Henry
III. of France was a controversial king. Let’s see why!
Henry III. of France, an average portrait of him
Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest
His marriage
After
Henry II. his son, Henry III. († 1589) ruled. He was not brought to the news by
his lovers. More like his boyfriends, the infamous "mignons." First
Henry III. at the age of 22, he was the fiancé of Queen Elizabeth of England,
who was forty-year-old. Later, Anna Jagiellonia, of Poland who was 50 years
old. But he was in love with someone else. Henry hoped the Pope would end the
woman's marriage. But she, unfortunately, died in her first birth. When Henrik
found her, he fainted.
But
after that, he got love marriage. He married Louise de Vaudémont. Her mother
hoped that the gentle, humble wealthy Louise would be an obedient bride. And so
it became.
Louise de Vaudemont
wikipedia.org
"Dear" mignons
However,
even though Louise was an ideal wife, she became pregnant once and
unfortunately had an abortion. And then she remained barren. Because of the
childless marriage, the king was blackened by a number of pamphlets. He was
accused of blood feuds, and it was also common for the king to be actually gay.
What could have been behind this?
The
royal court was full of young, handsome men. They were called mignons in the
royal court, meaning "kind." Various writings in the French
Renaissance style detailed the orgies arranged by Henry and the Mignons.
Probably none of this was true. It is a fact, however, that the relationship
between the ruler and the mignons was not expected. Other kings also had
confidants, but they did not caress them or beat them with fists in their
anger. They did not exchange gentle-sounding letters with them, nor did they
keep their hair in a pendant after their death.
Henry III. and the mignons
But
then what was this whole mignon case at Henry III.? The childless ruler found
companions in the minions. They did not have homosexual partners but replaced
their unborn children. Henry III. did everything he could to get his
"mignons" to marry and make a real marriage. He richly married the
minions, and even the wives were chosen by him.
Despite
the name, the mignons were strong, savage, and robust soldiers. Many lost their
lives in battle or duel. Henry entrusted them with the most dangerous and confidential
tasks, and there were plenty of opportunities to do so.
The king's strange habits
Henry's
strange habits reinforced the rumors. He excelled at a young age with his
special attire. He was prone to eccentricity and liked extravagant attire. For
example, she sewed tiny silver skulls on her dress. The dresses were otherwise
embroidered with gold and decorated with precious stones and pearls. She had
scented necklaces and huge earrings. He even wears earrings in a formal
portrait! But there is an exception! Do we see his earrings?
Henry III. of France
wikipedia.org
If
it is true that Henry had no physical connection with the "mignons,"
the courtiers rightly discovered a sign of repressed homosexuality. The king
sometimes dressed as a woman at masquerade balls.
In
a country where things are going well, the king is popular and confident; the
people forgive many things to the ruler. However, there were significant
troubles in the country, and the people saw perversion in all the actions of
the ruler. But for sure: if a man today would act and behave like Henry III,
they'd say that he is gay.
Henry II. ruled France
in the middle of the XVI. century.
Henry II. of France
alamystockphoto.com
His wife was Catherine de' Medici, who
was added to the king at the age of 14. After the large and bright wedding, the
marriage of Catherine and Henry was uneventful for a long time. And permanently
childless. However, this did not bother any of them for a long time. Especially
not Henrik. At the age of 16, he began a relationship with Diane de Poitiers,
who was almost 20 years older than him. Then Henry became heir to the throne of
France. From then on, Catherine was under high pressure to give birth to
offspring. However, in the first ten (!) Years, the attempts were not followed
by success. And Catherine feared that the king would part with her and be
exiled.
Yet she tried all the
possibilities of medicine at the time. One is more bizarre than the
other:
· She was expecting her
husband in bed with cow dung and deer antler,
· She drank mule
urine
· She drilled holes in
her husband's bedroom ceiling and watched him with his lover – like she was
watching a live porn movie - she was excited about it and hoped she would get
pregnant.
Catherina de Medici
wikipedia.org
But the ultimate success
was taken in the form of vanilla orange pancake called Crѐpe Suzette. This is a
well-known dessert to this day. Her husband couldn't resist it anymore. It is
said that this stimulated their sex life so much that in the next 13 years, they
had 10 children. The survival of the dynasty was thus ensured. Their third son was the later Henry III. of France.
Diane de Poitiers
Catherine of Medici
spent her entire marriage in the shadow of her royal lover, Diane de Poitiers.
