Two-headed is an adjective that describes someone who has two heads.
Two-headed is an adjective that is used to describe someone who has two heads . Beyond use in the physical sense (the duplication of the upper sector of the body), the concept can also be used symbolically (that which has two controls).
For example: “A two-headed calf was born in an Indian village: the locals believe it is a god” , “We have formed a two-headed political front, led by the Popular Socialist Party and the Socialist Revolutionary Party” , “The company has a “two-headed management, shared by the president and the general manager.”
The etymology
To begin to discover the meaning of the term two-headed, it is necessary to know its etymological origin. In this case, it must be stated that it is the result of the sum of two clearly differentiated parts:
- The Latin prefix bi- , which can be translated as “two” .
- The Greek noun kephalé , which is synonymous with “head” .
Precisely knowing that etymological origin we know that it can be translated as “it has two heads.”
The adjective two-headed in the corporal sense
If we focus on the body, a two-headed being suffers from some type of brain disorder . These disorders are congenital conditions (present already at birth) that are due to abnormal development or damage to the nervous system .
The birth of a two-headed being is generated by the same process that occurs when conjoined twins are born. The living being in question develops from the secondary union of monozygotic embryonic discs, which were originally separated.
A two-headed animal has two brains : one for each head . Control of the limbs and organs is usually shared, with connections that vary according to each case. It is often debated whether it is a being with two heads or two beings with the same body.
In March 1990 , in Minnesota ( United States ), conjoined twins Brittany and Abigail Hensel were born. These two-headed twins have, in addition to two heads on the same trunk , two stomachs, two vertebral columns and two hearts.
The double-headed eagle appears on the flag of Albania.
An iconographic figure
One of the best-known figures that has the quality of being double-headed is the so-called double-headed eagle . It is an iconographic and heraldic element that appears very frequently in the various cultures of the European continent. It is considered to have its origin in the double-headed eagle of the Hittite empire and to have reached European lands through Byzantium .
One of the moments where this two-headed animal had the most power and renown was during the 16th century . At that time it represented the union of the Hispanic monarchy with the Holy Roman Empire. Hence it became an essential element of the Habsburg dynasty.
If we go to the history of the shields and flags of dynasties, kingdoms or countries we find many examples where the double-headed eagle is present, such as the shields of the Astro-Hungarian Empire , Montenegro , Russia , Albania and Armenia , among others.
In the case of Spain , we find that same symbol on many shields such as that of Toledo , that of Baños de Ebro and that of Villanueva de Córdoba .