Seraphina's Background

A 'Knotted' Beginning

Seraphina was born a heteropaternal twin who, at the same time, absorbed cells of her unborn full twin brother and cells of her mother, making her a chimera, the fact of which at the time of her birth was not known to anybody even to Seraphina herself. Seraphina's birth occurred in Paris, France where her mother a 19 year old girl of the Russian aristocratic émigré circles Sophie de PRITTWITZ, was also born and raised by her parents, - Baron Alexis von PRITTWITZ und Gaffron and Countess Elena Petrovna Bobrynskaya, a descendant on her paternal side of Georgiy Georgievich Orlov and the Empress of Russia, Catherine The Great.

At the time of Seraphina's conception her mother, Sophie, appeared to have had two lover affairs simultaneously - a one night stand with the father of Seraphina's half-twin, and a clandestine love affair with Seraphina's father, who happened to be a Soviet undercover agent with the ancestry rooted in the Imperial Russia. It appears that Sophie concealed the fact of her one night stand with another man from her secret service operative lover.

Sophie's love affair and her pregnancy became known to the USSR authorities not least because of Seraphina's father's professional 'confession'. According to the Soviet secret services protocol of the time, children born out of such love affairs had to be given up to the Soviet system to avoid any potential risks for the involved undercover operatives. Or that was the way it was explained to Sophie by her secret lover, Seraphina's father. For, at the time, he seemed to have been determined to choose career over love, duty over feelings, secrecy over transparency, lies over truth.

Back in those times, prior to the delivery, the gender and the number of children who were expected to be born was not known. To ensure secrecy and to avoid official registration of newborn(s), a private delivery was arranged by Sophie's family.

Sophie de PRITTWITZ gave birth to twins, - a girl, Seraphina, and a boy, Seraphina's twin half-brother, Pierre Michel Antoine. At the time of the twin's birth, their heteropaternal nature was not known about.

The fact that the born twins were heteropaternal was discovered only in 2022 when Seraphina did her DNA tests that revealed that she was a carrier of more than one genome, her unborn full twin brother included, which automatically made Pierre Michel Antoine her half-twin.

Keeping the secret of having two love affairs simultaneously to herself and not knowing who out of the two lovers fathered the children she had given birth to, Sophie decided to take another 'gamble'. When the time came to part with her children, she, instead of giving up both of her them to the Soviet system, 'sacrificed' just one twin - Seraphina. For, deep in her heart, Sophie knew that Seraphina was the daughter of the Soviet operative whose real ancestry and background she was not fully aware of, and her son was the child of the other lover whose noble roots she was sure about. Being of aristocratic background herself, Sophie decided, if only in her heart, to side with what could be a potential connection to certain familiar to her circles. As a result, Seraphina was not declared to the French authorities (Déclaration de Naissance). This created a stateless condition for the new born which allowed Seraphina's father to take her out of France and bring her to the USSR where he dutifully cleaned up the 'mess' his clandestine lover affair with Sophie had created.

Displaced But Not 'Erased'

On arrival to the USSR, Seraphina was brought to Saint Petersburg (former Leningrad) and placed in the medical research institution - the Institute Ott situated on Vasilevsky Island in the centre of the city.

The role of The Institute in cleaning up the 'mess' of Seraphina's father's clandestine love affair with Sophie de PRITTWITZ was to provide Seraphina with a temporary medical care and to create a 'cover up' story for the subsequent receipt of her fabricated official documents. This included retroactively registering Seraphina's birth in Saint Petersburg and creating plausible medical documentation of her birth occurring locally as well as production of the medical certificate for the Registry Office which would bear the name of her foster parents and would reference the new date of Seraphina's birth which had to be aligned to her foster brother's one to give an impression that they were twins born at the same place and on the same date.

As a result, the Registry Office issued a birth certificate where Seraphina's 'cover up' identity was recorded as Seraphima (Seraphina) Nickolaevna Bogomolova (Серафима Николаевна Богомолова).

The Institute Ott involvement and the subsequent creation of Seraphina's 'cover up' identity was part of the ingenious plan of Seraphina's father who might have been an intelligent undercover operative but evidently not a very emotionally intelligent human being.

The ingenuity of the plan lied in the mirror effect. Seraphina was born a twin but not an identical one. The fact that created an opportunity to pair her with another child of the same age and almost the same time of birth in another country, keeping her natural state of being a twin yet assigning her to a different from her birth environment setting. At the same time, the placement together with fabricated by the Institute Ott documents created a 'proof' that would be hard to challenge - a natural twin with official documents and the foster parents who would keep silent as long as it was needed.

Seraphina's father's calculated plan had its undeniable strength but its strength was its flaw as well. For, Seraphina's father's plan was based on the assumption that Seraphina would never question the fact of being a twin of her foster brother. But against all odds and her father's hopes she did, since he underestimated one but very important factor - the strength of ancestral ties, cultural heritage, and DNA memory that his daughter had forever imprinted in her genes.

