Castor

Castor, ŏris (acc. to some gramm. Castōris, Quint. 1, 5, 60), m., = Κάστωρ.

• The son of the Spartan king Tyndarus and Leda, brother of Helena and Pollux, with whom, as twin star (Gemini; hence even Castores, Plin. 10, 43, 60, § 121; 35, 4, 10, § 27; 7, 22, 22, § 86; and: alter Castor, Stat. S. 4, 6, 16), he served as a guide to mariners, Varr. L. L. 5, § 58; Cic. N. D. 2, 2, 6; 3, 18, 45; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 5; id. Epod. 17, 42; 17, 43; id. C. 4, 5, 35: gaudet equis, id. S. 2, 1, 26; cf. id. C. 1, 12, 25, and Ov. M. 12, 401: ad Castoris (sc. aedem), on the forum, Cic. Mil. 33, 91; where pecuniary affairs were transacted, id. Quint. 4, 17; cf. Juv. 14, 260.—
• II Derivv.
• • A In oaths: ecastor and mecastor [the old interj. e or the pron. acc. me, prefixed; cf.: equidem, edepol; mehercle, medius fiduis, etc., v. Corss. Ausspr. II. p. 856 sq.], by Castor, an oath in very frequent use, especially by women, though not exclusively by them, as asserted by Gell. 11, 6, 1, and Charis. p. 183 P.; cf. Plaut. As. 5, 2, 46 (896); 5, 2, 80 (930); id. Cas. 5, 4, 13 (975): ecastor, re experior, quanti facias uxorem tuam, id. Am. 1, 3, 10 (508); 1, 3, 39 (537); id. Cist. 4, 2, 61 (731); id. Truc. 2, 5, 28 (475); id. Poen. 1, 2, 71 (280); id. Stich. 1, 3, 89 (243); id. As. 1, 3, 36 (188); id. Truc. 2, 2, 60 (315); id. As. 3, 1, 30 (533); id. Stich. 1, 3, 81 (235): ecastor vero, id. Merc. 4, 1, 25 (691): per ecastor scitus (i. e. perscitus ecastor) puer est natus Pamphilo, Ter. And. 486: nec nunc mecastor quid hero ego dicam queo comminisci, Plaut. Aul. 1, 1, 28 (67); cf. id. Merc. 4, 1, 6 (672); id. Cas. 2, 3, 30 (246); id. Men. 4, 2, 50 (620); id. Mil. 1, 1, 63 (63); cf. also id. Stich. 1, 3, 86 (240); id. Truc. 2, 2, 36 (291); 2, 7, 30 (580); 3, 2, 11 (679); 4, 4, 9 (862); 5, 1, 26 (918): Sy. Salve, mecastor, Parmenio. Pa. Et tu, edepol, Syra, Ter. Hec. 83 Don. —
  • B Ad Castŏris or Lŏcus Castŏrum, nom. propr., a place in Upper Italy, between Cremona and Bedriacum, where stood a shrine of Castor and Pollux, Suet. Oth. 9; Tac. H. 2, 24.—
  • C Castŏrĕus, a, um, adj. of Castor: manus, Sen. Hippol. 810.—
• III A companion of Aeneas, Verg. A. 10, 124.—
• IV The grandson of king Deiotarus, Cic. Deiot. 1, 2, 10; 1, 2, 28 sq.—
• V Castor Tarcondarius, a chieftain of Gallograecia, ally of Pompey, Caes. B. C. 3, 4.—
• VI Antonius Castor, an author on botany, Plin. 25, 17, 66, § 174; 25, 2, 5, § 9.

