A strange prodigy like a foal could have threatened the natural order because such creatures were not intended to be created, and these creatures where extremely unfamiliar and alien to humans. One could not blame people for thinking in such a manner, as animals could be cross breed with other animals, “a mule, a cross between a donkey and a horse”, thus this led to tales and beliefs of human and animal interactions, “Aelian recorded the strange union of a human groom and a mare that produced a foal”. One reason why bestiality broke the law of the natural order is because many people thought that humans and animals could reproduce with each other. However as much as homosexuality was seen as sinful and disgusting, bestiality on the other hand was seen as a particular threat to the natural order and the natural hierarchy, “Bestiality broke the law of the land, they also broke the law of god and the natural order”. Earlier we mentioned that bestiality, did not only refer to having sex with animals but it also referred to homosexuality. Thus bestiality was condemned as a major sin and was depicted as a religious taboo because in many works and illustrations it was portrayed as supernatural and that these creatures being created were a warning from god, to warn us about our evilness, human’s foolishness and recklessness.īestiality was not only a religious taboo, but it was also a social taboo. But also during this period we must consider that masturbation was seen as a sin, so a couple during would only have intercourse for the purpose of pro- creation, and for a man to have enjoyed sex would have been considered sinful. One religious factor being that a married man, by performing bestiality in effect is committing adultery on his wife. This barbaric behaviour may have been due to a range of reasons. However we must note that it was less sinful for a single man than a married man. In the 17 th century Priests of the Irish penitential of Columban, “if anyone practices masturbation or sins with a beast he shall do penance for 2 years”. However as time progressed, so did attitudes and opinions, and by the 16 th and 17 th century it had become a much more monstrous crime, that could pollute the population. For example in the second century A.D, records show a significant amount of human- animal relationships. However these attitudes were not always seen as such a big taboo. In todays society engaging in bestiality would be a huge taboo, and it has never once been deemed standard, like other sexual acts that were once condemned such as masturbation. Bestiality is a form of sexual taboo and deviance and does not only refer to having sex with animals, it is also a metaphor to sodomy, homosexuality and a whole host of other sexual deviances that were condemned religiously and socially. Sexual deviance is crucial if one wants to understand how early modern Europe defined the boundries between human and animal interactions, and the sort of relationship both species could have with each other.