#castor

[...] Her [Helen] star, called Urania, is said to hollow out an apple tree, and to bore through the bottom of a ship by blazing with so great a burning fire that the bronze is melted by the heat. When sailors observe this star fixed over a ship, they do not doubt that they will perish.

Second Mytographer of Vatican, 155. Translation by Ronald E.Pepin.

[...] Finally, according to a higher science or opinion, Helen’s star was thought to be harmful and the bringer of storms, but the stars of her brothers [Dioscuri] are propitious. Thus, suitably, Helen seems to have been a cause of evil. So it is written: ‘‘When now the Spartans’ sails were damaged by their sister’s fire, the brothers fled.

Third Mythographer of Vatican, 8. Translation by Ronald E.Pepin.

The "[]" are my additions.

Similar references to the destructive star of Helen, whose danger is counterbalanced by the stars of her Dioscuri brothers, apparently also appear in a scholium on Statius and in a text by Lydus (De Ostentis, 5). However, since I do not have access to these texts, I will include an excerpt from an academic article that, by citing these sources, gives us an idea of ​​their content:

There was no greater fear for maritime travellers than shipwreck in a storm – a fear which would been as acute in Nemanja’s day as in any age earlier, for ship technology had advanced little. A fear-inducing feature of Mediterranean storms were the electrical discharges known in the later Middle Ages as St Elmo’s Fire and earlier attributed to the Greek Helen and her brothers. A first-century description by Pliny48 was still referred to in Gregory’s own century, presumably because seamen continued to link the phenomenon with the trio. In De Ostentis, ‘On Signs in the Heavens’, the Byzantine clerk John Lydus (‘the Lydian’) (490-c.550) revisited the passage. On land and sea, he writes, stars are found showing ‘certain efficiencies’. Navigators at sea call one such ‘appearance or condition’ ‘Helen’. This was a light often seen on soldiers’ spear-tips and on the mast and other parts of ships, giving off a hiss like snakes, and flitting like birds in the unlucky vessel as it sank or falling into the drier parts and setting the boat on fire. Even so, as in other circumstances ‘the property of the deity shows providence’ (John uses the Greek word translated into Latin as numen rather than deus for god or an allusion to the Christian godhead). For immediately appear ‘two stars named Castor and Pollux’ which immediately cause the ‘star’ called Helen to flee. Another fifth-century revisiting of this sailor — lore was by Lactanius Placidus, a grammarian, scholiast on the Thebaid by Statius, a poet writing in Latin in the final decade of the first century but raised in the Greek cultural milieu of the Bay of Naples. The latter wrote, ‘Not otherwise [than in grief] in a blind hurricane at night, when the north-wester’ blows, does a ship know that she will perish, so soon as the brethren of Therapnae [the Dioscuri] have fled the sails their sister’s fire has doomed.’ Lactanius commented: ‘when they saw the star Helen —which it is said is Urania — such is the power of the fire that… if this star was rooted in a ship, the sailors knew they should fall… [but] are saved by the beneficial twin stars.’

In his Propempticon, ‘Send-off poem’, to Maecius Celer, Consul Suffect in 101, taking ship for on the Libyan coast, Statius also wrote, ‘Ye Gods whose delight it is to preserve adventurous ships, and to assauge the angry perils of the gusty sea, make the waters smooth and calm… Bring forth your favouring stars, Oebalian brethren [a reference to the warm springs of Baiae], and sit upon the twin horns of the yard-arm; let your light illumine sea and sky; drive far away, I pray, your Ilian sister’s [i.e. Helen of Illium, Troy] tempestuous star, and banish her wholly from the heavens’. The distinction between Helen’s threatening light and those of her brothers had clearly fallen away by the time the fire was attributed to St Elmo, petname of Erasmus, bishop of Formiae on the bay of Naples, though in the seventeenth century both were still collectively known to French seamen as feu d’Helene. I have argued that the name ‘St Elmo’ may have developed from the Greek ‘Elene’ via attribution of the fires to Constantine’s mother, St Helena. Gregory’s report of the tradition that Helen’s namesake, Constantine’s mother, calmed a storm with holy iron instead of threatening disaster with supernatural fire is a crucial piece of evidence in that direction. Van Dam’s comment on the bridle and diadem is suggestive, that the association between these relics and Constantine ‘neatly represented a fundamental confusion in Byzantine political philosophy between Christ and the emperor, who both acted as mediators with God’.

Sacred Absolution Description

Periodically enhance card effects using Pollux’s Radiant Light. The authority of the Divus can judge all dark evils.

Sacred Absolution Information

“Pollux” Rate-Up Banner! Awakeners from the Ultra Realm Guaranteed! SR or higher item guaranteed every 5 Awakens.

Sacred Absolution Banner Pulls Results Part 1

This post is a continuation of another post. Had to split the posts apart since the other post already reached the max limit of 30 pics per post.

Anyway, so far, already got 2 copies of Pollux from pulling on the Sacred Absolution banner. I talk more about those pulls in another post.

