-Caveat Lector-
Kelly, to the best of my knowledge, this "first night" custom was a survival
from the medieval *jus primae noctis* [apologies if my Latin is bad] or "law of
the first night," under which the seigneur of the manor (usually a baron in
England) had the right to insist on sleeping with each bride on the first night
after her marriage. The assumption has always been that this also entailed
deflowering the (presumably) virgin bride, although that was probably not always
the case, especially when the seigneur was, shall we say, beyond the "virile
years." Beyond the medieval custom, which obtained universally wherever
feudalism held sway, I have no idea where it could have originated. The purpose
was obviously two-fold: first, to establish the seigneur as alpha male--"top dog
in the pack;" and second, to ensure a plentiful supply of bastards to act as
reliable officers for the seigneur without the temptations of money and power
always present for legitimate heirs.
You can check any good social history of the Middle Ages to confirm what I've
written.
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kelly" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2000 7:46 PM
Subject: [CTRL] 'Right of first night'
<snip>
> I've heard of the 'right of the first night' in association with the
> British land owners in Ireland and also in association with slave owners
> in the US south. Does anyone know where this 'tradition' started
> (probably in the first cave inhabited by humans) or have any information
> or studies related to this so-called 'right'?
>
<snip>
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