Marriage by Capture
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The first weddings came about out of the
need for protection and survival, not out of love (or money) like in today's
society. Most people think of cavemen dragging a cave woman home by her hair.
This may not be far from the truth. The primitive world was very dangerous.
People needed to protect themselves against Mother Nature, wild animals,
disease and famine. They were much saver in groups rather than alone. Many
times a man would capture a woman, either by warfare (women were prized loot
from war), raids or trickery and the woman would then become a man's property.
One famous story of marriage by capture was the ancient Greek tale of Paris
stealing away the beautiful Helen of Troy from her husband Menelaus.
In history, marriage has been used as a tool to bring together two tribes. A marriage would bond the tribes together, forming allies. In order to avoid conflicts during the wedding ceremony, the two tribes would stand on separate sides of the aisle. Hundreds of years later, we still separate the bride's and the groom's families on different sides of the wedding aisle during the ceremony. Today, the majority of couples marry for love and affection, and not primarily out of the need for protection or in an arranged marriage. By Nicole Mazzeo Wrapwithus wedding favors |