| Doppelganger | |
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Other Names |
Doppelgänger, Doppelgaenger, Doppelganger |
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First Appearance |
German Folklore |
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Created by |
German Folklore |
Origin[]
A doppelgänger, literally meaning "double-walker", sometimes spelled doppelgaenger or doppelganger, is a biologically unrelated look-alike or double, of a living person.
In fiction and mythology, a doppelgänger is often portrayed as a ghostly or paranormal phenomenon and usually seen as a harbinger of bad luck. Other traditions and stories equate a doppelgänger with an evil twin. In modern times, the term twin stranger is occasionally used.
In The Devil's Elixirs (1815), one of E. T. A. Hoffmann's early novels, a man murders the brother and stepmother of his beloved princess, finds his doppelgänger has been sentenced to death for these crimes in his stead, and liberates him, only to have the doppelgänger murder the object of his affection.
In addition to describing the doppelgänger double as a counterpart to the self, Percy Bysshe Shelley's drama Prometheus Unbound (1820) makes reference to Zoroaster meeting "his own image walking in the garden".
Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel The Double (1846) presents the doppelgänger as an opposite personality who exploits the character failings of the protagonist to take over his life.
In Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton resemble one another to the point of being indistinguishable to the casual observer. At the start of the novel, this results in Darnay's acquittal after an eyewitness couldn't tell the two apart at trial. At the novel's climax, the resemblance allows Carton to substitute himself in place of Darnay for execution.
In Das Mirakel and The Miracle (both 1912) the Virgin Mary (as Doppelgängerin) takes the place of a nun who has run away from her convent in search of love and adventure. Both based on the 1911 play The Miracle by Karl Vollmöller.
The Student of Prague (1913) is a German silent film where a diabolical character steals the reflection of a young student out of his mirror, leading it to return later and terrorise him.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of doppelgangers published before January 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Night-Side of Nature (1848)
- The Devil's Elixirs (1815)
- Prometheus Unbound (1820)
- The Double (1846)
- A Tale of Two Cities (1859)
Public Domain Theatrical Appearances[]
- The Miracle (1911)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Das Mirakel/Miracle (1912)
- The Student of Prague (1913)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Mister Mystery #3: The twin brothers Mike and Stan are in love with Sue. Sue chooses Stan and Mike kills himself. Years later Sue is being visited by a life-like looking Mike. Sue decides on taking drastic measures to get rid of the doppelganger.
- Baffling Mysteries #25: Paul Hulick is a gambler who cheats on his girl. He meets his doppelganger (who reveals himself as Hulick's conscience) and learns that he must die tomorrow (by drowning) unless he changes his behaviour. He does so but refuses to hand his conscience back its book of fate, so that he can change the death-entry. On the run he falls into an open manhole, but is luckily saved soon afterwards.
- The Spirit (1951-03-11): In the Case of the Double Jones, The Spirit deals with the doppelganger of Joe Jones who is blackmailing his counterpoint. After solving the case, the Spirit also then encounters Commissioner Dolan's doppelganger as well.
Notes[]
- In comic books, the doppelganger denotes a villain who is nearly identical to the hero in many ways, including background, personality and powers, but uses his abilities for evil rather than good. In some cases, this is used to show the reader what the hero could have become. In others, the Doppelganger serves as a thematic foil for the hero.