# Help me create a comprehensive list of famous star-crossed lovers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667 "2006-09-06T17:39:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/21 "2006-09-07T03:09:28Z")
[QUOTE=Tapioca Dextrin] Do Anakin and Padmé count? [/QUOTE] Of course not. Their story was contemplated by Lucas, true, but the films were never actually made, as a band of zombies attacked the set of a movie that was meant to be called “Star Wars: Episode 1” and ate the director, producer, and most of the principal cast. Only Ewen McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Saruman survived. ---
**Author:** ![No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/no_me_ayudes_compadre/32/5224_2.png) [@No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Me_Ayudes_Compadre)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/22 "2006-09-07T03:11:18Z")
**Popocatepetl & Iztaccihuatl** Excerpt from [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popocat%C3%A9petl_and_Iztacc%C3%ADhuatl): > [@](#): > > In Aztec mythology, there was a warrior named Popocatépetl. Popocatépetl fell in love with the daughter of his king, Iztaccíhuatl and she too fell in love. > > Iztaccíhuatl’s father had to send Popocatépetl to war in Oaxaca. Before sending him to battle, Iztaccíhuatl’s father promised to give his daughter in marriage to Popocatépetl if he were to return (which Iztaccíhuatl’s father presumed he would not). > > Popocatépetl did survive the war but before he could return Iztaccíhuatl received word of her lover’s death. Iztaccíhuatl died of grief believing her Popocatépetl to be dead. When he finally did return, Popocatépetl was shocked to find that his beloved was dead. He too died of grief over losing her. They were both turned into mountains–the eponymously named peaks to the east of Mexico City. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/23 "2006-09-07T03:20:46Z")
There are two pairs of star-crossed lovers in Wagner’s Ring cycle, all related, so there’s quite a bit of incest involved as well. In _Die Walküre_ there are **Siegmund** and **Sieglinde** , who are twin brother and sister but don’t know it. Then in _Siegfried_ and _Götterdämmerung_ there is their son **Siegfried** and his auntie **Brünnhilde**. Of course, nothing good comes of all this, but it takes many hours in coming. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/24 "2006-09-07T04:05:54Z")
French - an unconsumated triangle : Christian/ Roxanne/ Cyrano ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/25 "2006-09-07T05:04:49Z")
[QUOTE=psycat90] Running Bear and Little White Dove (from one of my favorite [songs](http://www.duchessathome.com/music/runningbear.html) as a kid.) [/QUOTE] Darn it! Somebody always beats me to it. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/26 "2006-09-07T09:49:11Z")
Spain: the lovers of Teruel. Google “amantes de Teruel” for nifty pics of the mausoleum. Yep, they’re real. Poor second son, rich noblewoman; her father gives him 5 years to come back with money. He comes back in time… to a festive town… which is celebrating his bride’s wedding! The father didn’t count too well. He goes to the cathedral, meets the bridal party as it comes out; asks her for a kiss, but she refuses: she still loves him, but now belongs to another. His heart breaks and he dies. His funeral is the next day. As they pass the house of his beloved, a veiled woman exits its door. It’s her. She lifts her veil, kisses his coffin and drops dead on top of it. Like I said, their double grave is gorgeous, some of the most delicate stonework I’ve ever seen. Also the lovers in the Romance del Conde Niño, a poem that I absolutely love (and most poetry leaves me scratching my head) and wish I could translate but my English isn’t that good and anyway it’s pretty long: the Count is singing at the sea side, the Queen hears him and calls her daughter over “to hear the sirens sing”, “that’s no sirens, Mother, it’s the Count singing for me”, “for your love he sings? I’ll have him killed for his arrogance” “if you kill him, I will die”. He dies at midnight; she, with the sunrise. She is buried at the altar, he a few steps back. A rosebush grows from her grave, a white thornbush from his; _those branches that met, hugged; those that could not hug, did not stop sighing_. The Queen orders both shrubs cut, _a crane was born from her, a strong hawk from him; together they fly forever, together across the sky_ I didn’t say I had good taste 😃 The legend of El Cristo de La Vega in Toledo: he comes back after 7 years making his fortune as a soldier in Flandes… but doesn’t fulfill his promise of marriage to her, made in front of the Christ at the vegetable gardens, down by the river; she sues and claims the statue of Christ as her witness; the judges move the tribunal there and set out to question the statue. When asked, “do you swear that one day, in front of your feet, Diego swore that he would marry Inés?”, the statue lifts its right hand from the Cross and, touching the papers where the proceedings are being written as witnesses had to do, says “I do”. Both Inés and Diego get sudden attacks of religion and enter convents. There’s several “leyendas de la Mora”: christian knight, taken prisoner, assisted by moorish lady, falls in love with her. There’s variations from that point but they never get to marry. And several “beautiful Rebecas” (it’s almost a legend sub-gender). This one is from Cuenca: a christian young man, coming back from a walk in the forest, comes upon some toughs who are bothering a lady and scares them away. He offers to escort her home but she refuses. He follows anyway: partly out of curiosity, partly because he’s genuinely worried that the thoughs may come back. She enters a house in the Jewish part of town; he gets closer and sees that a Star of David decorates the door; it is indeed a Jewish house. Darn and damnation, oh well. Because she’s arrived late and some people have seen the christian guy following her, she gets accused of, uhm, impropriety. She doesn’t know his name, not would she expect any help from a Christian; plus, if people aren’t even thinking of checking for virginity, what will his word help? He hears about it through the grapevine (he’d said “darn and damnation” but was still curious to know who she was) and figures out a way to help her; the two families become friends. ---