The king piled Diane with her presents and told her all her worries and joys.
Yet Diane was twenty years older than the king! That was a pretty rare thing at
the time.
The reason for this was
that Henry lived in the courtyard of Madrid as a small child like a noble
hostage. Because of this, he became an evasive, grumpy, inhibitory teenager.
Therefore, his father entrusted his upbringing to the young widow of an old
general. She was Diane de Poitiers.
Diane was in her
thirties at the time. In the XVI century, it was a reasonably high
age for a woman. She was a tall and beautiful blonde woman. For a long time,
she surrounded Henry with maternal care but later seduced her regularly. Today
we would say that she was a hot MILF who tied the young king to her with her
sexual experience. It is quite understandable that this had a significant
impact on Henry. She was his only love, and she remained faithful to him until
his death. Although Catherine de' Medici had
11 children, the king always loved only Diane.
Diane de Poitiers
wikimedia.org
After the king's death
After 27 years, a lousy
marriage Henry II. was fatally wounded in a court knight tournament. Catherine
de' Medici, of course, nurtured the ruler in its last days. She
didn't even take off her black mourning dress for the rest of his life. But she
also had plenty of time to remove Diane de Poitiers from the court and prepare
for his son's reign.
Catherine was obsessed
with power and a violent queen. She used every means to preserve her family and
her own power. She was considered by many to be a cruel ruler. She even ordered
murders to protect her own and his family's power. She also ordered the St.
Bartholomew's Night Massacre in Paris. She died on January 5, 1589.
Maybe if she had had a
more satisfying marriage, she wouldn't want to be more masculine than
men.
Henry
VIII. (1491 - 1547) is famous for many things, such as scandals, wives doomed
to death, militant thinking, and campaigns. And of course the most important
thing: founding the Anglican Church! Henry foamed life, food, and women. He was a real renaissance man!
Henry VIII. of England
wikimedia.org
However,
it is a massive misconception about Henry that he would have been such great
sexual desires. He allegedly often could not satisfy the ladies! Nor is there
any evidence that he was syphilis. Yet this would not have been surprising
given the Middle Ages.
Let's
take a look at the King's ladies.
Catherine of Aragon
His
first wife was Catherine of Aragon, and this marriage began with love. And for
15 years, he seemed happy. But unfortunately, their children were all
stillborn. There was one exception, Mary. However, no heir to the throne was
born. And then Henry looked for a fertile lover.
Boleyn Anna
First,
Mary Boleyn was the King's lover. We saw this in the film; 'The Other Boleyn
Girl.' Mary Boleyn also gave birth to a child for the ruler. However, Henry
soon got bored with the gentle Mary. And Anna Boleyn knew full well what she
could do to seduce the King. She went to the very end. With the practices what
she learned in the French court, Anna mesmerized the King. However, she did not
allow sex. She told Henry that he had to marry her. The King then went crazy to
take Anna to bed, and the result of this affair, that Henry VIII founded the
Anglican Church. Finally, He married Anna Boleyn.
When
Anna was crowned Queen in 1533, she was already six months pregnant and gave
birth to the later Queen Elizabeth I. After her first successful pregnancy,
Anna, unfortunately, had several miscarriages. Henry VIII. ended up the
marriage because Anna was accused of incest and treason. However, many said it
was just a conceptual lawsuit against her.
Jane Seymour
While
3 years of marriage with Anna three marriage, the King began courting Jane
Seymour. Jane behaved virginally and quietly. Henry VIII. was married to her
immediately after Anna was beheaded. The fragile new Queen soon gave birth to
the expected boy, but shortly she died of cervical fever. The King was very
worn out because, according to historical sources, he really loved this woman.
Anna of Cleves
Anna
Cleves was the new wife. She lived with the King for only six months. She was
an ugly woman, and the King did not want sex with her. But Anna is disgusted
Henry VIII. too. The King called his wife as the "Flemish mare."
Nevertheless, he sent him in peace and remained friends. The King even donated
estates to her!
Catherine Howard
At
the age of 16, he became the wife of the 49-year-old King. Henry VIII was so a
fat, fussy, and short-tampered man. Catherine surrounded herself with many
young men and made her lover a private secretary. This situation is perhaps
more understandable if we know that from the age of 11 Catherine was regularly
harassed by older men who walked into her room.