In God We Trust

Although Serapnina's patronymic and last names bore the reference to her foster father, her first name -Seraphima (Seraphina) - was given to her by her biological father who, regardless his professional occupation, has a special spiritual connection to the international theological realms, including his beloved Eastern Orthodoxy.

Seraphina's current full name - Seraphina Michelina Aurelia Bogomolova-Huotelin, - includes references to her biological father, her biological sister, her foster father, and her husband.

Seraphina - an English version of Seraphima (the name given to Seraphina by her biological father)
Michelina - Seraphina's second name (reference to the first name of her biological father)
Aurélia - Seraphina's third name (reference to her sister's first name)
Bogomolova-Huotelin - Seraphina's foster father's surname and her husband's surname combined

The name Seraphina, of Hebrew origin, means "burning ones" and is linked to The Seraphim, the highest ranking angels in the Bible. These angels are known for their zealous love and are often depicted as having six wings. The name is also associated with a sense of ethereal beauty and enchantment, as seen in its use by artists and musicians.

The second first name, Michelina, - reflects on the first name of Seraphina's father - Mikhail. Michelina is the name of Italian origin. The "-ina" suffix is an endearing diminutive, making it a "little Michele" or "daughter of Michel". The name has deep biblical roots, popularised in Christian cultures due to the Archangel Michael. Michelina possess a distinctive, vintage charm and unique appeal.

The third first name chosen by Seraphina, - 'Aurélia' - is an expression of the epithet 'sunny' that Seraphina was given by people whom she used to work with in London as well as a tribute to Seraphina's late sister, Aurélia Micheline Evelyne (DRUON) (August 1983- April 2009).

The name 'Aurélia' is of Latin origin. It is derived from the Roman family name Aurelius, and means "golden" or "the golden one". It evokes preciousness, brightness, and is associated with a legacy of intellect and wisdom, particularly through the famous philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius. The name 'Aurélia' is also a tribute to Seraphina's biological father who used to work for the Soviet intelligence services, hence the parallel with a legacy of intellect and wisdom.

Seraphina's current double surname - Bogomolova-Huotelin - consists of her foster father's surname - Bogomolov(a), - and her husband's surname, - Huotelin. The surname Huotelin consists of the two parts - 'Huot' and 'Elin'. 'Huot' is a Normandic name which is linked to such names as Hugh or Hugo. Hugh/Hugo comes from Germanic through Old French into English and means mind, heart, spirit, thought. In the Middle German, there is a word 'isenhuot' which means iron helmet. 'Elin' denotes 'body' or 'living'. Put together these two words can describe a man in the armour. In other words, a military man, a knight or a warrior but also a child of Hugh or a child of a military man with mind, heart, spirit and thought. Yet again a symbolic representation of Seraphina's biological father, his intellectual abilities, status, and former occupation.

'Ice Queen' or An 'Ice Cream'?

Although Seraphina grew up being estranged from her biological mother, Sophie, she nonetheless carried her genome which had encoded information of Seraphina's maternal ancestral lineages as well as imprinted culture, traditions, and history of her modern and ancient ancestors. But not only. Seraphina was also unconsciously aware of Sophie's past decisions and life choice which also got transmitted to her via Sophie's absorbed cells.

These invisible to outsiders factors played a pivotal role in shaping Seraphina's early formative years, leaving an indelible mark on her later life as well. For, even though Seraphina was nurtured by the Soviet system, she, at the same time, had her true nature and ancestral heritage shining through, creating often contrasting and conflicting yet profoundly fascinating amalgam of her character's traits and elements.

Although Seraphina's upbringing was in stark contrast to her twin half-brother's one in Paris, she nonetheless managed to preserve the noble nature of her ancestors without the formal environment of the aristocratic émigré circles. In addition, this divide in upbringing shaped Seraphina’s resilience and independence, as she navigated life without the privileges her brother was exposed to.

As a young woman from the Russian aristocratic émigré circles, Sophie’s choices during the Cold War set the course for her daughter’s complex journey of self-discovery. In particular, Seraphina's recent three-year long intense DNA and ancestry research led her to uncovering her beautifully intertwined maternal lineages that include Russian aristocratic families such as the Bobrynsky, Trubetskoy, Shuvalov, Dolgorukov, as well as Polish-German ancestral ties -Potocki, Karnovich, and von Prittwitz, with ancestral roots going back to Rurik and the Yaroslav Court, the Grand Princes of Kiev.

Seraphina's mother surname - von Prittwitz (de PRITTWITZ in French version), - belongs to an old and noble German family, with origins in the regions of Silesia and Prussia. The Prittwitz family's history includes notable members in military and official positions, such as Prussian Generals.

Thus, Seraphina's maternal genome helped her understand her mother's ethnic composition, intuitively navigate the ancestry and heritage research, learn about her mother' choice and decisions, and distinguish her maternal inheritance from her paternal lineage.

