Abstract
Many Greek myhts deal with the double and its various aspects. They can concern the twins (like the Dioskouroi, or Romulus and Remus), the double personalities (like Narcissus, or Helen of Troy), the double identity (and its tragic developments, as in the case of Oedypus, or its comical aspects, as in Plautus’ comedy), metamorphosis, the theatre and its masks, the double in the arts (with reference to portraits and living sculptures). The names of the main characters appearing in all these tales are always of the greatest importance. The paper tries to show how their etymologies work in shaping the myth.