This book traces the influence of the ancient pagan legends of Castor and Pollux, the Dioscuri, on Christian hagiography. Rendel Harris charts how the Church not only displaced ancient religious practices centred around the Dioscuri with their own traditions, but also how Christians took pagan legends and reshaped them for their own purposes.

Originally published in 1903, this book traces the influence of the ancient pagan legends of Castor and Pollux, the Dioscuri, on later Christian hagiography. Rendel Harris charts how the Church not only displaced ancient religious practices centred around the Dioscuri with their own traditions, but also how Christians took pagan legends and reshaped them for their own purposes. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in comparative religious history, the history of the early church and the influences of paganism on Christianity.