Twin fetuses and twin myths

Abstract

Since time immemorial twin births have been perceived as an extraordinary, often disquieting phenomenon. Many legends and myths flourished around their origins. Twins were thought to be the result of adultery, considered as the incarnation of evil spirits and ancestors, or, as in the myth of Castor and Pollux, one was regarded as having godly origins and the other not. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Milan.