Two Headed Monster
Plastic, made in Hong Kong
1980s
Donated by Chris Hill
Double-headedness can signify a variety things:
At the center of Masonic symbolism, the double-headed eagle is viewed as an emblem of completion “in which all opposites are reconciled in a state of perfection, typified by the two heads of equal dignity.”
For Freemasons, the being with two heads also serves a gatekeeping function: “With one face I behold the radiant countenance of my Creator and with the other the expanse of the universe which He has fashioned.”
An opposite view is found in Mayan symbolism where the double-headed figure connoted competition, war and natural calamity. Two-headedness as a visual and psychological aberration is commonly exploited in science fiction and monster movies. An interesting case study of double-headedness is offered in the film, “How to Get Ahead in Advertising” (1989), where an a acne cream salesman grows a pimple on his neck that talks, looks just like him, and begins to take over his life.
