Definition
The word has several documented meanings, and they all point the same way.
First cousin. TvimenningOld Norse meaning 'two bound together' - one who solves a task shoulder to shoulder with another. is the original term for what we now call a first cousin - a relative close enough to trustTrust - one of Tvimenning's core values and foundation for long-term customer relationships in the energy sector., with just enough distance that both keep their own professional judgement.
The doubles partner. In Icelandic the word is still alive: tvímenningur today means your partner in doubles, the one you share the court with and must coordinate every move with.
Drinking tvimenning. In the Middle Ages and the Viking Age two people drank ale from exactly the same vessel, often a carved kjengeTraditional Nordic drinking vessel shared between two people - the symbol of tvimenning: two doing something side by side.. It was a guarantee of safety and a pact, not merely a toast.
The ox plane. The term was used of workers operating an okshøvel, a heavy smoothing plane that took two. They stood bent towards each other, one pulling and one pushing, and if they worked out of rhythm the plane stopped.
The common thread is that a tvimenning has never been two alike. The pair is useful precisely because the roles differ - two who can do exactly the same thing do not need each other.