the twins are two people (was: lion-eagle, etc.)

[ssk7882 <skelkins@attbi.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49028

Catlady wondered:

> For that matter, if Fred and George had been able to put their 
> names into the Goblet of Fire, could it have chosen one of them 
> without the other as Champion? 

And then Corinth screamed in frustration:

> No! No, no, no, no! This is off topic, but I must rant. Twins are 
> not one person! Of course the Goblet could have made a choice; they 
> are two completely different people. nd I hope to God the school 
> wouldn't make an exception and treat the twins as a single person. 

Heh.  Now, you wouldn't be a twin yourself by any chance, would you, 
Corinth? ;-)

But cheer up.  Canon backs you up here 100%.  Padma and Parvati 
are twins, and they were sorted into separate houses.  Nor does
anyone seem particularly surprised or stunned by this occurrence.
So I don't think that we have to worry too much about Hogwarts 
(or magical artifacts like the Goblet and the Sorting Hat, for 
that matter) making unfair assumptions about twins or denying
them recognition of their individuation.  

When it comes to Fred and George, they do seem to enjoy the game
of speaking with one voice, probably both because (as you said)
it facilitates their love of mischief and also because it gives
them an edge in the power dynamics of their large family.  But
the one glimpse we see of their behavior when they do *not* 
have an audience shows quite clearly, I'd say, that "Gred and 
Forge" is largely act.  In _GoF,_ we see them quarrelling over 
how to proceed with Ludo Bagman.  Tellingly, they believe 
themselves to be unobserved at the time.  The instant that they 
realize that they are not in fact alone, they revert to their 
usual public behavior, putting up a united front against Ron.

> Give me some time to look through the books and I'll give 
> canon for the two different personalities. 

A number of people have noted differences between the twins
here on the list in the past, and several months ago, Richelle
embarked on a full catalogue on their canonical appearances for
just this purpose, although IIRC, she only got through the 
first book.  I don't have any message numbers here right now,
but an archive search might yeild some interesting finds.

IIRC, people usually find Fred to be the leader of the two: 
more aggressive and initiatory than George, but also rather
meaner, more lacking in empathy.  A couple of people have
expressed concern for Fred, as they feel that if JKR ever 
decides to pull an "evil twin" plotline, Fred could prove 
vulnerable to temptation or corruption.

Oh!  But now I see that Scheherazade said the exact same
thing.  <shakes head>  I should really get up to speed
before I start firing off replies, shouldn't I?

Please *do* post this to the list when you're done with
it, Scheherazade!  I know that many people would be
interested in seeing it.


Elkins 

who once promised a full break-down of Percy appearances...but 
then never delivered.  Er...maybe in 2003?