CASTOR AND POLLUX IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
The stories of Greek mythology are made up of hundreds of individual characters, be they man or god. Today, relatively few of these figures are known to most people, but even when the names are not recognised a link to the modern day still exists; and the example of Castor and Pollux is a case in point.
The names of Castor and Pollux might not be that famous today, but their story is linked in with that of their sister, Helen of Troy, and even more famously, the twin brothers give one of their combined names to the Gemini constellation of stars.
The names of Castor and Pollux might not be that famous today, but their story is linked in with that of their sister, Helen of Troy, and even more famously, the twin brothers give one of their combined names to the Gemini constellation of stars.
The Birth of Castor and Pollux
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Castor and Pollux, or Kastor and Polydeukes in Ancient Greek, were twin sons of Queen Leda of Sparta; Leda being the wife of King Tyndareus. The story of the brothers birth though is not a simple one.
Queen Leda was one of the most beautiful mortals of the day, and such beauty would not go unnoticed by Zeus sitting upon his throne on Mount Olympus. Desiring Leda, Zeus transformed himself into a beautiful swan, and descended to Sparta. There he lay with the Spartan queen, and managed to make Leda pregnant. The same evening, Leda also slept with Tyndareus, and the combined actions of Zeus and Tyndareus would bring forth four offspring. |
Leda and the Swan -
Bertalan Székely (1835–1910) - PD-art-100
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The four children born to Leda were the two brothers Castor and Pollux, and two sisters, Helen and Clytemnestra; Castor and Clytemnestra were considered to be the children of King Tyndareus, whilst Pollux and Helen were the offspring of Zeus.
As the pair of twin brothers were inseparable they were given a joint name, and in Greek mythology they were referred to as the Dioscuri (Dioskouroi), and in Rome they were Gemini.
Helen would alter become famous when she was abducted by Paris, and given the title of Helen of Troy, whilst Clytemnestra would marry King Agamemnon. The brothers though would have their own stories written about them; although the timeline of these stories is somewhat elastic.
As the pair of twin brothers were inseparable they were given a joint name, and in Greek mythology they were referred to as the Dioscuri (Dioskouroi), and in Rome they were Gemini.
Helen would alter become famous when she was abducted by Paris, and given the title of Helen of Troy, whilst Clytemnestra would marry King Agamemnon. The brothers though would have their own stories written about them; although the timeline of these stories is somewhat elastic.
Leda and her Children - Giampietrino - PD-art-100
The Heroism of the Dioscuri
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As Castor and Pollux grew up they developed all of the attributes associated with Greek heroes, and in particular Castor became known for his skill with horses, whilst Pollux became highly regarded for his fighting, and in particular boxing, skills.
The Abduction of Helen – The heroic attributes were soon put to the test when their sister Helen was abducted. This though was not the abduction undertaken by Paris of Troy, but an earlier one committed by Theseus. Theseus, and his companion Pirithous, had decided that they were both worthy of marrying daughters of Zeus, and so Helen was taken from Sparta by Theseus, and taken back to Athens. Castor and Pollux would lead the Spartan army to Attica. The Dioscuri would easily take Athens as Theseus was absent at the time, and upon rescuing Helen, Castor and Pollux would also take Theseus’ mother Aethra in retribution. As previously mentioned there is some fluidity in the time line of the Dioscuri; and it is often said that Helen was only aged between seven and ten at the time of this first abduction, so Castor and Pollux would be the same age. Other conundrums also exist as in later adventures Castor and Pollux are comrades to men whose sons would fight at Troy, making Helen far older than any of the men on the Achaean side. |
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Castor and Pollux and the Argo - Konstantinos Volanakis (1837–1907) - PD-art-100
The Golden Fleece – Castor and Pollux are universally named amongst the Argonauts, the crew of the Argo who sailed for Colchis with Jason. During the quest for the Golden Fleece, Pollux is noted for having bested the King of Bebryces during a boxing match.
Also the pair were noted for the seamanship, helping to avert disaster on a number of occasions. For guiding the Argo through a particularly bad storm Castor and Pollux were anointed with stars on their head; and afterwards they would become guardian angels for other sailors, with the presence of St Elmo’s fire being a sign of their presence and help.
Castor and Pollux would also aide Jason upon the return of the Argo to Iolcus, helping the hero to deal with the treachery of Pelias.
The Calydonian Hunt – The Dioscuri are also named amongst the heroes who gathered to hunt the monstrous boar that was ravaging Calydon. The killing of the Calydonian Boar is down to the work of Meleager, with the assistance of Atalanta, but nevertheless the twins were amongst the hunters.
Also the pair were noted for the seamanship, helping to avert disaster on a number of occasions. For guiding the Argo through a particularly bad storm Castor and Pollux were anointed with stars on their head; and afterwards they would become guardian angels for other sailors, with the presence of St Elmo’s fire being a sign of their presence and help.
Castor and Pollux would also aide Jason upon the return of the Argo to Iolcus, helping the hero to deal with the treachery of Pelias.
The Calydonian Hunt – The Dioscuri are also named amongst the heroes who gathered to hunt the monstrous boar that was ravaging Calydon. The killing of the Calydonian Boar is down to the work of Meleager, with the assistance of Atalanta, but nevertheless the twins were amongst the hunters.
The Demise of Castor and Pollux
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The Dioscuri were well known for their protectiveness of Helen, and when it came time for Helen to marry they played an active role in keeping the Suitors of Helen in line, but when it came to rescuing her from Troy the pair were notable for their absence. This absence is put down to the fact that they were no longer amongst the living.
The story of Castor and Pollux had evolved so that Pollux, as was befitting the son of Zeus, was considered to be immortal, whilst Castor, as the son of Tyndareus was thought of as mortal; and so it was the latter who died. The death of Castor came about because of a series of arguments with Idas and Lynceus, two cousins of the Dioscuri. The four cousins were active in adventures together, but one day Castor and Pollux decided that they would take as their own Hilaria and Phoebe, two women betrothed to Idas and Lynceus. Hilaria would subsequently be said to bear Castor a child, Anogon (Anaxis), and Phoebe would give birth to Mnasinous (Mnesileos) for Pollux. Further discord was created when Castor and Pollux believed themselves cheated out of a share of stolen cattle taken by the four cousins. To get their share, the Dioscuri decided to take the herd of Idas and Lunceus. Castor and Pollux though were caught in the act and a fight broke out. Idas killed Castor during the fight, and Pollux killed Lynceus; Zeus then intervened, striking dead Idas. |
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Heartbroken at the death of his brother, Pollux implored Zeus to make Castor immortal, and eventually Zeus agreed to the request, and so Castor and Pollux were transformed into the Gemini constellation. To balance the cosmos though the Dioscuri would only be in the heavens half of the year, and the other six months would be spent in the Underworld.
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Colin Quartermain - Castor and Pollox - 14th April 2016