Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 2,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (thunder and lightning): Text and notes (Cambridge, 1925)

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Kastor and Polydeukes

after thine own conception. But lo ! I grant thee thy full choice in this ; if thou
desirest to escape death and grievous eld, and to dwell thyself in Olympus with
me, and with Athene, and with Ares of the darksome spear, thou canst have
this lot appointed thee. But, if thou contendest for thy brother, and art minded
to have an equal share with him in all things, then mayest thou breathe for half
thy time beneath the earth, and for half thy time in the golden homes of heaven."
When thus the god had spoken, the hero had no double purpose in his heart;
and Zeus opened once more the eye, and then released the voice of the bronze-
clad warrior, Castor1.'

It has long been recognised that the interpolator of the Odyssey
and Pindar were alike indebted to the Kypria'1, of which certain
fragments are extant covering approximately the same ground.
One such fragment draws the essential contrast :

Kastor was mortal, being doomed to die,
But Polydeukes, War's own wight, immortal3.

Another relates the beginning of the fray:

And then in haste
Lynkeus with fleet foot sought Taygeton,
Climbed to its topmost peak, and looked abroad
Through the whole isle of Pelops son of Tantalos.

1 Pind. Nem. 10. 148 ff. trans. Sir J. E. Sandys.

2 F. Staehlin ' Der Dioskurenmythus in Pindars 10. nemeischer Ode. (Ein Beispiel
einer Mythenidealisierung.)' in Pliilologus 1903 lxii. 182—195 claims to show that in
various points Pindar is intentionally improving on the tale as told by the Kypria :

KYPRIA PINDAR
Kastor the mortal and Polydeukes the im-
mortal are both sons of Zeus.
They carry off their cousins the Leukippides

without giving bride-gifts to Leukippos.
The Apharidai taunt the Dioskouroi with

the rape ; whereupon the Dioskouroi

lift the cattle of the Apharidai and

present them to Leukippos.
The Dioskouroi hide themselves in a hollow

oak from the pursuit of the Apharidai.

Idas, thrusting through the oak, pierces

Kastor.

Polydeukes therefore slays Lynkeus. Idas

with the stele of Aphareus all but slays

Polydeukes.
Zeus helps Polydeukes by killing Idas with

a thunderbolt.

Only Polydeukes is the son of Zeus.

The rape of the Leukippides is omitted.

Only Kastor is concerned with the cattle-
raid.

The Apharidai basely attack Kastor, while
he is seated (juxevov) on a stump of oak.

Idas and Lynkeus with the stele of Aphareus
attempt to stop Polydeukes, but fail.

Polydeukes slays Lynkeus, and would have
slain Idas, had not Zeus, to honour
Polydeukes, hurled the fatal bolt.
But see Gruppe Myth. Lit. 1908 p. 4S2 f.

3 Cypria frag. 5 Kinkel ap. Clem. Al. protr. 2. 30. 5 p. 22, 22 ff. Stahlin Kdcrrup
fxiv 0v7]Tbs, davarov be oi alaa weTrpwTai. (H. Kochly cj. ireTrpuTo)' | avrap 6 y' dddvaros
HoXvdevKTjs, ofos "Apijos. The concluding phrase does not, of course, imply that Poly-
deukes was the son of Ares: see H. Ebeling Lexicon Homericum Lipsiae 1880 ii. 31.
Supra i. 279.