The concept of The Divine Twins is found around the world.
It is a powerful concept that, like its astrological equivalent, Gemini, takes on many forms. The Twins are depicted as two men, two women, a man and woman, and two figures that are interchangeable, with interchangeable genders, roles, and powers. I cannot say with any certainty which of these concepts was “first,” but it doesn’t matter, as they all illuminate facets in each other.
Biologically occurring twins were recognized as holy, unique, blessed, or cursed in nearly all ancient civilizations. Whether they were identical, fraternal or conjoined, the birth of a set of twins was looked at as a significant occasion. Many groups see the twins as “astral” in nature, or ultimately coming from or affiliated with “the stars.” However, as Holy archetypes go, the Twins are almost always closer in their behavior and habits to humanity than many many other deities.
There are some nearly universal consistencies among the holy Twins we see in various myths and religions around the planet. Duality and polarity are at the heart of much of our Twin symbolism, with almost all Twins representing the two sides of the same coin; light/dark, good/evil, mortal/divine, male/female, etc…