**Author:** ![nemminie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecb155/32.png) [@nemminie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nemminie)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/27 "2006-09-07T11:16:34Z")
[QUOTE=Cat Fight] Ennis and Jack. What does “genuinely star-crossed” mean, anyway? Just that they’re fighting against fate? [/QUOTE] I want to know too. What does star-crossed mean? Anyway - Abelard and Heloise. Heloise’s dad had Abelard’s dick cut off. ---
**Author:** ![nemminie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecb155/32.png) [@nemminie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nemminie)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/28 "2006-09-07T11:20:43Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] Abelard and Heloise. Bonus points for castration. [/QUOTE] Apologies, **Snooooopy.** Didn’t notice your priority. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/29 "2006-09-07T13:28:11Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] Of course not. Their story was contemplated by Lucas, true, but the films were never actually made, as a band of zombies attacked the set of a movie that was meant to be called “Star Wars: Episode 1” and ate the director, producer, and most of the principal cast. Only Ewen McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Saruman survived. [/QUOTE] Well, as long as Ewan survives I suppose I can deal with it. [Star-crossed Lovers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star-crossed) > [@](#): > > “Star-crossed” or “star-crossed lovers” is a reference to those who fight against (or cross) their fate, which is written in the stars. The phrase is first recorded by William Shakespeare in his play Romeo and Juliet. > > ACT I PROLOGUE > Two households, both alike in dignity, > In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, > From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, > Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. > From forth the fatal loins of these two foes > A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life; > > It also refers to destiny and the inevitability of the two characters’ paths crossing each other. It also usually means unlucky, since Romeo and Juliet’s affair ended tragically. > > In the context of their fate being “written in the stars”, the cross also represents hardships. (as in the Christian theme of “taking up your cross”) This is cleary represented in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Hermia says to Lyander of their troubles: > > “If then lovers have been ever crosse’d, It stands as an edict in destiny: Then let us teach out trial patience, Because it is a customary cross, As due to love as thoughts and dreams and sighs, Wishes and tears, poor fancy’s followers.” > > A clear representation of their troubles being something that was destined. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/30 "2006-09-07T14:47:42Z")
[Hero and Leander.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_and_Leander) ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/31 "2006-09-07T14:58:10Z")
Horatio Hornblower and Archie Kennedy. What? (If you’re being all _serious_ about this: Deirdre (Derdriu) and Naoirse (Noisiu) from the ‘Exile of the Sons of Uisliu’ tale in the Táin Bó Cualinge cycle, one of Ireland’s most famous epics.) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/32 "2006-09-07T15:05:15Z")
Thanks, guys! This is great. I want to compile a little list of them - maybe even make a web page. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/33 "2006-09-07T16:11:56Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] **Zebra** and **Anaamika** tragic, very very tragic. [/QUOTE] I didn’t notice this before. Does this mean we’re going to die? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/34 "2006-09-07T16:21:19Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] How about Scarlet and Ashley from Gone With The Wind. [/QUOTE] Scarlett’s mother Ellen and Ellen’s cousin Phillippe were in love, but her father fobade the marriage. Phillippe left town and was killed in a barroom brawl. Ellen only married Gerald O’Hara to get away from her family. If they didn’t let her, she would become a nun. Scarlett’s little sister Careen had a serious crush on Brent Tarleton, and was engaged to him when he died in the war. She became a nun. Those O’Hara women don’t have much luck in love, do they? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/35 "2006-09-07T17:01:00Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] I didn’t notice this before. Does this mean we’re going to die? [/QUOTE] I think it just means that, being at the two ends of the alphabet like that, you and **Zebra** will never actually meet. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/36 "2006-09-07T17:55:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Those O’Hara women don’t have much luck in love, do they? Scarlett’s love problems have little to do with luck. She was lucky Rhett Butler ever gave her time of day at all. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/37 "2006-09-07T19:12:49Z")
:smack: How could I forget Edith Keeler and James Tiberius Kirk? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/38 "2006-09-07T20:29:12Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] I didn’t notice this before. Does this mean we’re going to die? [/QUOTE] We’ll die befor we have sex. but if you die first, then, well… ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/39 "2006-09-07T20:31:17Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] We’ll die befor we have sex. but if you die first, then, well… [/QUOTE] Are you thinking of that other thread? Those three guys that urp were going to break into that crypt? I’m going to be cremated, just an FYI. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667/40 "2006-09-07T20:39:51Z")
> [@giles](#): > > I think it just means that, being at the two ends of the alphabet like that, you and Zebra will never actually meet. The disc’s greatest lovers were undoubtedly Mellius and Gretelina, whose pure, passionate and soul-searing affair would have scorched the pages of History if they had not, because of some unexplained quirk of fate, been born two hundred years appart on different continents. However, the gods took pity on them and turned him into an ironing board and her into a small brass bollard[1]. [1]When you’re a god, you don’t have to have reasons. -Mort by Terry Pratchett [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-create-a-comprehensive-list-of-famous-star-crossed-lovers/371667.md?page=3)