The wedding ritual has been accompanied, from one society to another, by a wide range of coital activities.

In various countries feudal lords were apparently entitled to deflower the young bride before releasing her to her husband. This "right of the first night" (jus primae noctis), known also in France as jus cunni and in England as marchette, appears to have been established on the historical evidence. Monks sometimes held the right: thus the monks of St. Thiodard enjoyed this right over the inhabitants of Mount Auriol.

The lovers are having sexual intercourse, an episode that illustrates the kind of steady nerve on which the 18th century Rajput military castes prided themselves.

In general fewer people report dreams with orgasm than dreams without orgasm. Orgasmic dreams, in people without "overt experience," were most frequently connected with coitus in the Kinsey female survey - though here only 10 per cent of women reported orgasmic dreams of coitus.

The next most frequent type of dream - reported by seven per cent of women - was homosexual in character. Thirty-nine per cent of women "with experience prior to interview" reported orgasmic dreams of coitus - and the same percentage also noted orgasmic dreams in a non-coital heterosexual situation.

In Kinsey we find that extra-marital intercourse is most frequent in the 21-25 years age group i.e. a maximum frequency of about eighteen times a week. Homosexual activity, coitus with prostitutes, petting to climax, marital intercourse are also high for this group. Younger people seemingly do better at masturbation and nocturnal emissions.

A number of female insects eat their husbands during the coital act. It has been argued that in the praying mantis, for example, the male can only copulate successfully when half his head has been eaten away - something to do with releasing nervous inhibitions! It has been pointed out that mantises will mate satisfactorily in the terrarium if the female's terrible forelimbs are tied before she is introduced to the male - so perhaps cannibalism is not

Coitus of the longest duration in mammals occurs in mink and sable. Unlike coitus in other species, there is no "locking" of the genitals, but when intromission has once been achieved it is maintained for very long periods: several ejaculations can occur with rests between them. Timed matings of the sable have lasted for as long as 8 hours from the moment of original insertion until the time of withdrawal. One authority (Marshall's "Physiology of Reproduction") gives coitus in the mink, as in the ferret, as "prolonged" and usually lasting for 30 to 40

The religious suspicion of sex is not confined to Christians. The leaders of other world religions have also expressed doubts about the propriety of carnal relations.

One example - from the Moslem faith - will suffice. After sexual intercourse or any discharge of semen (through nocturnal emission, masturbation, etc.) a Moslem is obliged to wash himself all over as thoroughly as he can. Until this is done he is in a state of ritual impurity and is not allowed to pray. It is extraordinary the lengths that the pious will go to in order to sanctify gross anti-sexuality.

See:

• Largest human penis
• Largest penis in animal kingdom

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The Illustrated Book of Sexual Records is a compilation of well over 400 sexual superlatives from all around the world.

Discover the biggest, longest, sexiest, tallest, smallest, shortest, highest, lowest, fastest, slowest, rarest, oldest, youngest, happiest, first, last, maximum, minimum, largest, oddest... and most unusual sex record known.

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Home Page

The Illustrated Book of Sexual Records is a compilation of well over 400 sexual superlatives from all around the world.

Discover the biggest, longest, sexiest, tallest, smallest, shortest, highest, lowest, fastest, slowest, rarest, oldest, youngest, happiest, first, last, maximum, minimum, largest, oddest... and most unusual sex record known.

Choose from one of the many categories below (or use the menu left), or try searching top-right, for nearly any keyword.