Human–animal marriage: Difference between revisions

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No modern [[country]] recognizes [[marriage]] between [[humans]] and [[non-human]]s, but throughout history people have sought ways to commit to an [[animal]] they loved in this way, often involving [[ceremony|ceremonies]] which, whilst not [[legal]]ly [[binding]], carry great personal significance. Such marriages as are allowed by [[tradition]], or within a [[culture]], are often [[symbol]]ic or [[ritual]], rather than the more usual recognition of an enduring and full [[relationship]].
'''Human–[[animal marriage]]'''  is a marriage between a (non-human) animal and a human. This topic has appeared in mythology and [[magic in fiction|magical fiction]].<ref>[http://www.diacronia.ro/en/journal/issue/4/A58/en/pdf Naithani, Sadhana (2014). Folklore Theory in Postwar Germany.] University Press of Mississippi. pp. 48–52. {{ISBN|9781617039942}}.</ref> In the 21st century there have been numerous reports from around the world of humans marrying their pets and other animals. Human–animal marriage is often seen in accordance with [[zoophilia]], although they are not necessarily linked. Although animal-human marriage is not mentioned specifically in national laws, the act of engaging in [[Zoophilia and the law|sexual acts with an animal]] is illegal in many countries under animal abuse laws.


Despite this, there are numerous cases of people seeking to [[marriage|marry]] animals they loved, from the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[Emperor]] [[Caligula]] often said to have both married his [[horse]] [[Incitatus]] and appointed it to the [[Senate]], through to the [[2005]] case of [[Cindy the Dolphin|a woman who married a dolphin]], and a [[2006]] case of a [[Sudanese]] man who was ruled to be obligated to pay [[dowry]] and marry a [[goat]] following [[sexual]] activity with it{{fact}}. In addition there is significant [[folklore]] and [[mythology|myth]] on the subject. It is possible that some less well known [[religion]]s, or older traditions, may indeed permit such marriages.  
== Animal–human marriage in mythology ==
The practice of animal-human marriage has made appearances in several [[Mythology|mythological]] stories and [[folklore]], and is often understood to mean a deity-human marriage involving gods or heroes.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Miller|first=Alan L.|date=1995-01-01|title=The Woman Who Married a Horse: Five Ways of Looking at a Chinese Folktale|jstor=1178945|journal=Asian Folklore Studies|volume=54|issue=2|pages=275–305|doi=10.2307/1178945}}</ref> The Chinese folktale "The Goddess of the Silkworm" is an example of a tale where a woman marries a [[horse]].<ref name=":0" /> A similar Irish [[legend]] tells of a king who marries a horse, symbolizing a divine union between the king and the goddess of the land.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/stpatrickofirela00phil|url-access=registration|title=St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography|last=Freeman|first=Philip|date=2004-03-17|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9780743267496|language=en}}</ref> Also the indigenous [[Cheyenne]] have a story of animal-human marriage in "The Girl who Married a Dog".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Stensland|first=Anna Lee|date=1977-01-01|title=The Indian Presence in American Literature|jstor=815804|journal=The English Journal|volume=66|issue=3|pages=37–41|doi=10.2307/815804}}</ref> In addition, there are many Native American stories about people who married animals. In these Native American myths, animal spirits frequently assume human form.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Mi-Ni/Native-American-Mythology.html|title=Native American Mythology – Myth Encyclopedia – god, story, legend, names, ancient, animal, snake, world, creation, life|website=www.mythencyclopedia.com|language=en|access-date=2017-03-11}}</ref> They are not seen as literal animals, but representatives from the animal kingdom.<ref name=":1" />


==Law==
According to [[Bernard Sergent]], "human–animal marriage is an union that is too remote as incest is a too close one. Compared to a balanced marriage, between humans but from another clan or another village, that is to say–depending on the society–within the framework of a well measured [[endogamy]] or [[exogamy]], incest transgresses the norm because it is an exaggerated endogamy, and animal marriage transgresses it because it is an exaggerated exogamy."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sergent|first=Bernard|date=1999|title=Un mythe lithuano-amérindien|url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/dha_0755-7256_1999_num_25_2_1536|journal=Dialogues d'histoire ancienne|volume=25|issue=2|page=36|doi=10.3406/dha.1999.1536|via=}}</ref>
No present-day [[national]] [[jurisdiction]] is known to allow marriage between humans and non-humans. They are not legally recognized and purported marriage ceremonies usually have no legislative [[validity]]. This is because in most legal systems, animals are viewed as [[chattel]]s (property), and are therefore not considered to have capacity to comprehend marriage any more than a [[suitcase]] can, nor the [[personhood]] to enter into legal or other agreements. Additionally, in many customs, a marriage must be [[consummation|consummated]], which in such a [[partnership]] would in many [[territories]] constitute an [[illegal]] act.


