The Encyclopedia Of Smut: C Is For Cuckold

We're back with yet another letter in our Encyclopedia of Smut! Today's entry focuses on one of the most misused (or should we say oddly evolved) words in the porn lexicon: cuckoldry. What is a cuckold? Who enjoys cuckoldry? Why is there a genre of porn that draws a comparison between humiliated husbands and the egg-laying habits of birds? There are almost too many questions.

Before we begin, we'd like to note that the entry for this letter was chosen from a list that included cumshots, cougars (and other aspects of chronophilia), and clothed females/naked males. Hopefully, we'll get to explore all of these fabulous C-terms some day! For now, let's look at cuckoldry.

Definition: At its simplest level, the word "cuckold" is a term for a man who is being cheated on by his wife and--this is a key part--does not know about it. Most people these days forget the latter half of that sentence, but if you consider the (most widely accepted) origin of the word, then this is the most accurate definition.

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, "cuckold" is rooted in "cuckoo," the bird. Certain varieties of female cuckoos surreptitiously lay their eggs in the nests of random males, and since the male bird can't tell which eggs he helped produce, he cares for all of them. So when you call someone a cuckold, you're essentially saying, "Hey there, you may or may not be the father of that child." Keep in mind that this word has existed in different forms since 200 A.D.; it's nice to know that humans have always behaved like guests on "Maury" (and yeah, we're looking at you, Mary and Joseph).

Oh, also, fish do this, too.

[Above: Bobbi Starr and Sledge Hammer in "Mom's Cuckold 7" via AEBN Adult Video On Demand (theater.aebn.net)]

Confusing terms: Nowadays, any man who is being cheated on by his wife gets called a cuckold, and in some cases (such as the Reality Junkies movie we previewed today), people call the adultery-encouraging third party cuckold as well. We know language is supposed to be fluid, but yo, people need to get some terminology straight.

When a man is aware of his wife's infidelity and he tolerates it, he is a "wittol." The word comes from the Middle English version of cuckold, "cokewald," combined with "witen," a prefix that means "to know." The wittol may get physically involved with his wife and her sexual partner, he may seethe with rage, or he may sit beside them and mope, but he always allows the affair to continue. As far as we can tell, every pornographic depiction of a cuckold is actually a wittol. Why hasn't "wittol porn" caught on as a thing? Our theory is that cuckold is simply a stronger and more commonly used word. (Also, it kinda sounds like "cock," and consumers can identify with that.)

What about ladies? Don't they get cheated on? Naturally, and for them, we have the term "cuckquean." If you've never heard the word before, you're not alone; it's almost never used. Some people suggest that women are spared the title of cuckquean or female cuckold because it's a derisive term, and we are more likely to feel sorry for a female victim of adultery than we are a male victim. Sure, it's a slightly offensive double standard, but you can't deny that it has some weight; think about what happens when a married male politician gets caught cheating. Others suggest that cuckold is too mixed up with mating competition and symbols of castration to apply to women.

[Above: Presley Maddox and Wolf Hudson in "Forced Bi Cuckolds 11" via AEBN Adult Video On Demand (theater.aebn.net)]

Horns and humiliation: The modern and pornographic interpretations of cuckoldry are all about ladies humiliating their significant others, usually (but not always) by comparing the cuckold's virility and sexual prowess with that of another man. Although this doesn't jive too well with cuckold as we know the word, there are alternate origins that make interesting links.

Cuckolds are often depicted as men wearing horns. On one level, this refers to the mating competitions of antlered animals, in which the buck with the largest horns and the strongest charge gets to mate with the doe. This very plainly sounds like cuckold porn as we know it: a dejected hubby sitting by, stroking his tiny penis, maybe eating a sandwich while his wife gets thrilled by a man with a much larger dick. An article in The Journal of American Folklore suggests that capons--castrated roosters--are the original cuckolds because there are a bunch of ancient accounts that explicitly mention the testes-deprived birds having their spurs cut off of their feet and attached to their crowns.

Now you might be asking, "What do ancient poultry-keeping practices have to do with my wife getting fucked by a well-hung black guy?" Right, enough history.

The point is that wittols are all about being humiliated: they get abused (verbally and physically) by their wives, and they are sexually dwarfed in all aspects by their male rivals. Wittols are frequently made to watch their wives enjoyment, participate without receiving any direct genital stimulation, and some movies even have the humiliated husband suck his rival's cock and/or consume the jizz that he leaves behind.

Interracial relations play a big part cuckold porn, and it's not hard to imagine why. For one, porn is the headquarters of the myth that black men have enormous dicks, and part of that myth is the idea that big penis = better sex, therefore it's not just the man with the bigger horn who wins, but the race with the biggest horn. Second, there's xenophobia in the mix. If another man in your wife is humiliating, then a man of another race inside your wife is "worse" (read: better) because he is even less like you. Logically, this would mean that watching your white wife getting fucked by a black female with a huge strap-on dildo would be the worst humiliation/biggest turn-on, but we can't think of any movies that feature such a cuckolding.

[Above: Nikki Sexx taunts her poor hubby in (that's you!) in "POV Cuckold 7" via AEBN Adult Video On Demand (theater.aebn.net)]

Why you should watch this: All the word confusion and race awkwardness aside, cuckold porn is awesome! For one, it gives you an interesting twist on the threesome--it's like a two-and-a-half-some--that often takes a trip into the land of bisexual (that is, guy on guy with girl) porn.

Also, it gives you a chance to see your favorite lady performers get into female domination roles without going the BDSM route. Cuckoldry is power play with psychological tactics instead of whips and restraints. The woman always calls the shots in cuckold porn, and given the right situation, even the most docile kitten can pull moves that a seasoned cougar would envy.

Lastly, if you watch enough cuckolding smut, then maybe it'll become the most popular genre, and then someday some smart company will use the term "wittol" and we word nerds can die happy!

[Above: Adrian Olsen and Scott Coxxx in "Black Bi Cuckolding 4" via AEBN Adult Video On Demand (theater.aebn.net)]

[At top: Zoe Voss has selected her suck toy, via Cuckold Sessions (galleries.cuckoldsessions.com)]