A doppelgänger is a German word that literally translates to "double-walker". Looking at mythology specifically, doppelgängers are usually those rather evil creatures or ghosts who deliberately impersonate you and are essentially seen as carriers of bad luck.
It was believed that if you happened to encounter your friend's look-alike then it is a sign of an approaching sickness or, in the best case scenario, just a sign of misfortune. However, if you came across your own doppelgänger, then it was the time to wave everyone goodbye – as it was believed to be a death omen.
Back in the day, it was said that to identify the evil creatures it was enough to either look at their reflection or their shadows, as such things were totally not a part of the doppelgänger's existence. Moreover, the reason why it was thought that once you ran into one of your evil "twins" you'd be doomed forever was purely because the doppelgängers themselves were made to harm humans.
Besides, having an evil double that not only looks like you, but also walks and basically mirrors your whole persona has been a great influence in many films and stories. There's a number of famous wicked lookalikes, for instance, (spoiler alert) the horror film "Us" where a family gets attacked by mysterious people dressed in red who turn out to be their exact clones!
Of course, these urban legends are nothing but the imagination of our ancestors, but it is spooky regardless. There are even a few famous sights of those evil lookalikes, for example, Abraham Lincoln supposedly claimed that he saw a double reflection of himself in the mirror, where one was much paler. It is believed that he shared this eerie incident with his wife, who was totally convinced that it was a bad sign, and that the reason why the second reflection was so pale was because he would successfully serve his first term, but would not finish his second.
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Whether that's true or not will likely be forever unknown, however it is a great way of scaring your peers on a potential horror movie night. Though despite all those creepy facts, nowadays, doppelgänger is simply used to describe a person that looks somewhat similar to you and doesn't carry any sinister meanings.
Putting the creepiness aside, it's truly captivating how it's believed that we're all so unique but then we're really not. All those mixed genes and, poof, someone thousands of miles away from you has your eyes and your smile. But seeing these famous folks that are all living in the big screen looking freakishly similar is even more entertaining.
It would be amazing for humankind to have completely individual features – however, judging by the fact that we're all a part of the same species, coming across a person with slightly similar characteristics is not a supernatural and otherworldly experience, though it's still rare. Have you ever met your doppelgänger?
