Human -- animal marriage - Wikipedia Human -- animal marriage Human -- animal marriage is a marriage between a ( non-human ) animal and a human. This topic has appeared in mythology and magical fiction. 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, however 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. Contents 1 Animal - human marriage in mythology 2 Animal - Human marriage in the real world 3 See also 4 References 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. The Chinese folktale ' The Goddess Of The Silkworm ' is an example of a tale where a woman marries a horse. 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. Also the indigenous Cheyenne have a story of animal - human marriage in ' The Girl who Married a dog '. In addition, there are many Native American stories about people who married animals. In these Native American myths, animal spirits frequently assume human form. They are not seen as literal animals, but representatives from the animal kingdom. Animal - human marriage in the real world 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. Other reports of marriage include animals such as dogs, cats, frogs and a dolphin. 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. As part of a Pecaruan ritual, the man was forced to marry the animal. The ceremony was thought to cleanse the village of the immoral act of bestiality. The cow was drowned in the ocean, while Alit was symbolically drowned as well. See also Human bonding Human - animal hybrid Speciesism Anthrozoology Zoophilia References Jump up ^ Naithani, Sadhana ( 2014 ). Folklore Theory in Postwar Germany. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 48 -- 52. ISBN 9781617039942. ^ Jump up to : 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. Jump up ^ Freeman, Philip ( 2004 - 03 - 17 ). St. Patrick of Ireland : A Biography. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743267496. Jump up ^ Stensland, Anna Lee ( 1977 - 01 - 01 ). `` The Indian Presence in American Literature ''. The English Journal. 66 ( 3 ) : 37 -- 41. doi : 10.2307 / 815804. ^ Jump up to : `` Native American Mythology - Myth Encyclopedia - god, story, legend, names, ancient, animal, snake, world, creation, life ''. www.mythencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 11. Jump up ^ Staff, By Our Foreign. `` ' Man marries goat ' captivates millions ''. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 11. Jump up ^ `` BBC NEWS South Asia Girl weds dog to break ' evil spell ' ''. news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Man in India Marries Dog to Atone for Stoning to Death Mating Canines ''. Fox News. 2007 - 11 - 13. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Sealed with a kiss : Man ' marries ' his dog in sunset ceremony - but assures guests ' it 's not sexual ' ''. Mail Online. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 11. Jump up ^ `` BBC News - German man ' marries ' his dying cat ''. news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 11. Jump up ^ Delhi, By Dean Nelson in. `` Seven - year - old Indian girls ' marry ' frogs ''. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 11. Jump up ^ `` British Woman Marries Dolphin ''. Fox News. 2006 - 01 - 03. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 11. ^ Jump up to : `` Bali Teenager Passes Out Marrying Cow He Had Sex With Jakarta Globe ''. Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 11. Zoophilia Zoophilia Animal sexuality Anthropophilia Formicophilia History of zoophilia Timeline of zoophilia Human -- animal marriage Ophidiophilia Zoophilia and the law Zoophile rights by country or territory Zoophilia in Ancient Rome Related subjects Animal cognition Animal communication Animal consciousness Animal liberation movement Animal rights Animal welfare Anthrozoology Cetacean intelligence Dog intelligence Emotion in animals Ethology Exogamy Great Ape personhood Hani Miletski Human exceptionalism Human -- animal bonding Human - animal communication Human -- animal hybrid Human - animal studies Humanzee Pet Peter Singer Posthumanism Sexual ethics Sexual norm Sodomy Speciesism Stereotypes of animals Zoosadism This article about ethics is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This animal rights - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. 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Question: what is it called when you marry an animal
Answer: Human–animal marriage