Sodomy is a historical hypernym that is commonly used to describe a variety of forms of sexual behavior. Often this concept characterizes sexual perversions. Many people believe that sodomites are people who enter into sexual relationships with a partner of the same sex, that is, as people say in modern language, of non-traditional sexual orientation.
Historical information
If you believe biblical stories, then in the distant past there were 2 cities: Gomorrah and Sodom. They were united by a population that consisted entirely of sinners who entered into promiscuous intimate relationships with each other. In Sodom lived a righteous man named Lot, with whom two travelers once stopped for the night (in some versions, these were angels sent by God). The inhabitants of the city began to demand that these strangers enter into intimate relations with them.
This angered God. Despite all Lot's pleas to the Almighty, both cities were wiped off the face of the earth along with all their inhabitants. God sent streams of fiery rain to both cities, incinerating the city. According to the legend, only Lot and his family were saved, on the condition that when they left, they would not look back. However, Lot's wife turned out to be too weak-willed and did not follow this instruction, for which she was turned into a pillar of salt.
It was the biblical legend that gave rise to the concept of “Sin of Sodom”; it became synonymous with homosexual relations. This definition is usually used to reward people prone to lust and debauchery. The concept of “sodomy” has become outdated; in modern language it has been replaced by the definition of “sexual perversion.”
How sodomy is viewed in the Muslim world
The issue of sodomy has not been spared the Quran and Sunnah. They reflect the story of Sodom and Gomorrah; for Muslims it is known as the Tale of the People of Lut (Lot). It differs slightly from the biblical legend, and the ending is similar: for the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, everything ends with a “painful and severe punishment.”
Any manifestation of sexual deviations among Islamists is severely punished under Sharia law. Thus, homosexuality, without the involvement of witnesses, execution is carried out without trial. The attitude towards lesbians is not so harsh - they are not executed, but they are contemptuous. Such women are deprived of all rights, they are considered outside the law, that is, they do not have to claim the protection of the state. According to the laws of Islam, everyone is punished for adultery, but this connection must be proven by four eyewitnesses.
These harsh measures do not in any way affect the customs of the Arabs, among whom there are many homosexuals. This fact is connected with the traditions of peoples belonging to Islam - a man does not have the right to claim a woman if he does not have a ransom for her parents.
Catholic sodomy2
From the 6th to the 11th century in Western Europe they called any sexual relations that were prohibited. These could include adultery, premarital affairs, oral or anal sex with representatives of different sexes. However, one cannot help but notice that the morals of the Catholic Church were so strict that it permitted sexual intercourse only between legal spouses and only for the purpose of procreation.
Since the 12th century, under the influence of the Inquisition, the Catholic Church began to call sexual relations between two men sodomy. Since then, the idea of sodomy as a form of sexual contact between representatives of the stronger sex has been established.
Sodomy in Russia3
In Russia, sodomy was widespread until the time of Peter the Great. This is what people called intimate contacts between men. Historians confidently state that there were especially many homosexuals among wealthy merchants who bought boys for their carnal pleasures. The concept of “sodomy” was used similarly to “sodomite.” It was first mentioned in the ancient Russian code of rules and served as a definition of sexual behavior disorder. However, in Russia at that time such deviation from the norm was not considered a sin.
What is "sodomite"?
According to the explanatory dictionary, a sodomite is a person subject to sodomy. Sodomy, in turn, means a serious deviation from the norm in sexual relations. This concept often refers to sexual perversion. In other words, a sodomite is an individual who, deviating from generally accepted norms, enters into sexual contact with a person of the same sex (woman with woman, man with man). Thus, most often we are talking about a person of homosexual orientation.
However, a sodomite is not only a homosexual, but also any individual who enjoys manifestations of sexuality that do not help conception (oral and anal sex, masturbation, etc.). That is, sodomy means anything that differs from ordinary vaginal sex.
It is worth considering that the word we are considering has a biblical connotation. This is due to the history of the emergence of the hypernym.
Sodomy and modern society4
Today the concept of “sodomy” is not used. Modern language has been filled with other words and expressions to denote such unconventional deviant behavior. Most often you hear about “non-traditional sexual orientation”, “sexual behavior disorder”, “homosexuality”. If earlier this word was used both in everyday life and in literature and jurisprudence, then modern people practically do not understand at all what we are talking about.
Also, as before, this definition refers to unusual sexual preferences, but now it refers more to anal sex.