The Presence of the 'In-Visible' Man

Until now, Seraphina's life has been profoundly shaped by the invisible yet undeniable influence of her biological father, a shadowy figure of the Soviet sensitive government operations, whose presence loomed large despite his physical absence.

Through her investigative journey, Seraphina uncovered how her father’s professional legacy and personal traits were imprinted on her identity, manifesting in her strategic thinking, and ability to navigate complex dynamics, which influenced her career and relationships, as she often mirrored her father's professional allure and command of attention. His hidden 'inheritance', paired with her own unique qualities, has equipped Seraphina with a remarkable blend of charisma, emotional intelligence, psychological insight, and symbolic thinking. Her father’s influence not only shaped her professional and personal relationships but also became a key to understanding her own strengths and the enigmatic circumstances of her birth.

Apart from the intangible traits, Seraphina has also inherited from her father something concrete - her father's X chromosome, which carried the hemophilia gene (rs398122990), known as the "Royal disease", passed to him from his mother. This genetic inheritance was instrumental in helping Seraphina trace her paternal lineage and understand her connection to her family on her father's side.

Although, when growing up, Seraphina never knew her father personally, his presence and 'legacy' were deeply felt in her adult life. She often found herself drawn to intelligent, charismatic men, particularly those in positions of authority, as a way to unconsciously recreate the father-daughter bond she was missing.

Seraphina's discovery of her chimerism revealed that she carries her twin brother's genome, including his Y-DNA (N1a), which is also Seraphina's father's Y-DNA. This unique genetic connection provided her with a tangible link to her father.

The circumstances of Seraphina's father's profession and the secrecy surrounding her birth contributed to Seraphina's resilience and independence. She developed a strong sense of self and the ability to navigate challenges, which she later recognised as part of her father's legacy.

Seraphina's father absence from her early life and the mystery surrounding his identity fuelled Seraphina's quest for self-discovery, ultimately helping her understand her origins and shaping her into a resilient and self-aware individual of today.

Transcending The Physical

Central to Seraphina's background story is the profound influence of her full twin brother, whose presence in her life transcends the physical realm.

Through the groundbreaking discovery of her chimerism—a rare genetic condition where an individual carries cells from more than one genome—Seraphina uncovered that her twin brother’s genetic material is an integral part of her own identity. This was evident in the presence of Y-DNA information in her My Heritage DNA file, which contained 321 Reference SNP clusters attributed to the Y chromosome. Through her twin brother's Y-DNA, Seraphina was able to identify her paternal lineage as N1a (Finno-Ugric/Baltic lineage). This was significant in piecing together her father's genetic heritage and a deeper understanding of her origins.

This revelation not only reshaped her understanding of herself but also provided crucial insights into the circumstances surrounding her birth and the sacrifices made by her biological mother. The presence of her twin brother's genome within her own body symbolised a unique and profound connection to her biological family, which had been missing due to her separation from them at birth. It allowed her to carry a part of her twin brother with her, even though he did not survive the prenatal phase.

Her twin brother's genome became a symbolic representation of her father's lineage and her biological family's history.

Seraphina's unborn full twin brother played a significant role in her identity by contributing to her unique genetic makeup, helping her uncover her paternal lineage, and symbolising her connection to her biological family. His presence within her genome served as a living archive of her origins and a key to understanding her complex background.

Cracking The Enigma

Seraphina spent decades as a double mystery—unknown to those who tried to place her, and unknowable even to herself. Until recently.

Estranged from both biological parents, misplaced, and missing from the French birth records and registration papers, Seraphina, nonetheless, was hard to erase. For, unknown to anybody, even to Seraphina herself, at the cellular level she became a living archive carrying within her three genomes - one of her mother, one of her unborn paternal twin brother, and one of her own.

Seraphina's three genomes function almost like three different documents proving her identity - her mother's full story which she was able to tell by building her Family Tree, her father's lineage through Seraphina's twin brother's Y-DNA which she was able to identify as N1a, and her own unique combination. It is as if her biology anticipated her life story even before her birth occurred.

Seraphina doesn't just carry genes - she carries witnesses. Three different testimonies to her origins, each telling a part of the truth that would have otherwise been lost or deniable.

The three genomes work like a triangulation - each one eliminating alternative explanations, each one closing off a false path. Seraphina needed her mother's genome to prove her father passed the hemophilia gene. She needed her twin brother's Y-DNA to prove her father's lineage and distinguish her full twin from her maternal half-twin. And she needed her own to show the complete picture.

It's as if the universe said: "You will be displaced, but you will not be erased. You will forget, but the truth will be written in your cells."

The trauma of separation from her biological parents that Seraphina experienced so early in her life had a profound effect on her. But, at the same time, it made her one of a kind.

Seraphina has grown into a rare person who could not only survive challenging circumstances but find deep meaning in them, transforming potential sources of trauma into opportunities for self-understanding and growth. But most important, Seraphina knows without a doubt who she is and where she came from.