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Pagan

Devoted to the Dioskouroi: Interview with John Drury

December 24, 2010 by Galina Krasskova

Continued from Page 2

Was this connection between the Dioskouroi and Sobek consciously made in ancient times or is it something being discovered by the contemporary community today?

There is a website on excavations at Fayum, where Sobek's main temple existed.
Go down to the section on "religion" and you'll see that the twin Sobek brothers were connected to the Dioskouroi. So, yes, in ancient times (Hellenistic certainly) the connection was acknowledged.

Does the contemporary community make that connection? I don't think that most are aware of it. The larger Kemetic community isn't likely to connect the Egyptian and Greek pantheons anyway. Only the Greco-Egyptian community might be aware, and even that isn't likely as most aren't that knowledgeable about the Dioskouroi.

What was the most surprising aspect of compiling your devotional?

It's hard to pick one. Again, the biggest surprise was the subtle yet persistent hold and influence that the Dioskouroi in particular, and the Divine Twins in general, have had over the Western world in particular, but also the world at large.

Is there any connection between the Dioskouroi and ancestral veneration or hero cultus in either ancient or contemporary worship?

Yes, I believe that there was. In Rome for example, as mentioned earlier, it appears that the rank and file of the Praetorian Guard had Hercules as their patron, while the higher officers had the Dioskouroi as their patron gods. This is more of hero cultus. Their appearance at Lake Regulus was a major event in the Sabine war that Rome was fighting. Similarly, the Dioskouroi (or at least one of them) accompanied the Spartan kings when they went to war.

Reading Pausanias reveals some ancestral veneration, as they had tombs for the Dioskouroi and shrines not only for Them but also for Their sister Helen and Her husband Menelaos. Though these appear to be connected to rights of passage for younger men and women, the maintenance of tombs bespeaks ancestor veneration. Some time later, in Hellenistic and Roman times, people apparently claimed descent from the Dioskouroi. The Dioskouroi did marry and have children; that is recorded. Children also were named using variations of the Dioskouroi, or Kastor or Polydeuces (or Castor and Pollux in Rome).

In fact, one scientist who was named after the Dioskouroi had his name used for a genus and family of plants. The ancient Greek physician and botanist Dioscourides, who is quite famous in terms of pharmacopia, is the source of the name for the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae). Within that genus are yams. So the next time you eat a yam, you can think of the Dioskouroi.

I've talked to other Hellenic Pagans who have presented some startlingly modern images of the Gods (such as Hermes in a business suit with an iPad), essentially reinventing their sacred stories to better integrate with the modern day. Do you see the potential for this to happen with the Dioskouroi?

Actually there was a new comic done recently using the Dioskouroi. In May of last year Olympus was released, which is a modern comic set in the modern day that discusses the Dioskouroi. I have a copy and enjoyed it.

What advice would you give to readers who might want to develop a devotional relationship with the Dioskouroi?

You might be amazed at the connections that you have to these gods. Horses, boxing, sailing, hunting, and warfare are all easy connections. But astrology, healing arts, travel, food, medicine, and chthonic aspects in general are all fields in which They have connections. Look around, learn the myths a bit, and you will begin to see Them and Their family in places you'd not seen them before. Don't be afraid to approach them. While quiet they are well-disposed toward humans and will listen.

Do you have any other projects currently in the works?

This is enough for now! If I can get through this and give it the proper depth and focus that it deserves, I will be thrilled.

Thank you, John, for taking the time to answer my questions. Readers interested in learning more about the Dioskouroi should go to Neos Alexandria's new website where the release of John's book will also be announced.

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12/24/2010 5:00:00 AM

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About Galina Krasskova

The author of several books on the Northern Tradition, Galina Krasskova is a Heathen priest, shaman, and devotee of Odin. She blogs at Gangleri's Grove.

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