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Apollo and Hermes
APOLLO
Can you tell me, Hermes, which of these two is Castor and which is Pollux? I can’t tell them apart.
Can you tell me, Hermes, which of these two is Castor and which is Pollux? I can’t tell them apart.
HERMES
The one with us yesterday was Castor, this one is Pollux.
The one with us yesterday was Castor, this one is Pollux.
APOLLO
How can you tell? They look identical.
How can you tell? They look identical.
HERMES
This one, Apollo, has on his face the marks of the injuries he’s got from his opponents when boxing, and especially from Bebryx, the son of Amycus,
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when he sailed on that expedition with Jason. The other has no marks like that; his face is free from blemish.
This one, Apollo, has on his face the marks of the injuries he’s got from his opponents when boxing, and especially from Bebryx, the son of Amycus,
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when he sailed on that expedition with Jason. The other has no marks like that; his face is free from blemish.
APOLLO
Thanks for telling me the difference, for all the rest’s the same, the half egg-shell on the head, and the star above it, the javelin in the hand, and a white horse each; so I’ve often called Pollux Castor and Castor Pollux. And there’s something else you can tell me. Why don’t we see them together? Why do they take turns of being dead and being a god?
Thanks for telling me the difference, for all the rest’s the same, the half egg-shell on the head, and the star above it, the javelin in the hand, and a white horse each; so I’ve often called Pollux Castor and Castor Pollux. And there’s something else you can tell me. Why don’t we see them together? Why do they take turns of being dead and being a god?
HERMES
That’s because of their brotherly love. When one of the sons of Leda had to die, and one to be immortal, they shared out the immortality in this way themselves.
That’s because of their brotherly love. When one of the sons of Leda had to die, and one to be immortal, they shared out the immortality in this way themselves.
APOLLO
Not a very clever way of sharing it, was it, Hermes? This way they won’t even see each other, and that’s what they wanted most of all, I take it. How can they, when one’s with the gods and one with the dead? Another thing; I play the prophet, Asclepius goes in for doctoring, you teach wrestling and are an excellent trainer, Artemis is a mid-wife,
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and everyone else among us has some special craft, which helps gods or men. But what will we get them to do? We can’t have big strapping fellows like them sitting in idleness all day stuffing themselves.
Not a very clever way of sharing it, was it, Hermes? This way they won’t even see each other, and that’s what they wanted most of all, I take it. How can they, when one’s with the gods and one with the dead? Another thing; I play the prophet, Asclepius goes in for doctoring, you teach wrestling and are an excellent trainer, Artemis is a mid-wife,
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and everyone else among us has some special craft, which helps gods or men. But what will we get them to do? We can’t have big strapping fellows like them sitting in idleness all day stuffing themselves.
HERMES
You needn’t worry. They’ve been put on to serving Poseidon; they must ride over
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the sea, and anywhere they see sailors in a storm, they must perch on the vessel and keep the crew safe.
You needn’t worry. They’ve been put on to serving Poseidon; they must ride over
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the sea, and anywhere they see sailors in a storm, they must perch on the vessel and keep the crew safe.
APOLLO
A useful vocation that, Hermes, and one of salvation.
A useful vocation that, Hermes, and one of salvation.
Dialogi deorum. Lucian of Samosata. Matthew Donald Macleod (Translator). Medford, MA. Perseus 5.0.
Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.
Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.