==Historical cases==
== Animal–human marriage in reality==
===Horse===
Although it is uncertain if there is a legal basis for marrying an animal, several individuals claim to have done so. The [[Sudanese goat marriage incident]] made big headlines in 2006 when a man was forced to marry a goat after being caught in a sexual interaction with the goat.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1550479/Man-marries-goat-captivates-millions.html|title='Man marries goat' captivates millions|last=Staff|first=By Our Foreign|work=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=2017-03-11|language=en}}</ref> Other reports of marriage include animals such as dogs, cats, frogs and a dolphin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3004930.stm|title=BBC NEWS {{!}} South Asia {{!}} Girl weds dog to break 'evil spell'|website=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=2017-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/11/13/man-in-india-marries-dog-to-atone-for-stoning-to-death-mating-canines.html|title=Man in India Marries Dog to Atone for Stoning to Death Mating Canines|date=2007-11-13|work=Fox News|access-date=2017-03-11|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8658327.stm|title=BBC News - German man 'marries' his dying cat|website=news.bbc.co.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4290761/Seven-year-old-Indian-girls-marry-frogs.html|title=Seven-year-old Indian girls 'marry' frogs|last=Delhi|first=By Dean Nelson in|work=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=2017-03-11|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/01/03/british-woman-marries-dolphin.html|title=British Woman Marries Dolphin|date=2006-01-03|work=Fox News|access-date=2017-03-11|language=en-US}}</ref> Other incidents of human animal relations took place in 2010, when 18-year-old Balinese man Ngurah Alit was found having sexual intercourse with a cow butt, who he claimed flirted with him.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news|url=http://jakartaglobe.id/archive/bali-teenager-passes-out-marrying-cow-he-had-sex-with/|title=Bali Teenager Passes Out Marrying Cow He Had Sex With {{!}} Jakarta Globe|work=Jakarta Globe|access-date=2017-03-11|language=en-US}}</ref> As part of a Pecaruan ritual, the man was forced to marry the animal.<ref name=":02" /> The ceremony was thought to cleanse the village of the immoral act of [[bestiality]].<ref name=":02" /> The cow was drowned in the ocean, while Alit was symbolically drowned as well.<ref name=":02" />
* It is often said that the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[Emperor]] [[Caligula]] both married his horse [[Incitatus]], and appointed it to the [[Senate]].
* In some parts of [[Celt]]ic [[Ireland]], kings (often called "sacred kings") had to wed the local [[goddess]] of the land. A [[druid]]ess was usually chosen to represent the land goddess as the king's wife, but one king in [[Donegal]] married a horse, a representative of their local [[goddess]]. [http://library.thinkquest.org/C0116903/society/classes.htm]
* [[May 1998]] - ''[[The Jerry Springer Show]]'' produced an episode titled "I married a horse". The show was ultimately not aired by many stations on the planned date, apparently due to concerns about the acceptability of broadcasting an episode in which a man admitted to a long term emotional and sexual relationship of this kind. The man and his horse later participated in a British documentary on the subject. [http://www.cincypost.com/living/1998/spring052198.html]
 
===Dog===
* [[June 2003]] - a nine year old [[India]]n girl of the [[Santal]] (or 'Santhal') tribe of [[Khanyhan]], near [[Calcutta]] was formally married to a [[dog]], in order to ward off a bad [[omen]]. The wedding was attended by more than 100 guests, who danced to the beating of [[drum]]s and drank home-made [[liquor]]. The girl told [[Western world|Western]] [[press]], "I have no regret in marrying the dog Bacchan. I am fond of the dog who moves around our locality," and tribal elders added she was free to remarry in future as an [[adult]]. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3004930.stm]
:: This is apparently not uncommon; a second case of a four year old [[girl]] of the same [[tribe]] was reported the same month in [[Jharkhand]]. The mother stated, "To remove the evil eye on Tannu, I had to marry my daughter to a dog." A local reportedly explained, "If the child is born with joint [[teeth]], it's a sign of bad omen which harms the fortunes of the child. So, a girl who takes out joint teeth is bound to marry a dog ... We are performing all the rituals that take place in a real marriage. We perform all rituals with full enjoyment and commitment." The tradition is that a baby girl gets married to a dog and baby boy to a young [[cat]]. Traditional marriage customs and celebrations are the same as for real marriages. [http://www.indiatraveltimes.com/news/news2006/feb06/feb2506_news3.html#5]
* [[February 2004]] - a 75 year old man from [[Kathmandu]] [[Nepal]] married a dog "in a local custom" of his [[Tharu]] community, attended by his son and other relatives. [http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southasia/view/69459/1/.html]
 
