Many American Horror Story fans know about the Freak Show arc with Edward Mordrake, but do they know where the character originated? Apparently, there’s much more to his story dating back more than 100 years ago…
It’s a Boy!
In the early 19th century, Edward Mordtake was born into a well-off, aristocratic family. The family was excited to have a boy born into the family, as that was something very important to a wealthy family…
Two-Sided
Soon after Edward was born, his family noticed something extremely strange. It looked like he had a smaller, disfigured face on the back of his head…
Real Medical Condition
This rare condition was called diprosopus. He wasn’t a conjoined twin like many people thought. Instead, he just had some of his facial features “duplicated” on the back of his head.
Well-Rounded Individual
Despite his bizarre birth defect, Edward was known for being a sensitive and quiet boy. He attended a wealthy school and evolved into a high society member of the English upper class.
A Talented Musician
He was an extremely talented musician and loved entertaining family and friends. People loved him and ended up getting used to his bizarre second face…
Entirely Mobile
Rumor has it that the face wasn’t just an average birth defect… Apparently, people on the street have claimed to see it move.
It’s Moving?
There were witness claims that the eyes would flicker and blink from time-to-time. Others have said the lips moved ever so lightly, as if it was talking to someone.
Everyone’s Talking
Since Edward was a part of an affluent family and grew up virtually in the spotlight, having this face on the back of his head proved difficult. Things got even crazier when rumors began to spread that the face moved…
Can’t See
As if things weren’t getting hard enough, Edward couldn’t feel that face on the back of his head. In reality, he had no real idea if it moved or not because he simply couldn’t see it.
Sinister Twin
The worst rumor that spread was that the face was known to sneer. Family members have even said that the face looked joyous during times of depression for Edward. What was this really…
Sleepless Nights
Passersby knew who of Edward even said that it would make a laughing face or even scowl at anyone that looked at it. Edward wanted to go to the doctor…
At the Doctors
Edward had told his doctor that the face was making things difficult for him in more ways than one. He said that the face actually talked to him… It never slept and would say the evilest things at night. It was driving Edward mad.
Deeply Troubled
This was starting to get much more challenging than they initially thought. They couldn’t tell if he was beginning to suffer from mental illness or if something more was going on…
Was This Punishment?
It began to get worse. It got so bad that he felt like he couldn’t live his life anymore. That face was starting to insert itself into his thoughts 24/7…
Begging for Separation
Edward eventually tried to remove himself from public life. It got so bad that he pleaded and begged his doctor to try and separate the face from the back of his head. He said it was evil…
Can You Remove It?
The doctor wasn’t sure if they could remove it or not. The face was completely attached to the back of his skull, there was no way to remove it…
His Fateful Conclusion
Edward couldn’t handle it anymore. No one was able to help him. No doctors, no psychiatrists, no family or friends… He was completely alone and tortured by that weird little face…
The End
When he was 23-years-old, Edward took his own life. He couldn’t handle it anymore. He was being tortured with his evil twin and he couldn’t stand it. He drank some poison that he found in his home…
One Final Request
When his family found him, there was a note. In his final moments, he requested that the face be removed before he was buried. He refused to lay forever with that evil thing…
Viral Post
Although that seemed to be the end of his story, a viral photo recently surfaced on Facebook depicting his skull. Everyone went crazy over the photo and this story.
Proof of the Evil Twin
This photo seemed to prove that Edward really did have a “malignant presence” on the back of his head. The face had a very evil grimace… The next page will reveal the photo, as it’s a little shocking…
The Viral Image
The tag reads, ‘Head of Edward Mordrake preserved for posterity by P. Munroe.” Is this really his skull?
Off-Record
As people looked into this mysterious man’s life, there were some details that were… sketchy. Apparently, there are no records of him. The most important records were the medical ones, and they didn’t depict his existence either…
Archived in a Medical Journal
In a bizarre twist, his case did appear in an 1896 issue of Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine. The source of this information could not be traced back to a credible and reliable source, so people are hesitant to accept this.
A Children’s Author
His tale was published a year before the journal in the Boston Sunday Post, which was known for its sensational stories about deformed humans and animals. The author, Charles Lotin Hildreth, was also suspicious. He was a regular columnist for the Post.
Mordake’s First Appearance
Despite being a storyteller, the author actually told these stories as if they were facts. His column is one of the first times Edward Mordrake appeared…
Diprosopus Cases
While Mordrake is possible fictional, his condition is absolutely real. This baby in the photo above was born in 2008 and named Lali Singh. She was born with two complete faces and one brain.
A God-Like Reincarnation
Many believed that her birth was a God-like reincarnation. Unfortunately, Lali did not live a very long life due to the complications with the condition.
Paper-Mache Art
As for the viral Facebook post, it turns out that it was just a paper mache project inspired by the story. Looks pretty legit!
Realistic Design
According to the artist, he “really wanted to make the piece as realistic as [he] could.” This story will forever be immortalized in stories and art.