| Castor and Pollux | |
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Real Name |
Castor and Pollux, Kastor and Polydeukes, Kastor/Castor and Polydeuces, Dioscuri, Dioskouroi, Anakes, Anaktes, Gemini, Castores, Tyndarids, The Two Gods |
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First Appearance |
Greek Mythology |
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Created by |
Greek Mythology |
Origin[]
Castor and Pollux—also known as the Dioscuri—were heroic twin brothers from Sparta. They were both sons of Leda, the queen of Sparta, though they had different fathers: Castor’s father was Leda’s husband Tyndareus, while Pollux’s father was Zeus, the king of the gods. Though accounts of their birth are varied, they are sometimes said to have been born from an egg, along with their twin sisters Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra.
The Dioscuri participated in a number of important heroic exploits, including the Calydonian Boar Hunt. They also saved their sister Helen when she was abducted by the Athenian king Theseus.
During the expedition of the Argonauts, Pollux took part in a boxing contest and defeated King Amycus of the Bebryces, a savage mythical people in Bithynia. After returning from the voyage, the Dioscuri helped Jason and Peleus to destroy the city of Iolcus in revenge for the treachery of its king Pelias.
One or both of the Dioscuri lost their lives in a battle with their rivals, the twins Idas and Lynceus. But Zeus granted them a qualified immortality, allowing them to alternate days between the Underworld and the heavens. Pollux asked Zeus to let him share his own immortality with his twin to keep them together, and they were transformed into the constellation Gemini. Worship of the Dioscuri eventually spread to Italy and Rome, where they were known as the Castores.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Castor and Pollux from before Janury 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Iliad
- Odyssey
- Hesiodic Catalogue
- Cypria
- Helen by Euripides
- Elektra by Euripides
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Four Color #1121
Notes[]
- In DC Comics, Robert Reed could transform into Castor and Pollux.
- The Character Pollux from the Arrowverse, was named after the God Pollux.