The Other Half

Aristophanes' explained in Platos' Symposium the concept of love. There were three genders: male, female, and androgynous, and each person was twice what they are now. That is, they had four hands, four legs, two heads, two sets of genitals, and so on. They could move both forward and backward and would run by spinning themselves around cartwheel-like on all eight limbs.

Males were descended from the sun, females from the earth, and those who were androgynous were descended from the moon. They were very powerful and vigorous and made threatening attacks on the gods. The gods did not want to destroy them because they would then forfeit the sacrifices humans made to them, so Zeus decided to cut each person in two.

He also suggested that if this didn't settle humans down, he would cut them in two once again and they would have to hop about on one leg. As each person was cut in two, Apollo turned their heads and necks around so that they would be facing towardthe gash that had been made, so as to remind them constantly of the punishment they had been dealt. He also pulled their skin tight to cover up this gash, tying it together at the navel. Because they longed for their original nature, people kept tryingto find their other half and reunite with it. When they found their other half (έτερον ήμισυ), they would embrace and stay together, not wanting anything else.

Handprinted on 100% organic cotton T shirt. 155gsm

Created in Athens.