===Dolphin===
* [[December 2005]] - 41 year old Sharon Tendler of [[Great Britain]] unofficially married Cindy, a male [[dolphin]] held at the Dolphin Reef [[dolphinarium]] in [[Eilat]], [[Israel]], in a [[ceremony]] where she offered [[fish]] and the dolphin '[[kiss]]ed' her. She had been visiting Cindy regularly for the past 15 years. Tendler requested permission from the dolphin's trainer for the "wedding". The marriage, painted romantically by the [[media]], was in her words considered "a bit of fun" after her friends joked about her being single at that age. ''(See: [[Cindy the Dolphin]])''
 
===Goat===
* [[February 2006]] - a [[Sudan]]ese man caught having sex with a neighbour's [[goat]], was ordered by the council of [[elder]]s to pay the neighbour a [[dowry]] of 5,000 Sudanese dinars ($50) and marry the animal. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4748292.stm]
 
===Snake===
* [[June 2006]] - an [[India]]n woman from [[Bhubaneswar]], [[Orissa]], who "who fell in love with a snake", married the reptile at a "traditional Hindu wedding celebrated by 2,000 guests". She claimed a bond of understanding of a kind existed between the two. The woman had previously been ill, and recovered upon offering the snake milk, during which time she fell in love. She later "converted to the animal-loving vegetarian [[Vaishnav]] sect whose local elders gave her permission to marry the [[cobra]]." [http://hindustantimes.com/news/181_1711610,00110002.htm]
 
==[[Advocacy]] and support groups, and related topics==
==Folklore, myth, and popular culture==
* A [[Korea]]n folktale, sometimes known as ''The Silkworm'', tells how [[silk]] originated following the King's daughter spiritually marrying a horse, in completion of a promise made in times of trouble. In the tale, the princess was reborn as a silkworm, a creature whose appearance and mannerisms superficially were said to resemble that of a horse. (From Chonsol Ttara Samch'olli, retold by Heinz Insu Fenkl) [http://www.geocities.com/ifenkl/kft/silkworm.html] [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1:18018300/The+woman+who+married+a+horse~C~+five+ways+of+looking+at+a+Chinese+folktale~R~.html?refid=ip_hf]
* A [[Cheyenne]] myth "The Girl who married a Dog", states that the group of seven stars known as the [[Pleiades]] originated from seven [[puppy|puppies]] which a Cheyenne chief's daughter gave birth to after mysteriously being visited by a dog in human form to whom she vowed "Wherever you go, I go". [http://www.angelfire.com/ca/Indian/GirlMarriedDog.html] [http://www.firstpeople.us/fp-html-legends/TheGirlWhoMarriedADog-Cheyenne.html]
* In the last episode of the [[sitcom]] ''[[Punky Brewster]]'', Brandon marries a dog named Brenda. [http://www.jumptheshark.com/p/punkybrewster.htm]
* The [[Cree]] people of [[Waskaganish]] [[Canada]] tell the tale of "The Girl and the Dog", in which a girl living alone is visited by a talking dog who she jestingly agrees to marry. The dog hunted for her and she had a [[hybrid]] [[offspring]]. Finally the woman had human visitors, and resolved to marry one of them, and was killed by the dog in her [[sleep]], out of jealousy. [http://collections.ic.gc.ca/waskaganish/mythsthewoman.html] (told by John Blackned)
* One [[Inuit]] origin-myth states that the human races originated from the offspring of a girl who married a dog. [http://www.collectionscanada.ca/north/h16-4109-e.html]
 
==Religions' and traditions' views==
==Ceremonies and rituals==
 
<!-- handfasting (sometimes called pawfasting) -->


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Marriage]]
* [[Choupette]]
* [[Animal love]]
* [[Human bonding]]
* [[Loving relationship]]
* [[Human-animal hybrid]]
* [[Long-term relationship]]
* [[Affectional bond]]
* [[Exogamy]]
* [[Speciesism]]
* [[Speciesism]]
* [[Anthrozoology]]
* [[Anthrozoology]]
* [[Zoophilia]]
* [[Zoophilia]]