Catherine
was the wife of the sick Henry VIII less a year. Because she was completely
inexperienced and influential in life and politics, she quickly got into a
man's net. Therefore, she was also convicted of adultery, so she became the
second beheaded wife.
Catherine Parr
Catherine
became the wife and faithful friend of an aging and increasingly ill King. She
took care of Henry's wounds, but there was no sexual relationship between them.
In her, the King found his soul mate. Catherine could even reunite the family.
Henry VIII. readmitted his previously denied daughters to the throne. Besides
her, the King was finally able to end his life in peace. After the death of
Henry VIII, the Queen was able to retain her wealth, rank, and many estates.
She organized Henry's funeral, and at the end of Henry VIII's power, she played
a significant role in helping young Elizabeth to save adulthood.
Recent
research suggests that Henry VIII had several ulcers from injuries. And they
caused him terrible and constant pain. Probably that is why he became grumpy,
suddenly angry, and cruel in his old age.
After France, let's take a look at England now. The best known and
greatest king of the Middle Ages was Henrik VIII. in England. Before we get
into privacy, let's look at the rules of Tudor sex!
1. Sex is often forbidden
The church has set strict rules for when, where, and how people can have
sex with each other. Thus, it was forbidden to have sex on Wednesdays, Fridays,
Sundays, during Lent, Advent, Pentecost, before the major holidays when the
woman was menstruating, in the last months before giving birth, for a month
after giving birth, and while the mother was breastfeeding. Sex was forbidden
for three days before sacrifice, during the day, naked, and in any way outside
the missionary pose.
All sexual activity that was not for reproductive purposes was sodomy.
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Henry VIII. of England
in the "The Tudors"
wikimedia
2. Married only
The only sexual activity allowed by the contemporary church was the
fulfillment of "marital duty." This approach means that sex's goals
within marriage for childbearing.
3. It is mandatory to make a child
(especially if you are king!)
For kings and queens, childbearing was a moral obligation. It also
served the interests of the dynasty. The marriage was valid only if it was
passed away. After the royal couple was married, there were, therefore,
witnesses in the bedroom. They waited behind the curtain for the sounds of
orgasm because that was the evidence.
wikipedia.org
4. Enjoy life ...!
Doctors were also involved in the issue of sexuality. It was believed
that too little sex was not good for a person's health. Also, it can even
endanger it. Doctors said that women and men produce a "seed" with
which they can create new life. The balance of these is vital in the body. This
theory meant that in order to have children, both parties had to breake out
their seed, so they had to reach orgasm.
5. ... but don't overdo it!
The church forbade sex so much, among other things, because it feared it
could entice people to sin. Many believed that sex made them angry with
themselves. And an English bishop claimed that "the filthy desires of the
flesh" were harmful to men.
6. Forget contraception!
The church condemned contraception. An exception was if the woman was
expected to die in childbirth. The methods of contraception advocated by
doctors were sometimes very bizarre. It's hard to imagine anyone taking them
seriously. One of the contraceptive ointments, for example, consisted of the
following ingredients: poppy, egg white, goose fat, honey, and "female
milk."
A popular medical book claimed that an excellent method of contraception
is to carry a weasel with severed testicles around her neck.
7. Break the rules!
In XVI. century people lived active sex lives. Adultery was forbidden,
but it was widespread. The reason for this was that forced marriages occurred
many times among the nobility and the royal family. For example, during Henrik
VIII's wife lay pregnant with her first child, and the king courted the married
Lady Anne Hastings. And the Spanish ambassador, who reported on the king's
departure, blamed Catherine, not the ruler, for making the affair a word!
8. Enjoyment is an expectation
In the Tudor era, women were also expected to enjoy sex. There was also
advice on this. It was thought that anyone who felt uncomfortable or unhappy
during sex was not fertile. Mutual enjoyment was necessary to get pregnant.
Women always had to be ready if their husbands wanted sex. However, it was also
crucial for men for their partners to enjoy sex. This made a central question!
You can only have a child if the woman also had an orgasm.
wikipedia
"The Tudors"
In summary, whatever the people did, they could only come out of it
badly. Notwithstanding, the majority of medieval English thought that sex was
worth the risk!
Sex
and marriage were nowhere easy for the kings. These were public affairs. The
heir to the throne was a central issue at every royal house. And if a king
ascended the throne as a child, he didn't know what to do on his wedding night.
