Soulmates, Plato, & Mythology

Soulmates Plato & Mythology: The soul mate — our divine other halves. Whether it be romantic partners, spiritual partners, or even family, most of us have thought about soulmates at one point.

We know our soulmates are out there, and we might have met them already. But do you know where the idea of soulmates originated? Were humans created with two faces, four legs, and four arms? Did Zeus split them into two halves out of anger?

To learn more about the concept of soulmates, check out this article. But here, we’ll discuss the origins of soulmates in greater depth and explore the idea of soulmates in different cultures.

The Origin of ‘Soul Mates’ According to Greek Mythology

Soulmates Plato & Mythology: Greece is known as the birthplace of Western philosophy.

From the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, a man known as Thales of Miletus inspired and pioneered a new way of thinking about the world. Thales, the father of Western philosophy, walked so others could run.

After Thales, many philosophers built upon one another — some were inspired by mystical visions like Parmenides, visiting foreign lands and learning from their wise like Pythagoras, and even weaving their philosophy in legendary epic poems like Virgil.

This strong storm of innovative philosophy took over Greece and the rest of the Western world. It lit the match of many, especially one of the most well-known Greek philosophers: Plato. Plato popularized the famous soulmate theory.

Soulmates didn’t necessarily originate from Plato, as we see the concept of soul connections in other cultures. But Plato was known for his systems, and Plato offered a formal “systematic” take on soulmates. His view of soulmates was clear and direct compared to his contemporaries, who riddled theories with symbolic myth.

In his foundational philosophical text celebrating love, the Symposium, he tells a story about how soulmates came to be.

Plato’s Symposium comprises seven notable men featured as characters: Phaedrus, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, Agathon, Socrates, and Alcibiades. Each of them gives profound speeches on love, passion, and beauty.

We focus on the fourth speech by the famed comedy writer Aristophanes. Our quotes are from The Dialogues of Plato Volume II: The Symposium, translated by R. E. Allen.

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The Greek Myth of Soul Mates

Soulmates Plato & Mythology: Aristophanes begins his speech by stating that primal humans were not as they knew them to be.

Humans were created with one body and came in three genders: all-male, all-female, and androgynous, having both male and female. Humans used to be circular, with four legs, four arms, and two faces on a cylindrical neck.

He states that humans rolled around on all eight limbs — imagine that in your head! With this conjoined form, the humans were physically strong and fast.

Aristophanes explains that men came from the Sun, women came from the Earth, and the androgynous came from the Moon. He says this explains their original nature to be round:

Soon, the round humans conspired against the Greek gods and planned to overthrow the heavens. Zeus and the other gods heard of this plan and planned to stop it.

Zeus ran into a dilemma — he couldn’t kill the humans.

He and the gods loved their offerings and sacrifices. Zeus decided to make the humans weaker by splitting them into two halves.

Zeus said, “I believe I’ve got a device by which men may continue to exist and yet stop their intemperance. Namely… I’ll cut them in two,”

He threatened further, “But if they still seem to act outrageously and are unwilling to keep quiet, I’ll cut them in two again so that they’ll have to get around on one leg, hopping.”

Soulmates Plato & Mythology

Zeus ordered Apollo to heal the wounds and mold humans to the form we recognize now. Purposefully having their faces turn to where they were cut so they can contemplate their incomplete form.

Now split in two, the humans ran around looking for their other half. When they found each other, they “threw their arms around each other and intertwined them, desiring to grow together into one, dying of hunger and inactivity too because they were unwilling to do anything apart.” (Sound familiar?)

This divine punishment left an existential wound on human beings, condemning them to spend the rest of their lives looking for their other half.

Zeus thought that to continue the human race. He should turn their sexual organs to the front of their bodies. So when the humans would run to each other and hug, they’d mate and have children.

The comedy writer provided a smooth summary of his narrative as he neared the end of his speech,

“… what he desired all along, namely, to join and be fused with his beloved, to become one from two. The reason is that this was our ancient nature, and we were wholes. Eros [Love] is a name for the one desire and pursuit of wholeness.”

Soulmates in the Modern View

Soulmates Plato & Mythology: This immense work of literature from Plato has impacted everything from pop culture mystic traditions to how we look for love.

