Kalverliefde in Kroddeburen (Gr.)?

Samenvatting

Calf love at Kroddeburen (province of Groningen)? In Paleo-aktueel 16, Van Kruining describes the discovery of two skeletons of young men lying beneath the skeleton of a yearling heifer. It was found that the men had been beheaded. The findspot is close to the site where a pillory stood from the 17th century onwards, if not earlier. Van Kruining states that there is no clear-cut explanation for the find. However, we consider it likely that the combination of two young men and a young animal points to execution for bestiality. There are very few sources relating to this topic, but it is known that in the Late Middle Ages/Early Renaissance bestiality was considered a capital offence, and perpetrators were sentenced to death. The same fate usually befell the animal, too.