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Castor and Pollux
(redirected from Castor & Pollux)

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Castor and Pollux (pŏl`əks), in classical mythology, twin heroes called the Dioscuri; Castor was the son of Leda Leda (lē`də), in Greek mythology, daughter of Thestios, king of Aetolia, and wife of Tyndareus, king of Sparta.
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 and Tyndareus, Pollux the son of Leda and Zeus. They were brothers to Helen and Clytemnestra. Castor excelled as a horseman and Pollux as a boxer. They were great warriors and were noted for their devotion to each other. In one version of the legend, after Castor was killed by Lynceus, Pollux, in accordance with the classical tradition that one of every set of twins is the son of a god and thus immortal, begged Zeus to allow his brother to share his immortality with him. Zeus arranged for the twins to divide their time evenly between Hades and Heaven, and in their honor he created the constellation Gemini. According to another legend, Castor was killed by Idas. The Dioscuri were widely regarded as patrons of mariners and were responsible for Saint Elmo's fire Saint Elmo's fire, luminous discharge of electricity extending into the atmosphere from some projecting or elevated object. It is usually observed (often during a snowstorm or a dust storm) as brushlike fiery jets extending from the tips of a ship's mast or spar, a
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. They were especially honored by the Romans, on whose side they were said to have appeared miraculously during the battle of Lake Regillus.
Castor and Pollux
twin brothers who lived and died together. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 52]

Castor and Pollux
sons of Leda and Zeus, placed in heaven as constellation Gemini. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 52]
See : Twins


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