Castor and Pollux horse breaker and the boxer / Polydeuces, my brothers" ..." – Helen, "Iliad" 3.253–255), but in the "Odyssey" they are treated as alive even though "the corn-bearing earth holds them". The author describes them as "having honour equal to gods", living on alternate days because of the intervention of Zeus. In both the "Odyssey" and in Hesiod, they are described as the sons of Tyndareus and Leda. In Pindar, Pollux is the son of Zeus while Castor is the son of the mortal Tyndareus. The theme of ambiguous parentage is not unique to Castor and Pollux; similar characterisations appear in
Leda and the Swan (Peter Paul Rubens) she is most known for giving birth to Clytemnestra, Helen, Pollux, and Castor. The most common myth claims that Zeus transformed himself into a swan to couple with Leda. Some versions claim that she loved Zeus and willing had sexual relations with him, while other versions claim she was seduced and therefore was not willing. That same night, she coupled with Tyndareus also. Leda then gave birth to four children at the same time. The two pairs of twins resulted in Helen and Pollux belonging to Zeus, and Clytemnestra and Castor belonging to Tyndareus. Though each pair is attributed to