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Human–animal marriage

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Human–animal marriage is a marriage between a human and a non-human animal. 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. See zoophilia for more information.

Animal–human marriage in folklore

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The practice of animal-human marriage has made appearances in folklore and several mythological stories where it is often understood to mean a deity-human marriage involving gods or heroes.[2] Many tribes of the Native Americans in the United States trace the origin of humanity to marriages between other animals and humans.[3] The indigenous Cheyenne have a story of animal-human marriage in "The Girl who Married a Dog".[4] In other Native American myths, animal spirits frequently assume human form.[5] In many cases they are not seen as literal animals, but representatives from the animal kingdom.[5] 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.[6]

The most famous animal-as-bridegroom story that has survived in modern times is Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve.[7] 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."[8]

Animal–human marriage in modernity

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In many, if not most, jurisdictions, there is no legal precedent for marrying another animal, however; several individuals claim to have done so.

In 1992, an American man named Mark Matthews married his horse. He wrote a memoir describing the concealment of his zoophilia from his Methodist family.[9][10][11][12]

In 2005, an American man ordained with the Universal Life Church married humans and their pets.[13]

A British woman who married her dog created the website MarryYourPet.com, after she became ordained to marry humans with their pets, and has performed about 100 ceremonies.[13][14]

In 2005, another British woman reportedly married a dolphin.[15]

The Sudanese goat marriage incident made headlines in 2006, when a man was forced to marry a goat after being caught in a sexual interaction with it.[16]

Other reports of marriage include animals such as dogs, cats, frogs, and a dolphin.[17][18][19][20][21]

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, who he claimed flirted with him.[22] As part of a Pecaruan ritual, the man was forced to marry the animal.[22] The ceremony was thought to cleanse the village of the immoral act of bestiality.[22] The cow was drowned in the ocean, while Alit's clothes were symbolically submerged in the sea as well.[22]

In 2013, a Brazilian man reportedly married a goat in a Satanic church after his plan was rejected by his evangelical church.[23]

In 2014, internet hoaxer Paul Horner staged a ceremony where he married his pet dog at Chapel of Our Lady at the Presidio in San Francisco, which is an Episcopal chapel.[24] Many news outlets reported the incident as reality.[25][26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Naithani, Sadhana (2014). Folklore Theory in Postwar Germany. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 48–52. ISBN 9781617039942.
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ Gill, S.D.; Gill, P.R.S.S.D. (1982). Native American Religions: An Introduction. A Volume in the Wadsworth Religious Life in History Series. Wadsworth Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-534-00973-1. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  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. ^ a b "Native American Mythology – Myth Encyclopedia – god, story, legend, names, ancient, animal, snake, world, creation, life". www.mythencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  6. ^ Freeman, Philip (2004-03-17). St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743267496.
  7. ^ Steiger, B. (2011). The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of Shape-Shifting Beings. The Real Unexplained! Collection. Visible Ink Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-57859-376-7. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  8. ^ Sergent, Bernard (1999). "Un mythe lithuano-amérindien". Dialogues d'histoire ancienne. 25 (2): 36. doi:10.3406/dha.1999.1536.
  9. ^ Matthews, Mark (1994). The horseman : obsessions of a zoophile (PDF). Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books. ISBN 0-87975-902-X. OCLC 31328294. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-12-05.
  10. ^ "Understanding Bestiality and Zoophilia".
  11. ^ "Know why an Indian married a dog or a millionaire married a dolphin". 16 November 2013.
  12. ^ "Barnside's Equiphile Story Pages". fifi-Disclaimer. 2002-06-06. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  13. ^ a b "Maybe not white tie, but a whole lotta' tails". NBC News. 2006-07-29. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  14. ^ Buchner, Barbarella (October 1, 2015). "Want to Marry Your Pet? Talk to This Woman - We Did". Catster. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  15. ^ "British woman weds dolphin". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2005-12-30. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  16. ^ Staff, Our Foreign. "'Man marries goat' captivates millions". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  17. ^ "BBC NEWS | South Asia | Girl weds dog to break 'evil spell'". news.bbc.co.uk. 19 June 2003. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  18. ^ "Man in India Marries Dog to Atone for Stoning to Death Mating Canines". Fox News. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  19. ^ "BBC News - German man 'marries' his dying cat". news.bbc.co.uk. 3 May 2010. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  20. ^ Delhi, Dean Nelson in. "Seven-year-old Indian girls 'marry' frogs". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  21. ^ "British Woman Marries Dolphin". Fox News. 2006-01-03. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  22. ^ a b c d "Bali Teenager Passes Out Marrying Cow He Had Sex With | Jakarta Globe". Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved 2017-03-11.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. ^ Kirui, Elaine (October 22, 2022). "Man set to marry pet goat". Standard Entertainment. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  24. ^ Leatherman, Benjamin. "Who Was the Real Paul Horner?". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  25. ^ Agekameh, Dele (2014-02-19). "Man, animal marriage, By Dele Agekameh". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  26. ^ "Chapel of Our Lady (U.S. National Park Service)". NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). 2021-11-07. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
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