It was no different in France in the Middle Ages.
Charles VIII. of France
a flattering portrait
wikimedia.org
Charles VIII. of France, and his
early years of and coronation
Pope
Alexander VI. and Charles VIII. lived and ruled in the same
period. Charles VIII. lived and ruled in the XV century. He became
ill a lot after his birth and spent most of his childhood in bed. He cried over
romantic knight stories and loved to hear about the heroic deeds of Charles the
Great. He was passionate about describing the Crusades. However, they didn't
teach him, so he was almost analphabetic.
His
appearance was also disadvantageous: he was a short and slightly distorted man,
with a disproportionately large head, six toes, besides, he was speech impaired
and often twitched convulsively.
He
was thirteen when his father died, and he was crowned in Rheims. However, he
ruled on his own only from the age of 21. After the coronation, everyone was
shocked that the king showed signs of fabulous sex addiction. He was a sexual
giant in terms of both the number of women and his performance. For a few
years, he only chased the female staff of his palace, the maids and cooks. When
he was 15, he threw himself at the court ladies and young countesses.
The
marriage of Charles VIII. of France.
When
the Bretons and French were at war for five years, during the wartime, the king
was finally able to relive the stories he heard as a child. Beyond that, he was
only interested in sex and fucked the peasant girls who were brought to
him. After five years, as requirements of peace was, that he Charles
had to married with Anna from Brittany. Anna was 16 years old and did not want
to be a wife of Charles VIII. It was not a miracle in terms of the king's
appearance. The princess objected and cried on her wedding night. Soon,
however, her opinion changed because the king impressed her with his sexual
performance. The queen then insisted on daily sex. She fell in love with her
husband on her wedding night. None of them knew about it, but behind the
curtain, 6 people were hiding and took a note about what had happened on their
wedding night. The detailed description can be found today in the Bibliotheque
Nationale in Paris. According to the document, the queen was entirely
satisfied. Anna soon gave birth to the boy's heir, Orlando, but the king soon
tired of her. He preferred to have fun with various princesses.
Anne of Brittany
wikiwand.com
A
prostitute who stopped the king Charles VIII.
The
main goal of Charles VIII. was to win a war and occupy the Kingdom
of Naples in order to be king of Jerusalem. He had a great desire to take
action against the dangerous Ottoman Empire. In the war, first, he reached the
city of Lyon, where he only discussed with his generals and had sex with local
prostitutes. Soon, however, he fell in love. His attraction was a young Italian
woman working as a prostitute. The girl's aunt was her fence. Two French
officials even tried the girl and admired her ability. They agreed that this
girl was the last chance to prevent war. They were thoroughly taught what they
expected of her.
She
chose the tactic of playing the virtuous and unattainable woman. The king was
forced to visit the girl's house, which stood in the poor quarter, in his
magnificent royal chariot and with a beautiful accompaniment. He wanted to
impress her, and he succeeded.
From
then on, they spent all their time having sex. The king even held cabinet
meetings in her aunt's house, in the kitchen, while the king was with his
lover. Unfortunately, the name of the girl is not known in history. However,
her relationship with the king and the cabinet meetings held in her aunt's
house were documented in a letter by Count Belgiojosó to Ludovico Sforza. These
letters are still available to researchers to this day! This prostitute had a
secret. She realized that the king remained a child all his life and therefore
treated him that way. Finally, the king became under her control. It is not
clear that did he know that the girl is a prostitute or not, or he knew it but
didn’t care.
Ludovico Sforza
pinterest.com
After a year,
Count Belgiojoso took a stand against the king’s scandalous behaviour. Finally,
Charles VIII. forced himself to move toward, but he reached just Vienne. The
king and his court stopped and camped again. He brought his lover to the camp
and resumed their lifestyle. Later, the plague broke out. The king considered
the plague as a sign, and he launched his occupation. This war was the first
French occupation in Italy, and it was one of the most grotesque wars in
Europe.
Scandalous fashion
To
say a few words about the era: at this time, that is, the XV century, both
women's and men's fashion was scandalous and challenging. Mainly in Florence
and Venice. The women's clothes were so deep that their breasts would then fall
out of it. Therefore, the women painted their nipples red. The men's clothes
were almost as fancy as the women's. The men put their genitals in stuffed bags
with various ornaments and small bells. When the man saw a beautiful woman and
demanded it, his penis immediately stiffed. And because of this, the
decorations and bells rang. The loud bell signal meant intense emotions, the
"bell ringing" an unstoppable desire. The women competed that if they
walked the streets, who would be accompanied by the loudest music. They did
everything they could to make them desirable. There were lust and sex in the
air. Let us not forget that this was also the age of the courtesans of Venice!
