Double
The apparition of a living person that is an exact duplicate, even including
details of dress. The belief that doubles are death omens flourishes
in the folklore of Britain and Europe. Doubles are known by a variety
of names, including wraith, fetch, waff, fye, swarth, and task. In Germany
doubles are called Doppelganger, or "double-goer." As a death omen,
doubles are typically to be seen by others in a distant location just
as the individual is about to die or has died. The double may appear real,
or have a filmy, ghostly look about it. In some rare cases, individuals
see their own doubles shortly before they die. Percy Bysshe Shelley
saw his double shortly before he drowned. Catherine of Russia saw her
double seated upon her own throne, and ordered her guards to fire upon it.