==External links==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
 
{{Types of marriages|state=autocollapse}}
{{zoophilia}}


[[Category:Human-animal relationships]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Human-Animal Marriage}}
[[Category:Anthropology]]
[[Category:Animals and humans|Marriage]]
[[Category:Animal law]]
[[Category:Marriage]]
[[Category:Marriage]]
{{ethics-stub}}
{{animal-rights-stub}}

Latest revision as of 21:31, 2 April 2023

Human–animal marriage is a marriage between a (non-human) animal and a human. This topic has appeared in mythology and magical fiction.[1] In the 21st century there have been numerous reports from around the world of humans marrying their pets and other animals. Human–animal marriage is often seen in accordance with zoophilia, although they are not necessarily linked. Although animal-human marriage is not mentioned specifically in national laws, the act of engaging in sexual acts with an animal is illegal in many countries under animal abuse laws.

Animal–human marriage in mythology

The practice of animal-human marriage has made appearances in several mythological stories and folklore, and is often understood to mean a deity-human marriage involving gods or heroes.[2] The Chinese folktale "The Goddess of the Silkworm" is an example of a tale where a woman marries a horse.[2] A similar Irish legend tells of a king who marries a horse, symbolizing a divine union between the king and the goddess of the land.[3] Also the indigenous Cheyenne have a story of animal-human marriage in "The Girl who Married a Dog".[4] In addition, there are many Native American stories about people who married animals. In these Native American myths, animal spirits frequently assume human form.[5] They are not seen as literal animals, but representatives from the animal kingdom.[5]

According to Bernard Sergent, "human–animal marriage is an union that is too remote as incest is a too close one. Compared to a balanced marriage, between humans but from another clan or another village, that is to say–depending on the society–within the framework of a well measured endogamy or exogamy, incest transgresses the norm because it is an exaggerated endogamy, and animal marriage transgresses it because it is an exaggerated exogamy."[6]

Animal–human marriage in reality

Although it is uncertain if there is a legal basis for marrying an animal, several individuals claim to have done so. The Sudanese goat marriage incident made big headlines in 2006 when a man was forced to marry a goat after being caught in a sexual interaction with the goat.[7] Other reports of marriage include animals such as dogs, cats, frogs and a dolphin.[8][9][10][11][12] Other incidents of human animal relations took place in 2010, when 18-year-old Balinese man Ngurah Alit was found having sexual intercourse with a cow butt, who he claimed flirted with him.[13] As part of a Pecaruan ritual, the man was forced to marry the animal.[13] The ceremony was thought to cleanse the village of the immoral act of bestiality.[13] The cow was drowned in the ocean, while Alit was symbolically drowned as well.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Naithani, Sadhana (2014). Folklore Theory in Postwar Germany. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 48–52. ISBN 9781617039942.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Miller, Alan L. (1995-01-01). "The Woman Who Married a Horse: Five Ways of Looking at a Chinese Folktale". Asian Folklore Studies. 54 (2): 275–305. doi:10.2307/1178945. JSTOR 1178945.
  3. ↑ Freeman, Philip (2004-03-17). St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743267496.
  4. ↑ Stensland, Anna Lee (1977-01-01). "The Indian Presence in American Literature". The English Journal. 66 (3): 37–41. doi:10.2307/815804. JSTOR 815804.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Native American Mythology – Myth Encyclopedia – god, story, legend, names, ancient, animal, snake, world, creation, life". www.mythencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  6. ↑ Sergent, Bernard (1999). "Un mythe lithuano-amérindien". Dialogues d'histoire ancienne. 25 (2): 36. doi:10.3406/dha.1999.1536.
  7. ↑ Staff, By Our Foreign. "'Man marries goat' captivates millions". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  8. ↑ "BBC NEWS | South Asia | Girl weds dog to break 'evil spell'". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  9. ↑ "Man in India Marries Dog to Atone for Stoning to Death Mating Canines". Fox News. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  10. ↑ "BBC News - German man 'marries' his dying cat". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  11. ↑ Delhi, By Dean Nelson in. "Seven-year-old Indian girls 'marry' frogs". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  12. ↑ "British Woman Marries Dolphin". Fox News. 2006-01-03. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Bali Teenager Passes Out Marrying Cow He Had Sex With | Jakarta Globe". Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
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