The significance of sodomy in the history of Russia5
In Ancient Rus', as in the West, sodomy meant approximately the same thing. So they disapproved of any deviations from normal sexual relations, for example, homosexuality or anal sex with a partner of any gender, and even the position of a woman on top could be considered a deviation from the norm. At the same time, in the West they treated such sins much harsher than in Rus'.
Church repentance for him was from 1 to 7 years, which corresponded to the punishment for heterosexual contacts. This took into account the age of the person being punished, marital status, regularity of intercourse, and whether he was an active sinner or a passive one. Single men and boys were treated much more tolerantly than married men.
If the fact of anal intercourse was not proven, then the matter took the turn of masturbation, and for this the punishment was more lenient. An intimate relationship between girls was equated to masturbation and the punishment for it was much less than for a relationship with a man, especially if virginity was not affected.
The period from the 11th to the 13th centuries for Rus' passed under the sign of the Mongol yoke and raids of various nomadic tribes. Liberated Rus' nevertheless adopted many of the customs of its invaders. Women were not perceived as individuals endowed with any rights; even high-born ladies stopped receiving education and did not participate in the political and social life of the state. Marriages were concluded by agreement between older family members; those getting married most often did not even see each other. There is no evidence of any romance or love between different sexes. But there is plenty of evidence, both local and foreign, of widespread homosexuality between men.
In the church environment, homosexuality is mentioned in Domostroy, and then, as if by chance. The ministers of the church were much more concerned about how such sinners and adulterers would not appear in their midst, and they cared little about relations among the people. As noted by foreigners who visited the state at that time, the fight against drunkenness was considered a top priority, but for same-sex relationships they could only be reprimanded.
Some monasteries of that time prohibited teenagers from entering. The statutes of the monasteries were drawn up according to the Greek type, but such prohibitions were not in order to exclude any danger of homosexuality, but served as a kind of proof of the licentiousness of the servants of the Lord of that time. Is it worth talking about ordinary monks if Metropolitan Zosima himself was involved in debauchery?
In subsequent centuries the situation did not change for the better. This is confirmed by the fact that Moscow Prince Vasily 3 (reign period 1505-1533) was a real homosexual. After 20 years of marriage, he and his wife Solomonia Saburova never had any heirs, which was most likely the fault of Vasily 3 himself.
Therefore, he placed her in a monastery, and he himself took Elena Glinskaya as his wife. But even changing his wife did not help him change his orientation. To perform marital duties, he required the presence of an officer of his guard in the chambers. However, Elena could not agree to such an ultimatum, fearing that the future heir would be recognized as illegitimate. One of the children, Vasily and Elena, turned out to be weak-minded, the other became the famous ruler Ivan the Terrible.
However, despite all his toughness and brutality, Ivan 4 is also partial to guys in women's dresses. So, his favorite was Fyodor Basmanov, the son of one of the guardsmen, a great skill in dancing in women's outfits. Ivan the Terrible had to kill his unlucky lover so that the secret of their relationship would not go beyond the palace.
Ivan the Terrible and Fyodor Basmanov
However, one should not think that only the upper class of the state was fascinated by sodomy; according to foreign ambassadors, homosexuality was widespread in all segments of the population. Homosexual relationships were so widespread that it was useless to fight them, even with laws or traditions. At that time, cutting your beard was categorically not recommended, so as not to be caught in sodomy.
In pre-Petrine times, homosexuality was viewed much more lightly in Russia than in the countries of the East or West. However, the righteous noted that lovers of same-sex relationships began to take better care of themselves, they shaved off unnecessary hair, used aromatic ointments and lotions, put blush on their cheeks and wore small red boots.
To sum up all of the above, it turns out that while the inquisitors in England, Germany, Holland, Germany, and Spain were hanging, burning and punishing homosexuals in every possible way, in Russia sodomy was in full bloom.
The calm of the Romanovs was replaced by the turbulent reign of Peter the Great. The king was very eager for sexual pleasures, but he did not choose partners by gender. If his wife was not around, then he would put some guy from his entourage on her married side. Therefore, he was in no hurry, following the example of the West, to tighten penalties for homosexuality. It cannot be said that he had tender feelings for his lovers, since he beat him mercilessly for any offense, but he instructed the artist to capture one of them in the nude in a painting.
The first punishment for “unnatural fornication” was imposed in 1706; there is a record of this in the “Brief Article” of Prince Menshchikov. For adultery with cattle or sodomy, burning at the stake was introduced. But Peter, who himself did not lead a proper sex life, subsequently commuted the punishment to corporal punishment and “eternal exile” in case violence was used. Moreover, this code applied only to the military and did not apply to the rest of the population.
