Some of the earliest well known twins can be tracked down to the 8th century BC. The legendary founders of Rome are twins named Romulus and Remus. Mark Antony and Cleopatra had twins named Alexander and Cleopatra, although they did not leave a strong mark on history as their parents had.
Twins have a common presence in Greek mythology:
Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, twin sisters of Castor and Pollux.
Castor and Pollux, the Gemini twins, aka the Dioscuri.
Apollo and Artemis, son and daughter of Zeus and Leto. Apollo is the god of the sun and Artemis is the goddess of the moon.
Heracles and Iphicles. These twins are different in personality. Usually one symbolizes positive power, light, and truth, while the other symbolizes the opposite - evil, darkness, and negative energy.
Leaving mythology aside, real world twins are incredibly in tune with each other, so much so that when they work together they are known as one:
The Olsen Twins (Mary Kate and Ashley), stars of the hit TV series Full House
The Gibb brothers (Robin and Maurice)
Bee-Gees, members and founders of the disco-rock group
The de Boer twins (Frank and Ronald),both famous soccer players in the Netherlands
The McWhirter brothers (Ross and Norris), compilers of the Guinness Book of World Records
In most cases, one twin has received more fame than their sibling. The famous Dear Abby columnist, Abigail Van Buren's twin sister is named Ann Landers. She was a columnist as well, however she did not reach the level of fame that her twin sister had. Hollywood actress Scarlet Johansson has a twin sister who is an actress as well. Although she played in several films, she has not received the high regard that her twin has.
Browsing through the list of unique twin name, it is a wonder why there are not more successful and famous twins. Each baby girl name and baby boy name on the list is that of an exceptional person, one who has gone above and beyond the level of those in his or her field or profession. Perhaps twins work together as a yin and yang and only when there is a major shift towards one of them, he or she wins huge success.
Siblings are known to choose different paths in life, to find their own place in the world that is unique from that of their brothers and sisters. The question that comes to mind is, why would these siblings go into the same profession? It is extremely rare for to reach such a high level of success, and doubling it is even harder. Perhaps twins possess an unconscious pact in which one helps to raise the other, even at his one's own expense.
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