I am always trying to educate my self in some way or another but unfortunately I have a terrible memory so most things I read are lost on me, no matter how interesting I find them I just can’t retain information. So when I began reading into greek mytholgy I would get really frustrated that I could not recount the stories that I found fascinating. I would often muddle two or three different myths into one. There was one that has stayed in my mind true though and that is from an ancient greek play write Aristophanes, who had a very interesting idea on the origin of humans and how we come to have soul mates, be it hetro or homosexual. Ultimately it’s a story about Love. I will try and recall it as briefly as I can.
In a speech in his play Symposium he spoke how in the beginning there were not two sexes but three, man, woman and the union of the two. This man was round forming a circle, with four arms and legs, one head with two faces looking in opposite ways, four ears and two sets of genitalia. They could walk backwards, forwards and all rolling over turning all four hands and feet. Being built like this made them very powerful and very fast and they decided to attack the Gods.
Obviously Zeus did not like this and rather than kill them he decided that he would let them continue to exist but half their power and strength by cutting them in two. This idea still enabled him to use the humans and have power over them. He cut them all in half with the help of Apollo who turned their faces round and pulled the skin from all sides to the centre like a ‘purse’ and tie it in a knot (what we call today a belly button). He healed all the scars except the navel as a reminder of our previous state.
After the separation the half humans ran around frantically looking for their other half and trying to join again. Even when they found their other half they were unable to join and they began to become sick with sorrow and starved themselves causing many to die. Zeus mindful of his need for humans and their worship decided to turn their genitals around to their belly side to enable humans to join their other half briefly.
So the humans who were two women before looked for their female other halves, those who had been two men, looked for other men and those who had been male and female searched for the opposite sex, so they could become whole again and rejoin with their soul mate.
