Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Myth of the Twin

This is topic Myth of the Twin in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by Nick Vend (Member # 1816) on :

Hi. I've been reading various things on this forum for only a day or so (though I started reading OSC over ten years ago in high school). It's all very interesting so I thought I would post a question...

I am currently doing research for a novel in which the 'baddie' is a creature that feeds off of obsessive love. I envision this as being a hermaphroditic creature in chains (representing the suppressed/unarticulated libido). I know this sounds a bit pretentious but I think I can do it in a way that will be relatively down to earth, so to speak.

Now the question: I would like to be pointed in the direction of other myths/folklore/fiction that surround a male/female twin or hermaphrodite type of character (it need not be malevolent).

Any suggestions?

[This message has been edited by Nick Vend (edited December 02, 2003).]

Posted by Nick Vend (Member # 1816) on :

Anyone? Come on, I can't have 'My Evil Twin' by They Might Be Giants as my only inspiration...

Posted by Balthasar (Member # 5399) on :

Have you tried going to the library for some good old fashion research?

Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :

I take it this is supposed to be a fantasy or something? Or is this creature actually supposed to be a manifestation of the main character's psychosis rather than a literal enemy?

Is it a doppelganger of the main character, but hermaphroditic, or is it supposed to be an actual twin, meaning they were in the womb together?

Of course there's a lot of folklore surrounding the unique relationship that twins (rather than doppelgangers) enjoy, and a lot of mythlogy about doppelgangers (which are, after all, mythic in origin).

I'm just not sure what direction you're going.

Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :

Viola and Sebastian in Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT, perhaps?

Posted by Nick Vend (Member # 1816) on :

The Shakespeare suggestion is interesting - thanks Kathleen, I'm going to reread that!

I suppose the 'My Evil Twin' reference just confused things, Survivor (it was a weak joke). I'm not interested in doppelgangers. The character is a physical one, and though it is attracted to a main character because of her history of obsessive love, it isn't a manifestation of her psychosis/psychological problems.

A bit more information about the character in question - it is called Zmyrna (myrrh), 'the burner and the eater of the heart' and looks basically like conjoined twins (like the image on the devil card in a few different tarot decks). It has a female and a male side. I'm having difficulty getting a handle on characterisation other than its attraction to the dangerous and toxic side of 'love'.

Did that make things clearer or just more confusing?

[This message has been edited by Nick Vend (edited December 03, 2003).]

Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :

You made things clearer for me, at any rate. I was thinking that it was supposed to be her twin, not its own twins. Medically, conjoined male/female twins should be even rarer among conjoined twins (which are already ultra rare) than natural hermaphodites among single births...but if you scan the literature, a lot of old stories about conjoined twins involve male/female pairing (as well as light and dark skinned, different types of animals, etc).

The literature available is actually too rich for me to point you in any particular direction, just search Google for mythical conjoined twins and you'll find all manner of monsters apparently inspired by conjoined twins. Mythically, the hermaphrodite and two-headed monsters are closely related (though medically they are not).

KDW has a good point in that hermaphroditism has not always been defined as a physical condition, in Victorian times simple cross dressing was seen as a form of hermaphroditism.

Posted by Nick Vend (Member # 1816) on :

Cheers. That does help - your suggestions give me something to think about. Also, the experience of trying to explain the problem to others has helped as well. I've realised that I should be looking at what I mean by obsessive love in addition to twin/hermaphrodite stories.

Posted by msylvia (Member # 1775) on :

Are they conjoined and hermaphrodite?
Is it one character or two?

Posted by Nick Vend (Member # 1816) on :

I'm afraid indecision had been creeping in, so I wasn't quite sure when I started this topic. In fact, I'm still not quite sure. I had been leaning more toward conjoined twins, but now I'm thinking of abandoning that completely and just having fraternal twins. Though I would be open to hearing any suggestions on any of the three.

Posted by JBShearer (Member # 9434) on :

I have two sets, both masculine though.

Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome (raised by wolves and what have you).

Nissyen and Evnissyen (Pagan Celtic Mythology((Mabinogion)) if you're are looking for something a bit more obscure. (Evnissyen is evil, really evil)

Posted by JBShearer (Member # 9434) on :

OH, OH, . . .
Artemis and Apollo!!!

Posted by JBShearer (Member # 9434) on :

Even better . . .

Hermaphroditus, the beautiful son of Hermes and Aphrodite, was bathing in a pool, when the nymph Salmacis caught sight of him and was filled with desire. She plunged into the water and entwined her limbs around him. He fought her efforts to seduce him but her prayer to the gods that they might become united into one being was granted. A hermaphrodite has the genitalia and secondary sexual characteristics of both male and female.

Posted by Nick Vend (Member # 1816) on :

Great suggestions, thanks.

It was the story of Hermaphroditus that originally inspired me.

Nissyen and Evnissyen intrigue me- I'll check that out.