The cheerful and erotic atmosphere
was ended when Charles VIII. and the French army occupied Florence and Venice.
The last years of Charles VIII.
When
his three-year-old son, Orlando, died, he tried to give birth to a new heir.
They tried several times, but Queen Anna remained barren. By the age of
twenty-seven, the king was already old and tired, balding, and not so
interested in sex. His death was just as grotesque as his whole life. When he
went to a knight tournament, he hit his head, lost consciousness, and died an
hour later, in April 1489.
Among the popes who lived in the Middle Ages, John XII was notoriously depraved. Pope John lived in the end of the 10th century. He did not at all correspond to the image that the Catholic Church wanted to show. However, his sexual insatiability did not offend priestly celibacy. Because it only came into force two centuries later. But at the sight of a series of incest, adultery, orgy, and murder, even his contemporaries accused him of making a considerable couplet of the Papal State. Johannes XII., source: wikipedia.orgHis family was already infamous. No one knows, for example, that his father's lover or his legal wife (who was his own stepdaughter anyway!) delivered him? But his father had an affair with several other women in addition to his wife, who was raised by his foster daughter.
Despite his young age, he threw himself with great enthusiasm into the exercise of papal power. After his father, he also inherited the management of secular state affairs. Unfortunately, he was not talented in either area. His campaigns ended unsuccessfully, so he had to look for an ally.
He thought it would be Otto I, King of Germany, but they were embroiled in a severe war conflict. At one point, the Pope, along with the treasury, dissolved a wheel from Rome.
It was then that stories of the Pope's evil and depravity appeared. We should not think of the usual corruption! But instead of the obscene sexual morals that prevailed in the Pope's court. Rodrigo Borgia organized regular orgies, had sex with his father's lover, his own niece, and countless other women!
He didn't really try to disguise his passion for worldly pleasures. The Pope spent most of his time hunting, gambling, and drinking. It was not advisable for the people around him to upset him in any way, because he had thoughtlessly killed anyone. For example his confessor and a priest, also named John. But he was even fired before.
When he returned to Rome, he tortured his enemies. XII. Pope John died unexpectedly while he was having an adulterous sexual relationship with a woman. According to a popular version, the cuckold husband got the party on him, and he was done with it!
The Borgias
Alfonso Borgia - III. Callixtus
Of the members of the Spanish-born Borgia family, the first pope excelled not in sexual scandals but rather in corruption. So much so that Roman nobles were ousted from crucial offices. Callixtus entrusted all important and lucrative offices to his family and followers. During his reign, two Cardinals of Borgia could also take a seat in the Holy College. He appointed his nephew Rodrigo Borgia cardinal, at the age of bare twenty-five. And with it began the heyday of the lives of the Borgias. Alfonso Borgia, source: wikipedia.org
Rodrigo Borgia - VI. Alexander
Volumes have really been written about him then, but let's focus on his love and sex life. Rodrigo, who amassed a huge fortune, became Pope VI. Alexander, at the cost of serious bribes at the end of the century. He did not try to disguise his passion for the arts, as well as his sensual pleasures, as a true Renaissance man, living in his "attraction to Venus" all his life.
Rodrigo was known as a real handsome boy. He could get almost everyone in his environment, and he didn't want to give up sex just because of his cardinal title. Feasts were regular in Rodrigo's splendid palace. He also loved the card, excellent food, and drinks. Neither as a cardinal nor a pope did he lack the feminine charms and balls that seemed morally contagious. Rodrigo Borgia, source: wikipedia.orgHe openly planned to establish a papal dynasty that would govern the Ecclesiastical State. Even before he has ordained a priest, he had four children, including the later deservedly famous Cesare and Lucrezia. And he proudly took on all four children! His other children were also born from unknown concubines, with at least 8 descendants known in history.
His name was linked to countless sexual scandals. For example he and his daughter Lucrecia, were regular visitors to unbridled orgies. According to some opinions, he also had sex with her daughter. One of the orgies held in the Apostolic Palace. For chestnut banquets, not only VI. Alexander, but also Lucretia and Cesare, were official guests. At this event, about fifty prostitutes were ready to entertain the guests.
