century BCE found atLavinium, which readsCastorei Podlouqueique qurois ("To Castor and Pollux, the Dioskouroi"), suggests a direct transmission from the Greeks; the word "qurois" is virtually atransliteration of the Greek wordκούροις, while "Podlouquei" is effectively a transliteration of the GreekΠολυδεύκης.[43][verification needed]
Star crosses indicate the constellation Gemini on this Roman oil lamp (1st century CE)
The construction of theTemple of Castor and Pollux, located in theRoman Forum at the heart of their city, was undertaken to fulfill a vow(votum) made byAulus Postumius Albus Regillensis in gratitude at the Roman victory in theBattle of Lake Regillus in 495 BCE. The establishment of a temple may also be a form ofevocatio, the transferral of atutelary deity from a defeated town to Rome, where cult would be offeredin exchange for favor.[44] According to legend, the twins fought at the head of the Roman army and subsequently brought news of the victory back to Rome.[16] TheLocrians ofMagna Graecia had attributed their success at a legendary battle on the banks of the Sagras to the intervention of the Twins. The Roman legend could have had its origins in the Locrian account and possibly supplies further evidence of cultural transmission between Rome and Magna Graecia.[45]
The Romans believed that the twins aided them on the battlefield.[4] Their role as horsemen made them particularly attractive to the Romanequites and cavalry. Each year on July 15, Feast Day of the Dioskouroi, 1,800 equestrians would parade through the streets of Rome in an elaborate spectacle in which each rider wore full military attire and whatever decorations he had earned.[46]
Castor and Pollux are also represented in theCircus Maximus by the use of eggs as lap counters.[47]
In translations of comedies byPlautus, women generally swear by Castor, and men by Pollux; this is exemplified by the slave-woman character Staphyla inA Pot of Gold (act i, ll. 67–71) where she swears by Castor in line 67, then the negative prefix in line 71 denotes a refutation against swearing by Pollux.[48]
Late Roman Imperial Dioscuri, transferred from a temple of Castor and Pollux to thePiazza del Campidoglio on theCapitoline in 1585
Even after the rise ofChristianity, the Dioskouroi continued to be venerated. The 5th century popeGelasius I attested to the presence of a "cult of Castores" that the people did not want to abandon. In some instances, the twins appear to have simply been absorbed into a Christian framework; thus 4th century CE pottery and carvings from North Africa depict the Dioskouroi alongside theTwelve Apostles, theRaising of Lazarus or withSaint Peter. The church took an ambivalent attitude, rejecting the immortality of the Dioskouroi but seeking to replace them with equivalent Christian pairs. Saints Peter andPaul were thus adopted in place of the Dioskouroi as patrons of travelers, andSaints Cosmas and Damian took over their function as healers. Some have also associated SaintsSpeusippus, Eleusippus, and Melapsippus with the Dioskouroi.[20]
The New Testament scholarDennis MacDonald identifies Castor and Pollux as models forJames son of Zebedee and his brotherJohn in theGospel of Mark.[51] MacDonald cites the origin of this identification to 1913 whenJ. Rendel Harris published his workBoanerges, a Greek version probably of an Aramaic name meaning "Sons ofThunder", thunder being associated withZeus, father of Pollux, in what MacDonald calls a form of early Christian Dioscurism.[52]
More directly, theActs of the Apostles mentions the Dioskouroi in a neutral context, as the figurehead of an Alexandrian ship boarded by Paul in Malta (Acts 28:11).
^Phoebe ("the pure") is a familiar epithet of the moon,Selene; her twin's name Hilaeira ("the serene") is also a lunar attribute, their names "appropriate selectively to the new and the full moon".[14]
^In the oration of the Athenian peace emissary sent to Sparta in 69, according toXenophon (Hellenica VI), it was asserted that "these three heroes were the first strangers upon whom this gift was bestowed."[18]
^Kerényi draws attention especially to the rock carvings in the town of Akrai, Sicily.[31]
^abcParker, Robert Christopher Towneley (2003). "Dioscuri". In Hornblower, Simon; Spawforth, Anthony (eds.).The Oxford Classical Dictionary. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
^abKazhdan, Alexander;Talbot, Alice-Mary (1991), "Dioskouroi", in Kazhdan, Alexander P (ed.),The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press.
^Dares of Phrygia.History of the Fall of Troy 12. A short prose work which purports to be a first hand account of the Trojan War by Dares, a Trojan priest of Hephaestus in theIliad.
^Hockmann, Ursula (2013). Koehl, Robert B. (ed.).Amilla: The Quest for Excellence. Studies Presented to Guenter Kopcke in Celebration of His 75th Birthday. INSTAP Academic Press. pp. 367–368.ISBN978-1931534734.
Ringleben, Joachim, "An Interpretation of the 10th Nemean Ode",Ars Disputandi, translated by Douglas Hedley and Russell Manning, archived fromthe original on 2013-04-14.Pindar's themes of the unequal brothers and faithfulness and salvation, with the Christian parallels in the dual nature of Christ.
"Dioskouroi",Ouranios, Theoi Project. Excerpts in English of classical sources.
Walker, Henry J.The Twin Horse Gods: The Dioskouroi in Mythologies of the Ancient World. London, New York: I. B. Tauris, 2015.
Robbins, Emmet (2013). "The Divine Twins in Early Greek Poetry".Thalia Delighting in Song: Essays on Ancient Greek Poetry. Toronto Buffalo: University of Toronto Press. pp. 238–253.ISBN978-1-4426-1343-0.
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