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Incest refers to intimate relations between closely related family members. While this concept may evoke discomfort, it has been a part of various cultures throughout history. In royal families, marriages between close kin were common to preserve royal bloodlines and maintain political and economic stability.
Attitudes toward incestuous relationships differ widely across cultures. In some societies, people believe that such acts bring about supernatural consequences, while others view them as sacred or even as acts of devotion. You may be surprised by the diversity of practices and beliefs regarding incest across the world.
10. Ancient Africa
In the now-extinct Monomotapa Empire of Zimbabwe, the king had hundreds of wives, many of whom were closely related—sometimes even sisters or daughters. Only the children of these unions could inherit the throne, as they were considered the purest descendants, untouched by non-royal blood. This practice of incest was exclusive to the king, as any nobleman attempting it would face execution.
Incestuous unions were also part of the Fon kingdom of Dahomey (modern-day Benin), where the king had the freedom to select any woman, regardless of her marital status, ethnicity, or social standing. Even members of his family were eligible, including cousins, though full sisters were excluded.
9. Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, it was believed that the royal heiress's dowry would include the throne, and that the royal bloodline would be strengthened through marriages between siblings. Although modern genetics cannot assess the offspring of such unions, it is known that many pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty, including Ramses II from the 19th Dynasty, married their sisters or half-siblings.
Akhenaten (also known as Amenhotep IV) gained attention for marrying his sister, Nefertiti, with claims that their parents were also closely related. Based on his portrayal in period art, scholars have speculated that Akhenaten may have had genetic conditions, which was later supported by DNA analysis of his son, Tutankhamun. These conditions might have resulted from the frequent brother-sister marriages within the royal bloodline.
8. Roman Egypt
In Roman Egypt, individuals outside the royal family were often involved in brother-sister marriages. In contrast, the Romans themselves opposed incestuous unions, and the marriages recorded from that time primarily involved people marrying outside the Egyptian ruling elite during the Roman period.
Incestuous unions were present across various social and economic classes. One of the most remarkable instances involved twins, who were said to have produced an heir. These unions were predominantly found in the Greek settler community, possibly due to the limited pool of available partners.
7. Zoroastrian Iran
Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion in Iran until the Muslim invasion. Incestuous marriages during this time were linked to religious beliefs, where such unions were considered acts of divine favor, akin to worship. Pahlavi texts (from the sixth to ninth centuries AD) described mother-son, brother-sister, and father-daughter unions as having significant religious importance.
Incestuous marriages were thought to be a pathway to heaven and a means to cleanse the soul's sins in Zoroastrian beliefs. While there is little evidence to suggest that Zoroastrians practiced incest in this way, many references exist outlining how it was perceived from a religious standpoint.
6. Europe
Between the 15th and 19th centuries, royal families in Europe frequently arranged marriages among cousins. Notable examples include the Spanish Habsburgs, Prussian Hohenzollerns, French Bourbons, Russian Romanovs, and the British royal family.
Some scholars argue that the decline of families like the Spanish Habsburgs can be attributed to inbreeding, as both mental and physical health issues began to negatively affect family members.
5. Madagascar
In more recent studies, anthropologists have explored the Malagasy people's unique perspective on incest. They discovered that in certain regions of Madagascar, marriages between first cousins are permitted, while in others, such unions are strictly forbidden.
In certain cultures, crossing the line into incest—whether knowingly or unknowingly—is believed to bring disastrous consequences. These may include crop failures, overturned canoes, child deaths, female infertility, or birth defects like horns or humps. These misfortunes could affect the community as a whole, not just the couple, and the severity of the disaster serves as an indicator of how much atonement is required.
4. The Incas
The Incas believed they were descendants of the gods, considering their ancestors to be celestial bodies. Royal families mirrored this divine narrative, with the Sun marrying his sister, the Moon. When Inca king Topa Inca Yupanqui married his sister, it was a way to consolidate both the father's and mother's claims to the throne, along with all the associated inheritance, into one union.
If a royal marriage did not result in an heir, the king was expected to marry his second, then third sister, until an heir was born. In the absence of sisters, a first cousin could be selected to maintain a reasonably pure bloodline. Royal incest ended when the Spanish conquered the Inca civilization.
3. Tibet
Incest is a sensitive subject in Tibet, and some claim that it doesn't exist within their society. However, when it does occur, a special pilgrimage is undertaken to cleanse the couple of their sins. The term Nal ('incest') is found in ritual texts and still holds the same meaning it does globally.
In 1989, Tibetologist Katia Buffetrille documented a case in which a couple in a Tibetan village was discovered to have committed incest. They were punished by the villagers and sent on a pilgrimage to Chorten Nyima, a sacred mountain on the border of India and Tibet. After bathing in the holy lake and spring, the couple received a certificate from the monastery, proving they had completed the purification ritual. They were then accepted back into their families and social roles.
In Tibetan culture, if the man had been of higher status, his mother would accompany him to Chorten Nyima, while the woman would travel with her father. One Sherpa who spoke with Buffetrille recalled that the couple journeyed to the sacred mountain on a bullock, accompanied by a man on horseback. After the ritual, they had to walk back to the village, but no stigma was attached to them once they returned with the sealed certificate.
2. Thailand
Thai royalty practiced more inbreeding than their subjects, with royal men maintaining extensive harems that included women from a variety of social classes, even some from their own family.
In 1907, King Paramindr Maha Chulalongkorn (Rama V) had two queens who were his half-sisters, a strategy to ensure an heir with the highest possible political standing. Unlike other cultures, incest was not explicitly forbidden outside the royal circle. King Paramindr's father fathered 84 children with 35 wives. The royal family’s marriages were orchestrated by 'kingmakers,' who weren't close relatives, and unions between uncles and nieces, as well as half-siblings, were common in efforts to solidify the royal bloodline.
1. Polynesia
It was considered extremely fortunate for royal siblings to have a child together, as the resulting heir was believed to possess heightened mana, or prestige and power. If such a union occurred, no rival claims to the throne would be entertained, and primogeniture would be strictly upheld, even if the firstborn was a daughter.
19th-century Hawaiian writer David Malo explained that the Hawaiian royalty's power structure was closely tied to the relationship of the parents of the next heir. To maintain the high status of the lineage, a chief would marry his sister, or if she was unavailable, a half-sister or niece. This union was referred to as a 'loop, a thing bent on itself' and was so sacred that the offspring would be regarded as divine, destined to become the next chief, uncontested and powerful.