The popular psychic and mystic Edgar Cayce has mentioned and informed the public about soulmates. The Edgar Cayce Foundation offers a compilation of extracts of his talks about soulmates.

Cayce teaches that soulmates find their other halves in different reincarnations over centuries. Cayce conflates the idea of soulmates with karmic ideals.

Another New Age author, Mark L. Prophet, says soulmates are drawn together to fulfill a specific mission. They can be friends, co-workers, or romantic partners.

Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Prophet even liken soulmates to brotherly or sisterly spiritual love despite some soulmates having a profoundly loving marriage.

Iconic Story of Soulmates in Mythology & Literature

Many concepts of soul connections and divine love exist throughout history, such as the red string of fate, the Celtic Anam Cara, and the spiritual love presented in the Zoroastrian Gathas.

We even see divine soul connection in myth and literature! We’ll examine Egyptian mythology, fictional Biblical lore, and a Hindu love story of the ages.

Osiris & Isis

Soulmates Plato & Mythology: One of the most famous tales from Egypt is the Osiris myth. This philosophical text can be found in Egyptian burial tombs, known as funerary text.

The story starts with Osiris, king of Egypt, and his queen Isis. Osiris and Isis were loved by many as Osiris taught agriculture to the people and how to live in peace, and Isis taught weaving and baking. Yet, Osiris’ brother, Seth, was jealous of their fame and status.

Seth crept into Osiris and Isis’ room at night, not waking them or measuring Osiris’ body. He had a carpenter construct a gold tomb to Osiris’ exact measurements, with the plan of killing Osiris.

Seth held a feast for the kingdom and presented the tomb as a party game, seeing whoever could fit into the tomb. When Osiris had his try at the game working right into the tomb, Seth and his friends shut the tomb, carried it, and dumped the tomb with Osiris in it into the Nile River.

Isis found out about the news of her dead husband. She quickly found the tomb and retrieved her husband’s corpse. Realizing she could still save him with a ritual, she hid his body so Seth couldn’t find it.

To no avail, Seth found the body. He split Osiris’ body into fourteen pieces and scattered them across Egypt.

Isis used her powers to turn into a bird, flying over Egypt and finding all fourteen pieces of his body. On a moon night, Isis used her powers to bring Osiris back to life. Osiris and Isis gave birth to their son, Horus, who defeated and banished Seth forever.

This beautiful tale of true love shows the power love holds. Isis did whatever she could to get her other half back.

The Soulmate of Princess Tharbis

This pair of soulmates forms from the Bible and a poetic Bible drama by Amy Redpath Roddick.

Quick background: Soulmates Plato & Mythology: Tharbis is a mysterious Cushite woman of high stature mentioned in the Bible. She occurs once and is believed to be the wife of Moses when he stays in Egypt before fleeing to Midian.

But despite biblical fact or fiction, the poetic drama depicts a yearning and hungering love story.

In the spectacular work, Princess Tharbis lives a life of forbidden love. Her father, King Kilkanos of Ethiopia, condemns her relationship with Moses.

Princess Tharbis is depicted longing for Moses in multiple passages. She dotes and swoons after him, saying,

“For days and days, I’ve dwelt upon his glory … once I wished the Moon and cried for it. You soothed my childish plaint and made me a disc in palish gold, a replica so smooth my infant’s hands could trundle it about — the Moon was mine. And now I weep for Moses— give him me.”

In a swift reply, Tharbis says, “If love is mad, then I am mad.”

This tale shows the longing and yearning Tharbis held for her other half, Moses. Her soul mate.

For more adoring poetry about soulmates, check this out.

Rama & Sita

Soulmates Plato & Mythology: The essential religious text, the Ramayana, has had a profound and everlasting effect on culture, philosophy, literature, theater, and dance in Southeast Asian culture.

We find a unique and classic idea of soulmate pairs within this beautiful text: Rama, the warrior king, and the city’s princess, Sita.

Rama and Sita are reincarnations of Vishnu and Lakshmi, respectively. Like many counterparts, they aren’t aware of their divine connection.

It’s love at first sight for both—instant recognition of being lovestruck, unable to do or think of anything except each other.

Inflamed with his passion and love for Sita, Rama saves Sita and the Earth by destroying Ravana.

As Don Lehman Jr. puts it, Rama and Sita’s divine love was a virtue within Indian mythology and had a beautiful moral: love always wins.

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