The Meaning Of A Soul Mate According To Greek Mythology

By Luke Miller Truth Theory

There are many theories on soulmates- some think of them as your one and only romantic partner on the planet, others believe that we meet many soulmates on our journey and in many cases they are not romantic. The Greeks had a mythological explanation for how we became parted from the other half of our soul and is summed up in this post on Reddit

The full story takes into account homosexual AND heterosexual love:

In the beginning there were three parents: Sun, Moon, and Earth. Each produced an offspring, round and otherwise like itself. From sun was produced the man; from earth, the woman; from moon, the androgyne. Each of these three was a double, one head with two faces looking out in opposite directions, four arms and legs, and two sets of genitalia. They moved about on the earth with a great deal more freedom and power than humans do now, for they rolled-ran hand over hand and foot over foot at double speed.

One day, these fast, powerful, but foolish creatures decided to scale Mt. Olympus to attack the gods.

What should the gods do to show the foolish humans the error of their ways? Should they shoot them down with thunderbolts? No, they decided, too boring. They’d done that before to the giants. Besides, who would pour out libations and offer sacrifices to them if they destroyed their worshipers? They had to devise a new punishment.

Zeus thought and thought. Finally he had a brainwave. Humans weren’t a real threat, but they did need a dressing down. Their arrogance would be checked if they lost their speed, strength, and confidence. Zeus decided that if they were cut in half, they would be only half as fast and half as strong. Even better, it was a re-usable plan. Should they act up again, he would repeat the operation, leaving them with only one leg and one arm each.

After he revealed his plan to his fellow Olympians, he asked Apollo to join him in putting it into effect. The king of the gods cut the man-man, woman-woman, and man-woman creatures in half and Apollo made the necessary repairs. The face, previously facing out, Apollo turned inward. Then he gathered all the skin together (like a purse) with an opening in the middle as a reminder to mankind of his earlier state.

After the surgery, the half creatures ran around frantically looking for their other halves, seeking them out, embracing them, and trying to join together again. Unable to join, the creatures despaired and began to starve to death in their sorrow. Zeus, again mindful of his need for worship, decided something must be done to recharge the creatures’ spirits, so he instructed Apollo to create a means to rejoin temporarily. This Apollo did by turning the genitals to the belly side of the body.

Before, mankind had procreated by dropping seed on the ground. This new system created an interesting new means of producing offspring.

The creatures who had been double women before, naturally sought out women; those who had been androgynous, sought out members of the opposite gender; those who had been double men, sought out the company of men, and not simply for intercourse, but so they could become whole again by being rejoined with their soul mates.

This could be also used to explain why we may have multiple soul mates and/or sexual preferences, because as a carrier of one piece of a soul has children they would dilute and be soul mates with more than one person.  

Another interpretation of this could be that which has been mentioned in many ancient texts and symbology such as alchemical process, the yin yang and Shiva/Shakti which is the process of becoming whole by realizing both your masculine and feminine characteristics. Meaning you become whole by realising all is in you and you can only truly meet your soulmate once you fully realise your wholeness.  

There is also the concept of a twin flame, in comparison to a soul mate: a twin flame is the one and only person on the planet that you are a twin of. The best visual representation of this is the yin yang, being that twin flames have opposite characteristics from each other- such as one physically having dark features, while the other is light, but both exist within each other. Or one being introverted, while the other is extroverted. But while they have these opposing factors, it is only so they can bring out pieces of each other that would otherwise remain dormant. At the core twins would the same essence, purpose and core values.

Please share any feelings you have on the concept of twin flames by leaving a comment and share this article!

Image Copyright: davidryo / 123RF Stock Photo

I am Luke Miller the author of this article, and creator of Potential For Change. I like to blend psychology and spirituality to help you create more happiness in your life.Grab a copy of my free 33 Page Illustrated eBook- Psychology Meets Spirituality- Secrets To A Supercharged Life You Control Here