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1) Fisher, Martini. “Twins, Kings and Horses: Symbols of the Divine Twins in Ancient Mythology.” Ancient Origins, Ancient Origins, 15 Nov. 2016, www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/twins-kings-and-horses-symbols-divine-twins-ancient-mythology-007011.

2) “Notes on Legends about Twins, Twin Cults and the Gemini.” JAPANESE MYTHOLOGY & FOLKLORE, 18 Dec. 2014, japanesemythology.wordpress.com/notes-on-legends-about-twins/.

3) Revolvy, LLC. “‘Twins in Mythology’ on Revolvy.com.” Revolvy, www.revolvy.com/page/Twins-in-mythology.

4) “Twins.” Myths Encyclopedia, www.mythencyclopedia.com/Tr-Wa/Twins.html.

5) Viney, William. “Twins in Greek Mythology.” The Wonder of Twins, 15 Feb. 2013, thewonderoftwins.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/twins-in-greek-mythology/.

Twins appear in the mythologies of many cultures around the world. In some they are seen as ominous and in others they are seen as auspicious. 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 represent another aspect of the self, a doppelgänger, or a shadow. However, twins can also reflect a complete opposition of the other, such as the "civilized" Gilgamesh and the "wild" Enkidu, or in the commonly known instance of good and evil twin identities.

P2: "slept with both a mortal and a god on the same day," like *insert Hercule's mom's name* for example. One of her offspring, Heracles, had godlike qualities such as immense strength and stamina, while his twin brother, Iphicles, was to be an ordinary mortal. In many Native American cultures, eating certain foods were thought to increase the likelihood of twins. These foods included double almonds and bananas, and were typically avoided by Native American women because birthing twins was frowned upon. However, other cultures attribute the outcome of twins to superior virility of the father.

P3:  In various mythologies, twins often represent the dualistic nature of the universe. In Greek mythology, twins Apollo and Artemis, are the sun god and moon goddess, respectively. In Hinduism, the Ashwini Twins or Ashvins are the Healers who are also offered sacrificial offerings or oblations as per the Rig Veda. Also, Yama and Yami, elder siblings of the Ashvins, are a brother-sister twin pair. Similar forms of higher beings are reflected throughout different mythologies, as twin brothers Kuat and Iae represent the sun and moon in the Xingu mythology of Brazil. Egyptian God, Geb, and his twin sister, Nut, represented the binary nature of the world, with Geb being the God of the Earth, and Nut being the Goddess of the sky. In Zoroastrian mythology, the twins Ahriman and Ahura Mazda represent the spirits of evil and good respectively. Good and evil are common conflicting personas within twins in mythology. We see this pattern across many cultures, such as several northeastern Native American tribes, for example. Gluskap, the creator God and cultural hero, had to defeat Malsum, his evil twin, who was the ruler of the demons. Many other cultures with rival twin heroes often follow this structure of split moral forces.

P4: To the Dogon of Mali in West Africa, twinship represents completeness and perfection, symbolized by the deity Nummo. Nummo is actually a set of twins, male and female, and because the creation of the world required a sacrifice, humans can only be one half of the whole, male or female. In many Native American stories, twins are often partners on adventures such as quests. Another example of this strong bond shared between twins would be the Ibeji twins within African mythology. Ibeji twins are viewed as one soul shared between two bodies. If one of the twins die, 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.

* For cultures at the bottom of the pageeeeee*

AFRICAN:

Yemaja – mother of all life on earth. “Before giving birth, her waters broke and inundated the world with water thus creating the Seven Seas. This establishes Yemaja as the creator goddess of the lakes, rivers and oceans but predominantly, as the chief deity of the Ogun River.”

Aganju – Twin and husband of Yemaja. “Together with his sister Yemaja, he is the offspring of Heaven and Earth (Obatala and Odudua). As such, the two represent Land and Water.”

EGYPTIAN:

Isis – daughter of earth god Geb and sky goddess Nut. “Renowned for her skill in magic”, “prominent fertility goddess”

Osiris – Isis’ twin, and husband. Lord of the underworld. First born of Geb and Nut. (one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt)

Maybe represent soul mates and a high stature or power (for they ruled together as king and queen)

HINDU:

Nakula (swordsman) and Sahadeva (could see the future), twins that were the last born of the pandavas (pandavas being the 5 powerful and skilled sons of pandu)

CENTRAL AMERICAN:

Kokomaht (the creator) and Bahotahl (evil) –basically represent good and evil.

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Hero Twins, Hunapu and Xbalanque (defeat the Seven Macaw, aka evil)

Portraying complimenting forces (work good together)

AFRO-CARIBBEAN:

Marassa Jumeaux are the divine twins in Vodou. They are children. All twins born in this culture are called “marassa” and are seen in a sacred light.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

"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.