Gemini celebrates brotherhood and the struggle with mortality. The Gemini twins, Castor and Pollux, share the same mother (Leda) yet (figure this out) have different fathers. Castor, renowned for his skill with horses, was son of a mortal father, King Tyndarus of Sparta, whereas Pollux, the boxer (not of Simon and Garfunkel fame), hails from the loins of Zeus. As such, Pollux inherits immortality, a true blessing until his brother is slain. What is the benefit of eternal grief? Overcome by the loss of his brother, Pollux implores Zeus to give Castor immortality. Zeus consents and honors the pair in the heavens, leaving us the constellation as a reminder of the enduring gift of brotherly love.
Gemini
vincent h. anastasi (2019)
We were born into this story, sons of God and sons of men
And every day I feel the tension of living stretched between two lands
And though I cast my eyes to heaven, the earth still tugs upon my feet
And as I sojourn here, a stranger, at least you share this quest with me
Some days our mortal flesh is heavy; some days we’re recklessly divine
Yet either way we live together, two brothers like the Gemini
And so we launched out on the oceans and tamed the horses on the land
Lulled to sleep by immortality as hours passed like grains of sand
We battled far on plains of windy Troy; we sought the cherished Golden Fleece
We never backed down from a challenge, but this has brought me to my knees
For now I wrestle with divinity while your life slowly ebbs away
Now that I have to lose a brother, it’s just too high a price to pay
So set us ever in the heavens, two stars that light a journey’s end
Forever bound in evening’s radiance, never to separate again
Forever bound in evening’s radiance, never to separate again
the deepening ground 