That’s fascinating. I know about the English etymology, which comes from “cuckoo” because a number of species are nest parasites. Do you have any sources? I love etymological history.
In English it does come from cuckoos, but in Spanish for example it’s ‘cornudo’ (horned). Despite the etymological root in English, the symbolism of cuckoldry was still historically horns. This page has a lot of great examples from England of the association of horns with cuckoldry.
That’s fascinating. I know about the English etymology, which comes from “cuckoo” because a number of species are nest parasites. Do you have any sources? I love etymological history.
In English it does come from cuckoos, but in Spanish for example it’s ‘cornudo’ (horned). Despite the etymological root in English, the symbolism of cuckoldry was still historically horns. This page has a lot of great examples from England of the association of horns with cuckoldry.