Sororat (from Latin soror - sister) [1] is a custom according to which a man marries at the same time or sequentially with several relatives or cousins of his wife. Such a marriage was concluded both during marriage, despite the fact that the wife is still alive, and after her death.
Widespread as a preferred or mandatory norm in traditional and archaic societies. It is believed that the litter is associated with the tradition of marriage ransom : the death of a woman for whom the ransom is paid must be compensated by her kindred group, especially if the deceased did not leave children. The term “litter” was introduced by J. Fraser . Earlier, the explanation of sororate as a remnant of group marriage was widespread. Marrying sisters was also practiced as a form of polygyny [1] .
Weeds are practiced by representatives of certain tribes of the Indians of North America , as well as the peoples of India . In some cultures, sororate is also allowed if the first wife is barren . Moreover, children born from a second wife are considered to belong, as a rule, to the first spouse [2] .
Content
- 1 Sororat in China
- 2 See also
- 3 notes
- 4 Literature
Sororat in China
Sororat was common among the nobility of the Zhou dynasty , continuing to exist in later periods.
The emperors of some relatively minor dynasties each had several wives. The reason for this was special circumstances. For example, in wartime a man could be separated from his wife, and therefore he mistakenly believed that his wife had died. He married again, and later it turned out that his first wife was alive. After they reconnected, the presence of both wives was recognized.
Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty allowed polygamous marriages for the birth of heirs in another family branch. This is the so-called "multiple heritage", that is, if a man is the only son of his father, and his uncle has no children, then, by mutual agreement, he can take another wife. A child boy from such a marriage becomes the uncle's grandson and his heir.
In addition to the basic desire - the birth of male heirs for procreation - this assumption solves the dilemma posed by the emperor. At one time, he banned all forms of heritage not on his father's side in order to preserve them in proper order. Therefore, if a couple does not have a son, then she cannot take a child in an extended family . They are forced to either take the child from the outside, or remain without an heir. Multiple inheritance marriages are possible provided that the husband's brother has a son.
See also
- Levirate
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Sororat . The Big Russian Encyclopedia is an electronic version . bigenc.ru. Date of treatment July 22, 2018.
- ↑ Muz4in.Net. 10 unorthodox forms of marriage . muz4in.net. Date of treatment July 22, 2018.
Literature
- Kosven M.O. Essays on the history of primitive culture. - M. , 1953.