Twins in mythology
Twins in mythology are in many cultures around the world.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref> In some cultures they are seen as ominous, and in others they are seen as auspicious.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Twins in mythology are often cast as two halves of the same whole, sharing a bond deeper than that of ordinary siblings, or seen as fierce rivals. They can be seen as representations of a dualistic worldview.<ref name=":2" /> They can represent another aspect of the self, a doppelgänger, or a shadow.
Twins are often depicted with special powers. This applies to both mortal and immortal sets of twins, and often is related to power over the weather.<ref name=":2" /> Twins in mythology also often share deep bonds. In Greek mythology, Castor and Pollux share a bond so strong that when mortal Castor dies, Pollux gives up half of his immortality to be with his brother. Castor and Pollux are the Dioscuri twin brothers. Their mother is Leda, a being who was seduced by Zeus who had taken the form of a swan. Even though the brothers are twins, they have two different fathers. This phenomenon is a very common interpretation of twin births across different mythological cultures.<ref name=":3" /> Castor's father is Tyndareus, the king of Sparta (hence the mortal form).<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Pollux is the son of Zeus (demigod). This brothers were said to be born from an egg along with either sister Helen and Clytemnestra.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> This teleologically explains why their constellation, the Dioskouroi or Gemini, is only seen during one half of the year, as the twins split their time between the underworld and Mount Olympus. In an aboriginal tale, the same constellation represents the twin lizards who created the plants and animals and saved women from evil spirits. Another example of this strong bond shared between twins is the Ibeji twins from African mythology. Ibeji twins are viewed as one soul shared between two bodies. If one of the twins dies, the parents then create a doll that portrays the body of the deceased child, so the soul of the deceased can remain intact for the living twin. Without the creation of the doll, the living twin is almost destined for death because it is believed to be missing half of its soul.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> Twins in mythology are often associated with healing.<ref name=":2" /> They are also often gifted with the ability of divination or insight into the future.<ref name=":2" />
Divine twins in twin mythology are identical to either one or both place of a god. The Feri gods are not separated entities but are unified into one center. These divine twins can function alone in one body, either functioning as a male or as male and female as they desire. Divine twins represent a polarity in the world. This polarity may be great or small and at times can be opposition. Twins are often seen to be rivals or adversaries.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
By cultureEdit
AfricaEdit
EgyptianEdit
- Nut and Geb, Dualistic twins. God of Earth (Geb) and Goddess of the sky (Nut)
- Osiris - Isis' twin and husband. Lord of the underworld. First born of Geb and Nut. One of the most important gods of ancient Egypt.
- Isis - Daughter of Geb and Nut; twin of Osiris.
- Ausar - (also known by Macedonian Greeks as Osiris) twin of Set. Set tricked his brother at a banquet he organized so as to take his life.
West AfricanEdit
- Mawu-Lisa - Twins representing moon and sun, respectively. Ewe-Fon culture.
- Yemaja - Mother of all life on earth. Yoruba culture.
- Aganju - Twin and husband of Yemaja<ref name=":1" />
- Ibeji - Twins of joy and happiness. Children of Shango and Oshun.<ref name=":1"/>
AmerindianEdit
- Gluskap and Malsumis - A cultural hero and its evil twin brother for the Wabanaki peoples.
- Hahgwehdiyu and Hahgwehdaetgah - Sons of either Iroquois sky goddess Atahensic<ref name="gods_v4">Template:Cite book</ref> or her daughter Tekawerahkwa.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Asdzą́ą́ Nádleehé and Yolkai Estsan - Navajo goddesses.<ref name="gods_v4" />
- Monster Slayer and Born-for-Water - Navajo Hero Twins.<ref name="gods_v4" />
- Jukihú and Juracán - Twin sons of Atabex (Mother Nature), the personifications of Order and Chaos, respectively; from the Taíno Arawak nation which once stretched from South America through the Caribbean and up to Florida in the US. <ref>From the Oral history of the Taino Arawak Nation, as told to me by a member of the Nation, "Makanaxeiti"</ref>
- Hun-apu and Ixbalanque, the Maya Hero Twins - Defeated the Seven Macaw
- Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl or Tezcatlipoca<ref name="gods_v4" />
- Xochipilli, and Xochiquetzal - God and goddess of sex, beauty and love.
- Kokomaht and Bahotahl - Good and evil forces in nature.
Ancient Mesopotamian religionEdit
- Inanna and Utu.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>*Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Greek and Roman mythologyEdit
- Divine
- One divine, one mortal
- Heracles and Iphicles - Though their mother was Alcmene, Hercules was son of Zeus while Iphicles was son of Amphitryon.
- Castor and Pollux, known as the Dioscuri - Though their mother was Leda, Castor was mortal son of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, while Pollux was the divine son of Zeus.
- Helen and Clytemnestra - Sisters of the Dioscuri, they were the daughters of Leda by Zeus and Tyndareus, respectively.
- Children of a god or nymph and a mortal
- Belus and Agenor - Sons of Poseidon and Libya.
- Aegyptus and Danaus - Sons of Belus and Achiroe, a naiad daughter of Nile.
- Aeolus and Boeotus - Sons of Poseidon and Arne.
