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We are the mythical twins
In the in-between place
Gateway to the middle
Where the king's daughter faces the dust
We are of the strong one, the labourer
One of us keeps monkeys

Who are we?

Hint 1:

The monkeys are real, not mythical.

Hint 2:

Geography.

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3 Answers 3

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They are:

The pillars of Herculus, also known as The Strait of Gibraltar

Lines 1-2:
We are the mythical twins
In the in-between place

The sides of the strait were called "The Pillars of Hercules." According to myth, Hercules created the strait as part of one of his Labors. No-one at the time of myth creation knew what lay beyond the strait, providing one potential meaning of "in-between" place. Alternately, the Pillars of Hercules are often referenced in myth as as supporting the sky, hence they are "in between" earth and heaven (or the mythological equivalent).

Lines 3-4:
Gateway to the middle
Where the king's daughter faces the dust

The strait is a gateway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Middle East, where Israel, King David's "daughter" is. It is also a desert, hence the dust (this one's a stretch).

Line 5:
We are of the strong one, the labourer

Hercules is a mythical figure purported to be very strong. Also he underwent the 12 Labors of Hercules.

Line 6:
One of us keeps monkeys

Gibraltar (on the European side) has the only native monkeys in Europe

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  • $\begingroup$ Made some edits based on further reasoning and a little research. $\endgroup$
    – Duncan
    Jan 30, 2016 at 1:27
  • $\begingroup$ Great solution! (Spoiler comments:) "King's daughter" and "dust" were referring to the etymology of Europe and Africa. "in-between" and "middle" are related to the word "Mediterranean" in addition to the meanings you pointed out. But anyway, that's nitpicking, and your interpretations make just as much sense. $\endgroup$
    – user17947
    Jan 30, 2016 at 2:22
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for the clarification on the third and fourth lines. That's something I wouldn't have searched for (though I should have thought of it!). Had I not been to the northern land mass in question (with the monkeys) I might not have gotten this one! $\endgroup$
    – Duncan
    Jan 30, 2016 at 19:03
  • $\begingroup$ Thought the question was who are we, didnt focus on what $\endgroup$ Jan 31, 2016 at 10:18
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I've come to 2 different options, but decided on this answer because I believe it has closer clues.

We are the mythical twins

Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl, mythical twins

In the in-between place Gateway to the middle

They are in the underworld but want to escape and create a life

Where the king's daughter faces the dust We are of the strong one, the labourer

While trying to run away from the underworld, Quetzalcoatl dropped the bones, and they broke into pieces. He gathered up the pieces and took them to the earth goddess Cihuacoatl, who ground them into flour. Quetzalcoatl moistened the flour with his own blood, which gave it life. Then he and Xolotl shaped the mixture into human forms and taught the new creatures how to reproduce themselves. So I guess Cihuacoatl represents the holy woman, and since twins do the hard work, they are the labourers.

One of us keeps monkeys

Quetzalcoatl: In his form as Ehecatl he is the wind, is represented by spider monkeys, ducks, and the wind itself.

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    $\begingroup$ what is your other option? $\endgroup$ Jan 28, 2016 at 10:24
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    $\begingroup$ The Maya Twins was my second thought $\endgroup$
    – canova
    Jan 29, 2016 at 7:43
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They are:

Heracles & Iphicles

The strong one, the laborer

Heracles the strong one, plus he had to complete several labours commanded by some king which name i forgot

keeps monkeys

reference to the Kerkopes Heracles captured

in between

about having 2 fathers and/or Heracles father being zeus and the mother being mortal

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    $\begingroup$ That's not exactly it, but you're close. Some of your clue interpretations are correct but you need to rethink how they relate to the answer. (Look closely at line 5 of the riddle for example.) $\endgroup$
    – user17947
    Jan 28, 2016 at 15:30
  • $\begingroup$ the word of, but i didn't know he had twins? but he did Antileon and Hippeus $\endgroup$ Jan 28, 2016 at 15:40
  • $\begingroup$ Yes the word "of" is significant, but no it's not those two... $\endgroup$
    – user17947
    Jan 28, 2016 at 15:47
  • $\begingroup$ alright, i'll do some research, cause my knowledge doesn't go any further then my original answer. $\endgroup$ Jan 28, 2016 at 15:50
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    $\begingroup$ No, it's still not it, and the idea of going further and further down the family tree doesn't lead in the right direction. Anyway, I added some hints. $\endgroup$
    – user17947
    Jan 29, 2016 at 2:19

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