Story of Gemini

THE MYTH OF GEMINI

The myth of Gemini is a myth of Castor and Pollux, sons of Zeus and Leda. Leda was the wife of Tyndareus, king of Sparta. One of the versions of this myth states that Leda got seduced or raped by Zeus disguised as a swan, on the same night when she shared a bed with her husband. As a result, she hatched two eggs from which four children were born, mortal and immortal for they have different fathers, and among them – Castor and Pollux.

Castor was the mortal twin brother, and Pollux was immortal. They never fought and loved each other greatly. Pollux was known for his boxing skills and Castor as a horse tamer. Brothers aspired to marry two women who were already betrothed to two of their cousins. This lead to a family feud and Castor was fatally wounded by one of the cousins as a consequence. Zeus gave a choice to Pollux – to spend every day as an immortal at Mount Olympus among the gods, or give half of his immortality to his brother Castor. He opted for the latter, and the twins shared life and death, by spending a day at Olympus together followed by a day at Hades – the underworld.

The second story is connected to the birth of the twins, in which they weren’t really Leda’s sons. By this version of the myth, Zeus fell in love with Nemesis, who was the spirit of divine retribution against those who succumb to hubris (arrogance before gods). She represented inevitability of fate to those who were godless and evil. Zeus started chasing her, acting on strong attraction he felt, and she started changing shapes to escape him. When she transformed into a goose, Zeus found her, became a swan himself, and mated with her passionately. As a result, two eggs hatched, found by Leda in the swamp and she claimed them as her own.