Although reports have surfaced about people getting married to animals, many people question if these reports are true or just a media stunt. It turns out not only that these reports are true in many cases, but that there is a long history of people trying to marry animals. This strange desire has perplexed people at times, but for other people, animal marriage is a part of their culture.
While people do report being married to animals, no modern industrialized nation recognizes any marital bond between and human and a non-human. Despite this, some people feel such a strong bond with an animal that they decide to hold a wedding ceremony. Probably the best known case of animal marriage was a man who had married a horse and spoke publicly about this marriage in an episode of Jerry Springer that did not air on many stations because of the bizarre content. However, this man and his horse did go on to star in a BBC documentary about their relationship.
Animal marriage is certainly taboo in our culture, but it is common practice in some places. In certain parts of India, young children are wed to animals in order to ward off bad omens, but they are allowed to remarry once they are older. It seems that in this case, the marriage is symbolic only and that the children are not meant to live out their lives with an animal as their closest companion.
Despite being taboo in our culture, intimacy with animals was very common in Greek and Roman mythology, as well as mythology from other parts of the world. The Minotaur, a half man, half bull character, one of the best known mythological characters, was the offspring between a queen and a white bull. There are also several stories of Zeus changing into different animal forms to seduce women. Considering this, animal marriage may have been much more common in ancient times. In fact, the Roman Emperor Caligula married his horse and went on to appoint it to a seat in the Senate.
Although there is a long history of animal marriages, it is clearly not widely accepted in the modern world. Some people may feel the need to be with someone and opt for an animal rather than a human. Others may be attracted to or have a bond with a certain animal. Regardless of how strong a person may feel about an animal, the time spent with that animal cannot compare to healthy normal interaction with another human being.