It is an interesting historical fact that the expansion and fertility of the Borgia family peaked just under a pope. As a pope, his political greatness was to place Rome on his side as soon as he ascended the throne. After that, also to strengthen the papal power, he also gave rank and dignity to his own children and side relatives, as well as to more distant acquaintances.
Cesare Borgia
His legal origins were declared by a papal bull as early as the age of five, and at the age of nine, he boasted dozens of ecclesiastical appointments. He was already an archbishop at the age of 15 and later studied law and theology. At the age of 18, his father appointed him a cardinal. He had a masculine and overwhelming appearance, and he could get any woman. Cesare Borgia, source: wikipedia.orgHe is also said to have murdered his brother, Giovanni, in 1497, but there is no tangible evidence of this. But it is characteristic of the Borgias that the brothers were lost at the mercy of their sister Lucretia. The bloodthirsty relationship, however, is more of an urban legend, but it may even be true! Consider that their father was the most scandalous Pope to this day and the orgies he has visited with his children.
When Cesare married a French princess, for the first time in history, he became the first cardinal who resigned. He died young at the age of 31 in a siege.
Lucretia Borgia
The history show her as the queen of poison mixers and the a fleshy woman. She received an outstanding upbringing in her young age. But when her fater's interests wished him to marry his daughter again and again. Three times.
Lucrezia Borgia remained in the memory of a bloodthirsty femme fatale who killed her bored lovers with a poison hidden in her ring. Victor Hugo's drama did a lot for this, but the Borgias series also took a long time to portray Cesare and Lucrezia's sibling. Yet this is not considered likely by researchers. Fact is that Alexander VI. based on a humiliating impotence test, separated her daughter from her first husband. The embarrassed husband retorted as Lucrezia slept with her father and brother. Lucrezia Borgia, source: wikipedia.org The image of her may also have been due to the fact that in this age, women were portrayed as dangerous, violent, rebellious, evil figures. Lucrezia's death was also typical at that age. She died ten days after the birth of her eighth child.
Although not all Borgia descendants were degraded, the era marked by their name was undoubtedly rich in murder, intrigue, corruption, and, last but not least, eroticism!
We
have already mentioned in an earlier post about India and the Kama Sutra, the
holy book of sex and love. Let’s now dwell on this topic again and some of the
strange temples in India that have sex positions in the Kama Sutra. India has
one of the few “age-restricted” parts of the world heritage, the Khajuraho temple group.
Khajuraho
is a village in the Indian province of Madhya Pradesh, approx. 620 km southeast
of Delhi, the capital of India. The churches here are approx. It was built in
100 years between 950 and 1050 AD. Of the original 80 Hindu temples, only 22
remain in their original condition. They are currently spread over a total of
21 km2. Hundreds of statues depict different positions of lovemaking on the
walls of the church complex.
India
has been extremely conservative for the past few hundred years: some of the
Islamic dynasties, some of the British colonizers, and some of the priestly
caste of the Hindu religion have had great but similar significance. But this
was not always the case! Previously, in the 13th Century, sexual norms were
much freer. It is quite astonishing to man today that sex was a school subject
and we find engraved memories of this on the walls of the Khajuraho temple
group.
At
first glance, the superficial observer sees completely ordinary decorations on
the walls of the temples. However, if we take a closer look at them, we can see
that they are extremely erotic depictions: triple sex, orgies, homosexuality,
good-bodied people satisfying each other in impossible poses while divine
beings stare at them with a smile. Like a stone carved ancient hardcore porn
movie! These engravings are in very good condition, compared to the fact that
we are talking about temples more than a thousand years old.
Khajuraho, wikipedia.org
There
are several ideas as to why this kind of representation was so popular. Some
say that the members of the Chandela dynasty who built the church group were
following tantric principles, and this is reflected back in the temples. Others
say that the temples had a different role than they did now: they were also
important places for learning, and therefore, of course, they also provided a
place for learning to make love. It is also true that the depiction of sexual
activities was quite simply a good omen, as it symbolized new beginnings, new
lives. And there is also the spiritual explanation: in the loving relationship
of the Supreme and human, the expression of love is only seemingly ordinary.
The attraction of the Supreme and the pure human soul is free from all physical
and material aspects. And this attraction is also depicted in the engravings of
these temples.