Sacred Absolution Banner Pulls Results Part 2

In Morimens, it takes 30 pulls to get a SSR char from limited character banners like Sacred Absolution. Instead of 50/50, it’s 33/33/33, meaning you can lose twice before getting the limited rate-up char.

After losing twice (as in getting 2 standard SSR chars), the next SSR you get is guaranteed to be the on-banner char, which, in this case, is Pollux.

So in the worst case scenario, you need a total of 90 pulls before getting the rate-up char. The possibility of losing twice sounds awful but “only” needing a total of 90 pulls doesn’t seem that bad compared to, for example, Honkai: Star Rail (HSR).

In HSR, it’s 50/50, meaning you can lose once before you’re guaranteed to get the banner char. But you need a total of 180 pulls before getting the rate-up char in the worst case scenario.

Anyway, here are the results of the rest of my pulls on the Sacred Absolution Pollux banner:

As mentioned in part 1, lost the 33/33/33 to my first copy of Tinct. Posted the results of my next 2 pulls after that in part 1 before running into the max limit of 30 pics per post so here's the rest.

Multi-draw 3

Multi-draw 4

Multi-draw 5

Multi-draw 6

Argh! Sadly, lost the 33/33/33 again. This time, lost to my 1st copy of Jenkin.

She's new, but still. Wish I'd gotten my 3rd copy of Pollux instead. Besides, I think she's supposed to be a DPS, but I already have Pollux for that.

So if I really had to lose to a standard SSR char, wish I could have gotten one who could be a good or decent support for Pollux instead.

Sacred Absolution Banner Pulls Results Part 3

Already lost the 33/33/33 twice so I know the next SSR I get is finally guaranteed to be Pollux. I just hope he shows up before the 6th multi or that I can maybe get more than 1 copy.

Multi-draw 1

Multi-draw 2

Multi-draw 3

Multi-draw 4

Multi-draw 5

Multi-draw 6

Unfortunately, Pollux didn't show up before my 6th multi, but at least I finally got my 3rd copy of him.

Getting a dupe of Pollux gave me 1 Shard: Pollux, which can be used to unlock his Enlightens.

Since I already have him at E1, can now get him to E2.

Here are Pollux’s summon lines:

The Apostle of the Lightbearer, scion of the White Night, One who Dispels Darkness, Divus of the Divine Heart–I, Pollux, have answered your call. I offer unto you my power over Darkness, and my soul forged of Light.

And here’s the text that shows up upon tapping on the share button:

Under the radiance of the Sacred Heart, no sinner can escape the Divus’s judgment.

Sacred Absolution Banner Pulls Results Part 4

Multi-draw 1

Multi-draw 2

Multi-draw 3

Multi-draw 4

Multi-draw 5

Multi-draw 6

Unfortunately, didn't get a SSR before my 6th multi. Even more unfortunate was how I lost the 33/33/33 again to my first copy of Casiah.

Yeah, it's my first copy of her, but still. Was so glad when I finally saw the gold color telling me I was about to get a SSR. That quickly turned to disappointment and dismay when I saw Casiah instead of Pollux.

Tapped the screen after taking screenshots of Casiah to get to the next pull result already. To my surprise, saw that gold color again.

Even more surprising was how Pollux was the one who just showed up.

Hell, yes! Super pleased to see this. What an awesome and very welcome surprise. Yay for my 4th copy of Pollux.

This gave me another Shard: Pollux so now I can get him to E3.

Morimens Future Plans

Still want more copies of Pollux, but don't have time anymore. Unfortunately, his banner is ending soon, like in a couple of hours soon. Don't have enough resources for more multis anymore so can't keep on pulling even if I want to.

But the good news is that Morimens's 2nd Anniversary is coming really soon, and Pollux is one of the chars who's getting a rerun during that time.

So my plan is to keep playing through the main story and any other content I can do that would give me more pulling resources so I can continue pulling for Pollux once his rerun banner is up.

But before continuing to pull for more copies of Pollux, I want to get at least one copy of his Wheel of Destiny (WoD) first. The banner for his Wheel is currently up too, but I opted to pull for more copies of him first before going for his WoD.

After getting Pollux's Wheel, I want to pull for more copies of Castor too. Castor is Pollux's twin brother. I talk more about this in another post, but I pulled for Castor too.

His banner and his Wheel's banner were all available alongside Pollux's banners. So I was able to get my first copy of Castor as well as my first copy of his Wheel of Destiny.

Castor's banner and the banner for his Wheel of Destiny will also get a rerun during Morimens's 2nd Anniversary. In fact, his and Pollux's banners will run at the same time.

So my plan is to get at least 1 copy of Pollux's Wheel of Destiny then pull for Castor until I can also get him to E3. After that, will go back to pulling for more copies of Pollux so I can unlock his Over-Exalt or OE. Hopefully, will have enough pulls for all of that.

Conclusion

So what about you? Did you pull for Castor and Pollux? What do you think about these Morimens chars? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging or replying to this post.

Notes: