Twinkind

The birth of twins is unusual. Throughout history they have been revered as gods and reviled as monsters; they have been adored as amusing music hall double acts and feared as duplicitous criminals; and they have been studied by anthropologists and scientists engaged in the nature vs nurture debate and genetic experiments. Their existence challenges the norm; they are seen by singletons as 'other' and regarded with an equal measure of wonder and distrust. Do twins have special powers? Does a twin birth present a good or bad omen? Are they telepathic? From the Aztec creation twins Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca to the divine opposites of Greek myth, Apollo and Artemis, and from criminal gang leaders the Kray twins to the disconcerting Grady twins in The Shining, this book explores and interrogates twindom in all its facets in a wide range of cultures and media from ancient times to today.