2. Castōr, oris, Akk. orem u. bei Dichtern ora, m. (Κάστωρ; archaist. auch Genet. usw. mit langem o, also Castōris usw., s. Quint. 1, 5, 60: Genet. Castorus, Corp. inscr. Lat. 1, 197, 17; Kastorus, ibid. 1, 201, 1), der rossebändigende Heros, Sohn des spartan. Königs Tyndarus und der Leda, Bruder der Helena u. des Pollux (dah. oft Plur. Castores = Kastor u. Pollux, zB. Plin. 7, 86 u. ö. Tac. hist. 2, 24. Apul. met. 10, 31. Claud. in Rufin. 1, 108. Tert. de spect. 8. Arnob. 1, 36: Castores gemini, Pacat. pan. 39, 4; vgl. die unten angeführten Stellen), mit dem er als Zwillingsgestirn (Gemini; dah. selbst Castores, Plin. 10, 121, u. alter Castor, Stat. silv. 4, 6, 16) den Schiffern als Führer dient, Hor. ep. 2, 1, 5 u.a.; dah. auch ihr Bild als Abzeichen am Vorderdeck eines Schiffes, navis Alexandrina, cui erat insigne Castorum, Vulg. act. apost. 28, 11: oft verb. Castor et Pollux, Cic. de nat. deor. 2, 6; de div. 2, 75 u.a.: aedes Castoris, Cic. II. Verr. 1, 129 sqq.: templum Castoris, Schol. Iuven. 14, 260: aedes Castoris et Pollucis, Cic. de div. 1, 98. Suet. Cal. 22, 2: aedes Castorum, Capit. Maxim. 16, 1: ellipt., ad Castoris (verst. aedem), Cic. Mil. 91: u. ad Castoris quaerere, eine Schatzkammer am Tempel des Kastor, Cic. Quinct. 17: so auch ad vigilem ponendi Castora nummi, Iuven. 14, 260: als Ortsbezeichnung, locus Castorum, ein Ort in Oberitalien zwischen Kremona u. Bedriakum, wo ein Heiligtum des Kastor u. Pollux sich befand, Tac. hist. 2, 24: dass. locus, quem Castores vocant, Oros. 7, 8, 6: u. ad Castores, Suet. Oth. 9, 2. – Ihr Fest wurde in Rom am 28. Februar gefeiert, Ov. fast. 1, 705. – Die Römer (nicht bloß die röm. Frauen, wie Gell. 11, 6 behauptet) schwuren häufig u. zwar mit der durch vorgesetztes Demonstrativ e od. me gebildeten Form ēcastor od. mēcastor, »beim Kastor«, sehr häufig b. den Komik. – Dav. Castoreus, a, um, kastorisch, manus, Sen. Phaedr. (Hipp.) 818 (810).

2 Castŏr, (10) ŏris, m. , Castor [fils de Léda, frère de Pollux] : Cic. Nat. 2, 6 ; ad Castoris Cic. Mil. 91, au temple de Castor || Castŏres, um, m. pl., Castor et Pollux, les Dioscures : Plin. 7, 86 || locus Castorum Tac. H. 2, 24, localité dʼItalie || Castŏrĕus, a, um, de Castor : Sen. Phædra 810.

Castor

brother of Polydeuces. [Dioscuri.]

Castor

grandson of Deiotarus. [Deiotarus.]

Castor or Castor Saoconidarius

(Κάστωρ), either a native of Rhodes, of Massilia, or of Galatia, was a Greek grammarian and rhetorician, who was surnamed Φιλορώμαιος, and is usually believed to have lived about the time of Cicero and Julius Caesar. Works Works listed by Suidas

He wrote, according to Suidas (if we adopt the readings of Bernhardy, the last editor) 1. Ἀναγραφὴ τῶν θαλασσοκρατησάντων, in two books. 2. Χρονικὰ ἀγνοήματα, which is also referred to by Apollodorus (ii 1.3). 3. Περὶ ἐπιχειρημάτων, in nine books. 4. Περὶ πειθοῦς, in two books. 5. Περὶ τοῦ Νείλου. 6. Τέχνη ῥητορικὴof which a portion is still extant and printed in Walz's Rhetores Graeci (vol. iii. p. 712, &c.). Edition

A portion of the Τέχνη ῥητορικὴ is still extant and printed in Walz's Rhetores Graeci (iii. p. 712, &c. χρονικὰ or χρονολογία

To these works Clinton (Fast. Hell. iii. p. 546) adds a great chronological work (χρονικὰ or χρονολογία), which is referred to several times by Eusebius (Chron. ad Ann. 989, 161, 562, &c.), though it is not quite certain whether this is not the same work as the χρονικὰ ἀγνοήματα mentioned above. Assessment

He is frequently referred to as an authority in historical matters, though no historical work is specified, so that those references may allude to any of the above-mentioned works. (Euseb. Praep Evang 10.3, Chron. 1.13, p. 36; Justin Mart. Paraen. ad Graec. p. 9.) His partiality to the Romans is indicated by his surname; but in what manner he shewed this partiality is unknown, though it may have been in a work mentoned by Plutarch (Quaest. Rom. 10, 76, comp. De Is. et Os. 31), in which he compared the institutions of the Romans with those of Pythagoras. Confusion between Castor the Grammarian and Castor the Rhetorican