- Lycastus and Parrhasius - Sons of Ares and Phylonome, daughter of Nyctimus of Arcadia.
- Amphion and Zethus - Sons of Zeus by Antiope
- Centaurus and Lapithes - Sons of Ixion and Nephele or Apollo and Stilbe.
- Pelias and Neleus - Sons of Poseidon and Tyro.
- Romulus and Remus - Central characters of Rome's foundation myth. Sons of Rhea Silvia by either the god Mars, or by the demi-god Hercules.
- Eurytus and Cteatus - Sons of Molione either by Actor or Poseidon
- Ascalaphus and Ialmenus - Sons of Ares and Astyoche, Argonauts who participated in the Trojan War.
- Mortal
- Byblis and Caunus - Children of King Miletus and Tragasia or Cyanee.
- Kleobis and Biton - Sons of a Hera priestess in Argos.
- Crisus and Panopeus - Sons of Phocus and Asterodia.
- Iasus and Pelasgus - Sons of Phoroneus or Triopas.
- Proetus and Acrisius - Rival twins, sons of Abas and Aglaea or Ocalea.
- Porphyrion and Ptous - Sons of Athamas and Themisto.
- Thessalus and Alcimenes - Sons of Jason and Medea.
- Theraephone and Theronice - Daughters of Dexamenus, wives of Eurytus and Cteatus.
- Thoas and Euneus - Sons of Jason and Hypsipyle.
- Cassandra and Helenus - Children of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy with prophetic powers.
- Procles and Eurysthenes - Great-great-great-grandsons of Heracles, sons of Aristodemus and Argia.
- Sisyphus and Salmoneus - Rivals who angered Zeus with their deceit and hubris. Sons of King Aeolus of Thessaly and Enarete.
Norse mythologyEdit
- Freyr and Freyja - God and goddess, children of Njörðr.
- Baldr and Hodr - "The Shining One" and "The Blind God", sons of Odin and Frigg.
- Móði and Magni - Courage/Bravery and Strength. Although not Twins in every Source, they often come in a pair. In some iterations, twin sons of Thor and Sif.
- Sigmund and Signy - Characters of the Völsunga saga, children of King Völsung.
HinduismEdit
- The Ashvins - Sons of the sun God, Surya. Represent dualities such as building and destroying.
- Dhrishtadyumna and Draupadi - Mythical figures from the Mahabharata.
- Koti and Chennayya - Twin heroes
- Yama and Yami - God and Goddess of death.
- Lava and Kusha - Children of Rama and Sita.
- Nakula and Sahadeva - sons of the last born of the Pandavas
- Lakshmana and Shatrughna - Children of Dasharatha and Sumitra
- Indra and Agni - Mirror twins
- Nala and Nila Ramayan
JewishEdit
- Jacob and Esau - Sons of Isaac and Rebecca. Represented two nations.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>
- Pharez and Zerah - Sons of Judah and Tamar.
ChristianEdit
- Thomas the apostle and his unnamed twin brother.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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ZoroastrianEdit
- Ahura Mazda and Ahriman - Twins of opposing forces: good and evil.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Ossetian mythologyEdit
Afro-Caribbean cosmologiesEdit
- Marassa Jumeaux - The divine, children twins in Vodou.
- Ibeji - Twins of joy and happiness. Children of Shango or Sango and Oshun.
East AsianEdit
- Izanagi and Izanami - God and Goddess, creators of the Japanese islands.
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
<references />
Selected literatureEdit
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- "Ahura Mazda (Ohrmazd) and Ahriman." New Catholic Encyclopedia. . Encyclopedia.com.12 Dec. 2018 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
- "ISIS." Egyptian Mythology for Smart People, egyptianmythology.org/gods-and-goddesses/isis/.
- Lewin, Vivienne. Twin Enigma. Karnac Books, 2017.
- Myers, Bethany. "Southern Illinois University Carbondale OpenSIUC." Southern Illinois University Carbondale OpenSIUC, 2002, opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1005&context=uhp_theses.
- Voth, Grant, et al., directors. The Beauty of African Mythology. Welcome to Virginia Commonwealth University | Kanopy, 2015, vcu.kanopy.com/s?query=african+mythology.
Further readingEdit
- Carvalho, Sílvia Maria Schmuziger de; Ralle, Elena (traducteur). "Soleil et Lune: les jumeaux mythiques et le caractère tricheur". In: Les grandes figures religieuses: fonctionnement pratique et symbolique dans l'Antiquité. Actes du Colloque international (Besançon, 25-26 avril 1984) Besançon: Université de Franche-Comté, 1986. pp. 159-164. (Annales littéraires de l'Université de Besançon, 329) [www.persee.fr/doc/ista_0000-0000_1986_act_329_1_1673]
- Hankoff L. D. (1977). "Why the healing gods are twins". In: The Yale journal of biology and medicine 50(3): 307–319.
- Harris, James Rendel. The Cult of the Heavenly Twins. Cambridge: University Press. 1906.
- Rachewiltz, B., Parisi, P., & Castellani, V. (1976). "Twins in Myth". In: Acta Geneticae Medicae Et Gemellologiae, 25(1): 17-19. {{#invoke:doi|main}}