[[horse-back-riding]] [[divine-family]] # Divine Twins [Wkipedia: Divine Twins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine-twins) [Wikipedia: PIE myth: Divine Twins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European-mythology#Divine-Twins) - Anglo Saxon [[hengest-and-horsa]] ([[joseph1983]]) - Skt. `divó nápātā` - Grk. `di[w]óskouroi` - Grk. `kastor` & `poludeukés` - They are called Grk. `sōtēre` "the two saviors", which coresponds with the Skt. `nāsatyā` "saviours". - -->Lat. `castor` & `pollux` - Latv. `dieva dēli` "sons of heaven" (usually twins) Celtic [[lugian-and-cernunnian]] ## Biblio [[ward-d1968]] [[oudaer2013]] [[larsen2022]] History of the scholarship [[larsen2022]] Influence on Tolkien [[frauenfelder1991]] [[frame2013]] ### Family ##### Siblings - Brothers of the Sun & Dawn maidens ##### Dual Parentage - They had two fathers, being the sons of the [Sky Father](day-sky-father.md) & an unknown Mortal. As such they are "fraternal" rather than "indentical" twins. - Grk. [Castor & Pollux](castor-and-pollux.md) had different fathers: Zeus & the mortal Tyndareus. - Skt. [Aśvins](sky-sons-indian) had different fathers: Dyáus & the mortal Súmakha ("Good Warrior"; Skt. *sú-makha*; cognate with Grk. *mákhē* ‘battle, combat’ and *makhésasthai* ‘to fight’). ### Different Personalities - Skt. [Aśvins](sky-sons-indian). Nakula and Sahadeva. Nakula was “warlike” and “beautiful”, while Sahadeva was “intelligent” [[RV-1.181.4]] ### Epithet: "*Sky-Father's Sons*" - Skt. [Aśvins](sky-sons-indian) were called "Sons of Heaven" (*divó nápātā* & *dívo napātā*) - Baltic "Sons of God" (Latvian Dieva *dēli*, Lithuanian *Dievo sūneliai*) - Anglo-Saxon [[hengest-and-horsa]] - Grk. [Castor & Pollux](castor-and-pollux.md) were called the "Youths of Zeus" (*Dioskouroi*) - Roman Gemini ### Associated with Horses - [[divine-twins]]: Anglo-Saxon [Hengest & Horsa](hengest-and-horsa.md) (two different words for "Horse"). Germanic [Horse Head Gables](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hengist-and-Horsa#Horse-head-gables) were called "Hengst und Hors" as late as 1875. - Skt. [Aśvins](sky-sons-indian) ("Horse-Possessors"). Under this name they appear 398 in the Rig Veda. ### Twins & Chariots - The Skt. Aśvins were twins. They were also called the *Nāsatyas*. This word derives is a derivative of *nasatí-* ‘safe return home’ and belongs to the same Proto-Indo-European root *nes-* as the Greek agent noun Néstōr — known from Homer as a hippóta and a masterly charioteer — and refers to the charioteer’s task of bringing the hero safely back from the battle. Under this name they appear 99 times in the Rig Veda. - The Grk. Castor & Pollux were twins. - Their dual number seems to be largely due to their being the divinized [chariot team](chariot-team.md). ### Journey of the Sun as Chariot Race - **This quote is confusing:** The atmosphere separating heaven and earth is compared to the axle keeping the two wheels apart…If the axle of the Aśvins’ chariot is the [world pillar](axis-mundi.md) keeping heaven and earth apart, the Aśvins should be driving around so that the wheels of their chariot are horizontal, parallel to level ground. This would be in accordance with the world view according to which the sun’s single wheel turns its luminous side towards heaven during the night and towards earth during the day… This fits the idea that the sun in its daily course turns around at sunrise and sunset, and accordingly the rising sun should represent the turning post in the chariot race won by the Aśvins. - Skt. {[[aitareya-brahmana]]4.7-9}: > "By means of a mule chariot Agni ran the race....with ruddy cows Uṣas ran the race....with a horse chariot Indra ran the race...with an ass chariot the ashvins won..." ## Branches ### Greece In Greece they fused with the [[near-eastern-divine-twins]] (see [[frauenfelder1991]]ch3). ## Web Resources [indo-european-connection.com](https://www.indo-european-connection.com/religion/gods/twins) ## Non-IE Divine Twins [[near-eastern-divine-twins]]