Suidas describes the grammarian and rhetorician Castor as a son-in-law of the (Galatian king Deiotarus (whom, however, he calls a Roman senator!), who notwithstanding afterwards put to death both Castor and his wife, because Castor had brought charges against him before Caesar,--evidently alluding to the affair in which Cicero defended Deiotarus. The Castor whom Suidas thus makes a relative of Deiotarus, appears to be the same as the Castor mentioned by Strabo (xii. p.568; comp. Caes. Civ. 3.4) who was surnamed Saoconidarius, was a son-in-law of Deiotarus, and was put to death by him. But it is, to say the least, extremely doubtful whether the rhetorician had any connexion with the family of Deiotarus at all. The Castor who brought Deiotarus into peril is expressly called a grandson of that king, and was yet a young man at the time (B. C. 44) when Cicero spoke for Deiotarus. (Cic. pro Deiot. 1, 10.) Now we have seen above that one of the works of Castor is referred to in the Bibliotheca of Apollodorus, who died somewhere about B. C. 140. The conclusion, therefore, must be, that the rhetorician Castor must have lived at or before the time of Apollodorus, at the latest, about B. C. 150, and can have had no connexion with the Deiotarus for whom Cicero spoke. (Compare Vossius, De Hist. Graec. p. 202, ed. Westermann; Orelli, Onomast. Tull. ii. p. 138, in both of which there is much confusion about Castor.) [L.S]

Castor

(Κάστωρ), a distinguished citizen of Phanagoria, who had once been ill treated by Tryphon, a eunuch of Mithridates the Great. When the king, after his defeat by Pompey, came to Phanagoria, Castor avenged himself by murdering Tryphon. Pompey afterwards honoured him with the title of friend of the Roman people. (Appian, App. Mith. 108, 114.) [L.S]

Castor

the chamberlain and confidential adviser of Septimius Severus. Being the most upright of all the courtiers, he became an object of suspicion and hatred to Caracalla, who upon ascending the throne immediately put him to death, having failed in an attempt, during the lifetime of Severus, to destroy him by treachery. (D. C. 76.14, 77.1.) [W.R]

Castor

bishop of Apt, was born at Nismes about the middle of the fourth century, and married an heiress, by whom he had a daughter. The family being fired with holy zeal, agreed to separate, in order that they might devote their wealth to the endowment of religious establishments, and their lives to seclusion and sanctity. Accordingly, they founded an abbey and a convent in Provence; the husband retired to the former, the wife and her daughter took the veil in the latter. Works Letter to Cassianus

There is still extant a letter addressed by Castor to Cassianus [Cassianus], soliciting information with regard to the rules observed in the monasteries of Palestine and Egypt. This request was speedily complied with, and produced the work Institutiones Coenobiorum, dedicated to Castor, which was followed by the Collationes Patrum, addressed to his brother, Leontius. The death of Castor took place in September, 419. We are told by Vincent St. Laurent, in the Biographie Universelle, that at a recent period the archives of the cathedral of Apt contained a MS. life of its canonized prelate, in which were enumerated with circumstantial details all the miracles ascribed to him. Editions

The letter above-mentioned, which is composed in a very rude and harsh style, was first discovered by Gazet, was prefixed to the Institutiones in his edition of Cassianus, and republished in a more correct form, from a MS. in the Royal Library at Paris, by Baluze in his edition of Salvianus and Vincentius Lirinensis, Paris, 1663, 8vo., and in the reprint at Bremen, 1688, 4to.; it is also found in the edition of Vincentius, Paris, 1669. Further Information

Schoenemann, Bibl. Patrum Latin. 5.27. [W.R]

Castor , Anto'nius

an eminent botanist at Rome in the first century after Christ, who is several times quoted and mentioned by Pliny. He enjoyed a great reputation, possessed a botanical garden of his own (which is probably the earliest on record), and lived more than a hundred years, in perfect health both of body and mind. (Plin. H.N. 25.5.) [W.A.G]

Castor , Tarconda'rius

of Galatia, with Dorylaus, gave 300 horsemen to Pompey's army in B. C. 49. (Caes. Civ. 3.4.)

Castor

(Κάστωρ). Brother of Pollux. See Dioscuri.