The Gemini Myth- The Myth Of Castor and Pollux

The myth of the Dioscuri

The Dioscuri are two children of Zeus called Castor and Pollux, two boys who are twin brothers of Helen and Clitennestra, born by the love between the head of the gods and the beautiful Leda.

The history of the birth of these two characters is very interesting. In fact according to the myth, Zeus was transformed into a swan to have a relationship with Leda, but in the same moment she also had a relationship with her husband (obviously a human) and thus, from this double conception two twin Geminis were born that were obviously divided between Zeus and Tindaro (Leda’s husband).

So, Castor and Clitennestra were assigned to Tindaro, while Pollux and Elena went to Zeus.

Obviously, it is needless to say that a divine nature was granted to Pollux, while a skilfully human nature went to Castor.

Obviously this myth is very much tied to the profound nature of the Gemini, dual deduction in all that the natives have to complete, finding a connection between a material and human nature and a more refined and divine nature.

In fact, the sign by nature has a greater affinity with the “thought” process; it is a lucubrating sign that nevertheless does not easily manage to go down into the darkest part that is human and earthly with its difficulties tied especially to the emotional and instinctive part that the sign cannot handle properly.

The Dioscuri were two warriors: according to the myth they participated in the adventures of the Argonauts together with Jason, and they distinguished themselves against the king of the Bebrici.

They were nevertheless also protagonists in the kidnapping of two daughters of Leucippus (son of Tindaro) who had been promised in marriage to Ida and Lyncean, two children of Afareo (brother of Leucippus).

Thus, Castor and Pollux, who secretly had relationships with the two girls, decided to intervene and, during the wedding ceremony, kidnapped two girls provoking a furious fight, in which Castor and Lyncean were killed.

It is also another version of the myth that instead recounts that the Dioscuri managed to kidnap two girls and also had children with them. The tragedy instead occurred during a raid with Ida’s and Lyncean aimed at kidnapping cattle in Arcadia, during which a quarrel broke out for the division of the animals that ended with an ambush carried out by Dioscuri on the two cousins, in which Castor was killed by Ida and Pollux instead managed to kill Lyncean, although he was badly injured.

Obviously there are many myths with different versions. However, what does not change is the issue of the separation of the Dioscuri due to the death of Castor.

This part of the myth makes one think that the difficulty of these two characters is focused on a relational level: as if it was something that they must learn to work out for themselves to be able to improve their relationships and and not turn them into “almost superficial encounters”.

In fact, the sign of Gemini, which is ruled by Hermes, always shows a great easiness in creating contact: they are very dialectic, and manage to state their opinions whoever without fear and with immediacy, although their nature makes them much less capable in deep relationships, as if there are difficulties at the moment in which they must be in contact with their feelings, and above all their instinctive side, which is often not too ethical and not very clear because it is very undifferentiated.

In Gemini we find the Pluto exaltation that, on the one hand certainly makes them protagonists perennially in search of a more definite identity, but on the other hand it pushes them into contexts that are not easy to see because they move at a “darkness” level: Geminis often do not have a real connection with their Plutonian part that is intimate and profound, and then they end up behaving in a superficial way without properly understanding the inner reasons and not even the effects of this behaviour.

Pluto is the God who, like a true bearer of light, lets us see with the results of our actions, thoughts and feelings, whether or not we are aware of them.

Thus, seeing what was happening to Castor, Zeus intervened to save Pollux killing Ida with a lightning blow and raising the son to the sky, saving his life, making him an immortal being. Castor was instead human and would have been destined to go down to Hell, in the underworld of Hades.

The union between two brothers- that, being Gemini, are one unit – was so intense and necessary that Pollux did not accept the immortality that Zeus granted him and therefore asked his father to also give a chance to Castor, so they could both live; Zeus agreed but he decided that the two could no longer ever meet, letting each have a day in the sky and another on land, but never again to be together at the same time.

In this way Pollux let Castor return to life: both should have found a way to never be in the same place at the same time; thus they always need to be informed to avoid making a mistake.

The end of this myth is interesting because it explains the solution that a native Gemini has to find; he will have to learn to be both in the “sky and on earth” without relying exclusively on the world of ideas but instead also learning to be in contact with material reality that is often complicated and difficult.

Only in this way, through this continuous communication between two parts, will the sign be able to find the completeness to which it aspires, allowing both functions to live inside them: the rational or instinctive and the emotional side of them.

Last updated on June 27, 2015 at 5:30 pm. Word Count: 973