In many societies twins are considered magical or mystical because it is thought that twins share a common soul.
The legend says that long ago in a Batak kingdom in Summatra a noble woman was about to give birth when a shaman predicted she would give birth to twins. A boy and a girl.
The shaman told the parents that the children should be separated at birth and never allowed to meet, or the consequences would be dire.
So after their birth the twins were separated. Each was sent to far ends of the kingdom, the parents hoping the sheer distance between them would prevent them ever meeting.
However, as they reached their teenage years they each felt an urge to travel. They met, not knowing they were siblings. They found an instant rapport and spent the night together.
The next morning they awoke and walked together into a great forest. They heard a strange sound high in a tree. The boy climbed up through the branches to investigate.
The girl waited on the ground for some time calling out to the boy, who did not answer. So she climbed the tree also.
Word had spread to the parents and, fearing the worst, the parents sought their children. They found them at the top of the tree, frozen together forever.
This is the hilt of a Piso ne Datu. "Sword of the Magician." Swords like this were considered too powerful to be kept inside a home and had their own special house.
I find the carving quite interesting.
