Rituals Codexery

Couvade

Rituals in which fathers mimic pregnancy or childbirth across cultures.

Couvade refers to a set of rituals observed in several cultures in which fathers adopt behaviors associated with pregnancy and childbirth. The practice has been reported since antiquity, with traces in Ancient Egypt as a sacred birth custom. The term was introduced by anthropologist Edward Burnett Tylor in 1865, derived from the French verb couver, meaning 'to brood, hatch.'

Quick Facts

Term coined by
Edward Burnett Tylor
Year term introduced
1865
Language of origin
French
Etymology
couver ('to brood, hatch')
Ancient attestation
Ancient Egypt
Ancient reporter
Strabo (3.4.17)

Facts from the source article.

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