Gazing At Gemini
A Hymn to the Great Twins of Life and Death
Babylonia and Greece-
Pollux, my brother, who is Meslamataea!
I be Castor, the once-living twin of thee.
Tell me, my twin, my soulmate in life!
Who guards the gates to death and fright?
Who stands beside you, brother of mine?
Is it some new offspring of the great divine?
They call us the twins, the Gemini chain!
But death has severed us forever in twain.
Your Birth-
I recall when I first saw you, glistening white.
Your crown of gold of Zeus blinded my sight.
Tricksters we were for the mortal below,
But to one another, only closer we did grow.
I could not lie to your eyes so bright with the fire!
Of Zeus thy father, the divine is thy sire!
Our Birth-
Of the same womb, we came to the earth,
Through Leda our mother, mortal our birth.
Only I am a Spartan, destined to die.
To sink in the dirt, and forever here lie.
Never to gaze across and see your light,
I fear forever to lose your sight!
Our Eternal Chain-
But when I awoke from my deathly stroke,
To heaven, you placed me, in the sky to float.
In a chain forever unbreakable, unshakable nigh!
For we are forever the cunning twins, Gemini.
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EPILOGUE
The notion of the dualist nature of life and death is a belief that predates history. The constellation we now know as the Gemini was once associated with Nergal of Babylon.
Nergal was the lord of the underworld and also known as "He who returns from the Underworld". Or, Meslamateae. But, his twin, "he who stands guard" (Lugalirra) was said to possibly be mortal.
In Greek culture, they adopted this legend into the myth of the Gemini. Pollux and Castor were said to be inseparable. They were said to love one another like fire. Historians are uncertain if this is romantic or a friendship or both. But, they were later associated with St. Elmo's Fire.
As anyone knows, though, love takes many forms. It need not be romantic to be real and intense.
When Castor died before Pollux the reality of death struck the immortal (life). One can see echoes of the legend Gilgamesh and Enkidu in this realization of mortality. Castor begged Zeus to permit him to forever be connected in the heavens as the constellation, Gemini.
Sources:
http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/lugalirraandmeslamtaea/index.html
https://www.space.com/16816-gemini-constellation.html
http://inamidst.com/lights/stelmo
About the Creator
Emily Marie Concannon
I am a world nomad with a passion for vegan food, history, coffee, and equality.
You can find my first novel on Kindle Vella here: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B09V4S7T4N :) I appreciate all your support and engagement! :)
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Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
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Compelling and original writing
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Comments (2)
Wow! This was really well written, and the author's note was a brilliant add. I love learning more about everything, lol. Loved it!
Beautifully done, Luv the knowledge that went into this.