Etymology and Culture
Castor and Pollux are the two "heavenly twin" stars that give the constellation Gemini (meaning twins in Latin) its name. The name Castor refers specifically to Castor, one of the twin sons of Zeus and Leda, and literally means beaver in Greek. The star was annotated by the Arabic description Al-Ras al-Taum al-Muqadim, which translates as the head of the foremost twin. In the catalogue of stars in the Calendarium of Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, this star was designated Aoul al Dzira, which was translated into Latin as Prima Brachii, meaning the first in the paw.
In Chinese, 北河 (Běi Hé), meaning North River, refers to an asterism consisting of Castor, ρ Geminorum, and Pollux. Consequently, Castor itself is known as 北河二 (Běi Hé èr, English: the Second Star of North River.) The Chinese recognized Castor as Yin, which is, according to the Chinese, one of the two fundamental principles upon which all things depend.
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