She Ain't Heavy, She's My Sister

Trey Smith

In my work as a child abuse investigator, I was involved in a lot of cases that centered on allegations of incest. So, I just want to make the point that this is not a topic I take lightly.

In most societies, incest is one of the big taboos. From a strictly biological standpoint, we know that generational inbreeding leads to future birth defects. On a psychological level, it tears at the fabric of the nuclear family. On an emotional level, it often destroys the innocence of childhood and can lead to a tremendous amount of dysfunction as the victimized child grows to adulthood.

With this as a backdrop, I've come across a point that I've never thought of before.

I recently purchased Bryan W. Van Norden's book, Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy. On page 2, he points out that in early Chinese philosophy (Fu Xi and Nuwa), Greek mythology (Zeus and Hera) and the Judeo-Christian story of Adam and Eve incest plays a key role in each story. In the first two, the divine patriarch marries his sister. In the Judeo-Christian version, Eve is created from Adam's rib "so she is, in a sense, his twin sister."

If incest is viewed so negatively by contemporary society, why does it serve as the centerpiece for so many of our foundational myths?

I found Van Norden's explanation fascinating!

...using a hermeneutic of faith we might interpret the myths as an expression of the legitimate human longing to find that masculinity and femininity as distinct (symbolized by the fact that Fu Xi and Nuwa are male and female) yet complementary (symbolized by their marriage) and fundamentally unified, rather than dualistic (symbolized by the fact they have the same parents).