A Tale of Ancient Greece

Of all the gods, the poet Simonides held a deep devotion to the Divine Twins, Castor and Polydeukes, known as the Dioskouroi, “Zeus' lads,” and was wont to offer to them regularly.

Now, these same Twin Gods are of ancient lineage, having been known to the ancestors some 5000 years ago, and are widely worshiped among all the Indo-European peoples, from Ireland to India. Known as the Divine Horsemen, they were everywhere accounted the Saviors of Humanity. Indeed, the Tribe of Witches honor them to this day.

Now, it so happened that Simonides was commissioned to write an ode in honor of a certain Thessalian nobleman's son, who had won the crown in boxing at the Olympics. He duly presented the ode at the nobleman's victory feast, but the host was not pleased.

“You poets and your damned mythological allusions,” he said. “You spent more time eulogizing Castor and Polydeukes than you did my son.” (Polydeukes, called Pollux by the Romans, was famed as a boxer.) The upshot of the matter was that he refused to pay Simonides more than half of the agreed-upon fee.

“Maybe the Dioskouroi will make up the rest,” he added archly. This was thought a fine joke by some.

Some time later, back in Athens, Simonides was called to the door.

“Two men on horseback want to see you,” the door-keeper told him. “They say it's urgent.”

Simonides went to the door, but saw no one. He stepped out into the street to look.

At this moment, Athens was struck by an earthquake, and the roof of Simonides' study collapsed. If he had been inside, he would surely have been killed.

The two men on horseback were nowhere to be found.

Retold from:

James Davidson (2007) The Greeks and Greek Love: A Bold New Exploration of the Ancient World. New York: Random House, p. 477.

Above:

The "Ildefonso Group," possibly Castor and Pollux

Roman, 1st c. CE

Prado Museum, Spain