Gemini – The Ancient Greek Myth Behind the Zodiac Sign

Saatchi Art GEMINI Painting by Ante Barisic

The Zodiac Sign of Gemini

May 21 – June 20

3rd sign of the zodiac

May 21-June 20

Symbol: The Twins

Element: Air

Ruling Panet Mercury

The myth Behind the Zodiac Sign of Gemini:

Castor and Pollux

Castor and Pollux are the twins known as the zodiac signs of Gemini.

The Zodiac sign of Gemini represents the ancient Greek myth of the twin brothers Kastor (Κάστωρ) and Polydeukes (Πολυδεύκης); in Latin, Castor and Pollux by which they are usually known.

The Greeks referred to them jointly as the Dioskouroi (Dioscuri in Latin), meaning sons of Zeus.

Version One

Zeus; king of the gods, had his eye on Leda, the queen of Sparta.

In order to have his way with her he disguised himself as a swan.

On that same night, Leda’s husband; king Tyndareus also had his way with her.

This resulted in Leda bearing two eggs from which hatched Helen; later to become the cause of the Trojan Wars and a boy; Pollux, who were the immortal offspring of Zeus.

The second egg revealed another girl and boy; Clytemnestra (who later became the wife of Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks in the Trojan Wars) and Castor; who were the mortal children of king Tyndareus; the husband of Leda.

Leda and Zeus as Swan. Apulian Red Figure Ware, attributed to the Painter of Louvre. Late Classical Period

Regardless of the fact that the twins Castor and Pollux were of different fathers and one mortal, the other immortal; they loved each other dearly and were never apart.

Both boys loved all types of sport; Pollux became an expert boxer whilst Castor had a reputation for his skills and lack of fear on horseback.

When Jason invited them to join the Argonauts aboard his ship, the Argo, in his quest for the Golden Fleece, the twins, Pollux and Castor; the Dioskouroi, accepted without hesitation and they quickly became known for their ability to calm stormy seas which more than once jeopardized the ship.

The Argo (c. 1500–1530), painting by Lorenzo Costa

The twins impressed Poseidon, god of the sea, so much he bestowed on them the honour of becoming defenders of shipwrecked sailors and bequeathed to them them the power to create favourable winds at the drop of a hat.

After a terrible fight the twins had, over two women; Phoebe and Hilaira, with another couple of twins belonging to the crew of the Argo; Idas and Lynceus, Castor was killed and taken to the Underworld

Heartbroken and in despair Pollux prayed to Zeus to take him too as life for him would be unbearable without his brother Castor.

Zeus suggested Pollux come to Mount Olympus, where he would reside with the rest of the Olympian gods, Pollux though, refused, declaring he would not want to live forever whist his brother was below the earth in Hades.

Statue-of-a-male-deity-brought-to-Louis-XIV-and-restored-as-a-Zeus-ca.-1686-by-Pierre-Granier-who-added-the-arm-raising-the-thunderbolt.-Louvre-Paris.

Zeus, feeling sorry for the boy, came up with a plan which allowed Pollux to be with his brother Castor again, they would divide their time between the heavens and the underworld, one day high on Mount Olympus and one day, below earth, in Hades; the underworld.

As homage to the twins love for each other and to prevent them from ever being apart, Zeus placed their images amongst the stars as the constellation of Gemini, two equally bright shining stars which stood out in a group of weaker stars.

Constellation of Gemini

Versions Two

As with most Greek myths, there is not always only one version and so it is with this one.

Aratus, an ancient Greek poet, referred to the constellation only as “The Twins” giving them no names.

Around one hundred years later, Eratosthenes, an ancient Greek mathematician, named them the Dioskouroi, referring to Pollux and Castor and Hyginus (64 BC- AD 17) a Latin author, states the constellation represents Apollo and Heracles.

Many star charts depict the twins as Apollo and Heracles; for example, one twin may be depicted holding a lyre and arrow, symbols of Apollo, while the other carries a club, as did Heracles.

Gemini-as-depicted-in-Uranias-Mirror-a-set-of-constellation-cards-published-in-London-c.1825

St Elmo’s fire

Still, today, to spot the stars of the Dioscuri in the sky, is considered a lucky omen by sailors.

Sailors believed that during storms the twins appeared in a ship’s rigging as the electrical phenomenon known as St Elmo’s fire (named after St. Erasmus of Formia (also called St. Elmo, one of the two Italian names for St. Erasmus, the other being St. Erasmo), the patron saint of sailors).

This is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a corona discharge from a sharp or pointed object in a strong electric field in the atmosphere.

St. Elmo’s fire on a ship at sea

If there are two electrical charges, it means safety, resulting in a successful voyage, which is why they are named Castor and Pollux and people pray to them for help at sea.

If only one electrical charge or glow can be seen it’s named Helen and means catastrophe.

Personality traits of Gemini

Positive Gemini Traits

People born under the same zodiac sign are said to share certain personality traits, the traits associated with Gemini are high energy, charisma, good communication skills, wit, playfulness, intellectual curiosity, and adaptability.

It may be difficult to predict their reactions and they can quickly turn from hot to cold and have mood swings and can be unreliable at times.

They are generous, affectionate and imaginative, intellectual and expressive; they have a yearning for knowledge and love socializing.