Peter the Great and Alexander Menshchikov
Thus, Peter, who was a flamboyant heterosexual, had a special sympathy for his lover Alexander Menshchikov, whom he gradually turned from the son of a groom into his Serene Highness. During military campaigns, he did not suffer from sexual abstinence, since he committed adultery with soldiers, and he was especially in demand for pot-bellied men with flabby bellies.
Another representative of the reigning Romanov family, who had a tendency towards bisexuality, was the niece of Peter the Great, Anna Ioannovna. The period of her reign fell on 1730-1740. According to the records of contemporaries, she entered into sexual relations with her ladies-in-waiting.
Catherine II, who had German roots, could also be prone to lesbian hobbies. This is indicated by her correspondence with Princess Dashkova, in which the empress makes transparent hints about the existing connection. However, she will be prevented from embarking on all the serious love adventures with the ladies by her unbridled passion for men, whom nature has endowed with very large manhood.
Catherine II did not see anything wrong with homosexual contacts, therefore, in 1767 she abolished corporal punishment, explaining that upon arrest the accused would already feel burning shame.
At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century, when communication was established between Western countries and Russia, it became a discovery for the Russian people that foreigners treated “sodomy” with horror and hatred. Therefore, along with fashion and other foreign trends, Russians adopted homophobia, and sodomy began to find a place for itself underground.
Now it could only be encountered among the poorest strata of society, as well as among officials and nobles. So noble and influential people preferred to pay with their assistants when resolving important issues, including corruption.
Catherine II
Just as in Europe, closed educational institutions, such as the Junker School, the Corps of Pages, and cadet corps, were breeding grounds for homosexuality. Since this phenomenon was widespread, the students did not experience any particular horror or disgust towards it. On the contrary, this was another reason for writing humorous poems.
English schools for aristocrats of the 19th century could boast of the same morals. It is noteworthy that the struggle of the school administration did not produce any visible effects.
But what was sex like in Ancient Rus'? You can learn about this in our next article! You will be surprised!
Victoria Fomina
Expert
Doctor sexologist of the highest category, psychiatrist, psychotherapist. I have been working as a sexologist for more than 10 years. I help couples resolve problems in their sex life.
Sodomy cannot be called a mental disorder. Modern research shows that homosexual inclination is simply a feature of the human psyche. It cannot be fixed or remade. But it is also wrong to say that a person is born this way. Modern science cannot explain this phenomenon. However, it is known for certain that sodomy existed at all times. Some researchers believe that sexual orientation is influenced by a combination of certain genes. All we can say for sure is that upbringing and environment during childhood play an important role in this matter.
Message from the Editor
We believe that we were able to find answers to the most pressing questions on this topic. Undoubtedly, relationships between two opposite sexes are not easy, and theoretical principles and knowledge alone cannot cope with them. So we offer you another valuable piece of advice – it’s simple, but very effective. Do you dream of building a happy relationship? Learn to give your other half personal space, but don't forget about yourself. You don't need to completely dissolve in your partner. Both you and he should have time to “rest” from the relationship. This makes a lot of sense in terms of psychology and many research findings. You will not have time to get bored of each other, and you will always have common topics for conversation.
Sin of Sodom in Orthodoxy
This is how it was with the sin of Sodom in Ancient Rus'. Legend says that in the 15th century sodomites came to power, and even the metropolitan was seen in sodomy. The venerable saint of the Russian Church, Joseph Volotsky and his followers were able to overcome mortal sin in high society, calling not to spare heretics. These included sodomites, who were required to be brutally executed by burning.
The punishments had an effect on the people, and this shamelessness quickly disappeared in Rus', like the Inquisition itself. It contradicted the canons of the Orthodox Church: despite the power and influence of Volotsky’s school, the inquisitors had to make room. The term “sodomy” began to be perceived as a synonym for hubbub, swearing and noise.
In Orthodoxy, sodomites are perceived as people who sow chaos, panic and noise. This interpretation is reflected in the explanatory dictionary of Dahl, Ozhegov and Ushakov. However, the term “sodomy” is interpreted differently in medicine; it means “zoophile.”
In the Orthodox Church, anyone who practices unconventional sex in the missionary position, aimed not for pleasure, but solely for the purpose of conception, is accused of sodomy. The Russian Orthodox Church also considers all people of non-traditional orientation and transgender people to be sodomites.
