Home > Castor and Polydeuces

They are called the Dioscuri (dios kouroi), meaning the "Sons of Zeus," although the story of their parentage is confused, as it is for their sisters Helen and Clytemnestra. The best known story is that Zeus disguised himself as a swan and seduced Leda. Thus Leda's children are frequently said to have hatched from two eggs that she then produced. By many accounts, however, Leda's mortal husband Tyndareus could also have fathered some of the children. Which children are thus mortal and which half-immortal is not consistent among accounts, nor is which children hatched from which egg. Castor and Polydeuces are sometimes both mortal, sometimes both divine. One consistent point is that if only one of them is immortal, it is Polydeuces.

As a further complication, the Zeus swan story is sometimes associated with the goddess Nemesis. In this tradition, it was Nemesis who was seduced and who laid the egg, but the egg was then found by or given to Leda. However, this story is usually associated with Helen, not with Castor and Polydeuces.

Polydeuces was a powerful boxer, and Castor a great horseman.

In Roman mythology, Castor was venerated much more often than Polydeuces. He was known as Castore.

When Theseus and Pirithous kidnapped their sister Helen and carried her off to Aphidnae , the twins rescued her and counter-abducted Theseus' mother, Aethra. They also accompanied Jason on the Argo; during the voyage, Polydeuces killed King Amycus in a boxing match.

When AstydameiaIn Greek mythology, Astydameia was the Queen of Iolcus and wife of Acastus. Acastus purifed Peleus of the murder of King Eurytion of Phthia Then, Peleus lost a wrestling match in the funeral games of Pelias, Acastus' father, to Atalanta. Astydameia, Acast, queen of Iolcus, offended PeleusIn Greek mythology, Peleus ( Greek: ) was the son of Aeacus, King of Aegina. Peleus and Telamon, his brother, killed their half-brother, Phocus and fled Aegina to escape punishment. In Phthia, Peleus was purified by Eurytion and married Antigone, Eurytion, the twins assisted him in ravaging her country.

Castor and Polydeuces abducted and married PhoebeIn Greek mythology, Phoebe referred to several people. Phoebe was one of the original Titans. One of the Heliades Another was the daughter of Leucippus, beloved by Castor and Polydeuces and Idas and Lynceus. Another name for Artemis Helen's sister, daught and HilaeiraIn Greek mythology, Hilaeira was a daughter of Leucippus and beloved by Castor and Polydeuces and Idas and Lynceus. Greek mythological people., the daughters of LeucippusThis article is about the philosopher. There was also a Greek mythological Leucippus (mythology Leucippus or Leukippos ( 5th century BC) was the originator of atomism, the philosophical belief that everything is composed entirely of various imperishable,. In return, IdasIn Greek mythology, Idas was a son of Aphareus and Arene and brother of Lynceus. He and Lynceus loved Hilaeira and Phoebe and killed their rival suitors, Castor and Polydeuces. He was also one of the Argonauts and a participant in the hunt for the Calydon and LynceusLynceus is the name of two people from Greek mythology. Lynceus was a descendant of Belus through Aegyptus, twin brother of Danaus, who had fifty daughters, the Danaides, and Aegyptus had fifty sons (including Lynceus). Aegyptus commanded that his sons ma, nephews of Leucippus (or rival suitors), killed Castor. Polydeuces was granted immortality by Zeus, and further persuaded Zeus to share his gift with Castor. (In some accounts, only Polydeuces was fathered by Zeus, while Leda and her husband Tyndareus conceived Castor. This explains why only Polydeuces was granted immortality.) Accordingly, the two spend alternate days as gods on Olympus and as deceased mortals in Hades.

Their festival was on July 15.

Compare with Amphion and Zethus of Thebes, with Romulus and Remus of Rome and with the Asvins of Vedic mythology. Some have supposed a general Indo-European origin for the myth of the divine twins .

The constellation Gemini is said to represent these twins, and its brightest stars Castor and Pollux (α and β Geminorum) are named for them.