The Ashvins: Twin Stars and Messengers of the Dawn

Title : The Ashvins in the Rig Veda: Morning Stars and Horse Gods

In the Rig Veda, the Ashvins are twin gods associated with light, healing, swift movement, and dawn. Their name comes from the Sanskrit word ashva , meaning « horse. » They are described as traveling the sky in a horse-drawn chariot, preceding the goddess Ushas, the dawn.

Modern astronomers have theorized that these two deities correspond to Castor and Pollux , the two brightest stars in the constellation Gemini. These are so-called « helical » stars: they reappear just before dawn after a period of invisibility, announcing the sunrise.

In this role, the Ashvins become the messengers of light , the celestial scouts who prepare the return of clarity. They symbolize both daily renewal and the cyclical movement of the cosmos. As horse gods, they also connect the earthly world (horses, movement, travel) to the celestial sphere (the stars and time cycles).