Pollux

English > Greek (Woodhouse)

Πολυδεύκης, -ου, ὁ; see Dioscuri.

Latin > English

Pollux Pollucis N M :: Pollux; (son of Tyndarus and Leda, twin of Castor)

Latin > English (Lewis & Short)

Pollux: ūcis (collat. form of nom. Pol-lūces, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 8, 53; cf. Varr. L. L. 5, § 73 Müll.—
I Voc. pol, edepol,
v. infra), m., = Πολυδεύκης, a famous pugilist, son of Tyndarus and Leda, and brother of Castor, in connection with whom, as the constellation of the Twins (Gemini, v. 2. Castor), he serves as a guide to mariners, Cic. N. D. 3, 21, 53; id. Leg. 2, 8, 19; Hyg. Fab. 14; 173: ita me ... Castor, Polluces ... dique omnes ament, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 8, 53; Aug. Civ. Dei, 4, 27.—Poet.: geminus Pollux, i. e. Castor and Pollux, Hor. C. 3, 29, 64: facere aliquem de Polluce Castora, i. e. to make a knight of a pugilist (pugil), Mart. 7, 57, 1.— As a deity: DEVS VINCIVS POLLVX, Inscr. Rein. cl. 1, n. 218.—In voc., contr. pol, and length. edepol (aedep-), interj. (cf.: ecastor, equirine, etc.), by Pollux! indeed! truly! pol mihi fortuna magis nunc defit quam genus, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 19, 44 (Trag. v. 394 Vahl.); id. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 100 ib.); Caecil. 190; Com. Fragm. p. 67 Rib.; Plaut. Aul. 2, 7, 2: per pol quam paucos reperias meretricibus fideles, Ter. Hec. 1, 1, 1: pol, me miserum, patrone, vocares, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 92; 2, 2, 138.—In connection with other particles of affirmation: pol profecto, indeed, truly, Plaut. Men. 5, 9, 5: certe pol, Ter. Eun. 4, 5, 5: sane pol, id. And. 1, 4, 2: pol vero, id. Phorm. 5, 8, 65.— In the form edepol: certe edepol scio, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 115: credo edepol equidem dormire Solem, id. ib. 126; 180.—With other particles: ne edepol, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 27: non edepol volo profecto, id. ib. 1, 1, 215: certe edepol, id. ib. 1, 1, 243: immo edepol vero, id. Most. 3, 2, 78.

Latin > French (Gaffiot 2016)

Pollūx,¹¹ ūcis, m. (Πολυδεύκης), fils de Léda, frère de Castor : Cic. Nat. 3, 53 ; Leg. 2, 19 || v. Polluces.

Latin > German (Georges)

Pollūx, ūcis, m. (Πολυδεύκης), Sohn des Tyndarus (od. des Jupiter) und der Leda, Bruder des Kastor, als Faustfechter (pugil) od. Fechter mit dem Cästus berühmt, wie Kastor als guter Reiter, Cic. de legg. 2, 19. Hyg. fab. 14 u. 173: Pollux uterque, Kastor u. Pollux, Hor. carm. 3, 29, 64. – dah. Castora de Polluce facere alqm = equitem de pugile, Mart. 7, 57, 1. – / Altlat. Form Pollūcēs, is, m., Plaut. Bacch. 894. Varro LL. 5, 73: u. Polōcēs, Corp. inscr. Lat. 1, 55.

Wikipedia EN

Castor and Pollux (or Polydeukes) are twin half-brothers in Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri.

Their mother was Leda, but they had different fathers; Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, while Pollux was the divine son of Zeus, who raped Leda in the guise of a swan. The pair are thus an example of heteropaternal superfecundation. Though accounts of their birth are varied, they are sometimes said to have been born from an egg, along with their twin sisters Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra.

In Latin the twins are also known as the Gemini (literally "twins") or Castores, as well as the Tyndaridae or Tyndarids. Pollux asked Zeus to let him share his own immortality with his twin to keep them together, and they were transformed into the constellation Gemini. The pair were regarded as the patrons of sailors, to whom they appeared as St. Elmo's fire. They were also associated with horsemanship, in keeping with their origin as the Indo-European horse twins.