How were twins treated by society in the medieval era?

The superstitions of Medieval times hit badly on twins. The life cycle wasn't something strictly biological. There weren't completely correct theories about pregnancy. Some assumed, that demons were living inside the woman's womb. To anatomize corpses was forbidden. read more

The superstitions of Medieval times hit badly on twins. The life cycle wasn’t something strictly biological. There weren’t completely correct theories about pregnancy. Some assumed, that demons were living inside the woman’s womb. To anatomize corpses was forbidden. Many theories were made up, mostly mixed with religion and superstition. read more

In a complex way, the issue of twins as a result of an adulterous union compromises the gendered, political, religious, and literary conventions of the period; its narrative impact is to suspend a damaging doubt over who is the rightful father and legitimate heir. read more

The reason why twins in this image are far apart may lie in the theory that twins were caused by the divided structure of a woman’s uterus. This not only has a bearing over how twins relate to the overall health of the mother but also how the birth of twins reflected her sexuality, morality, and thus her social reputation. read more