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This paper, originally intended as a chapter in a book on Hungarian folklore, describes many customs and rituals at wedding ceremonies throughout Europe. All are shown to be related to defloration, the taboo of virginity, intercourse, the transition from mother to wife, or the dread of punishment by castration. The Oedipus complex is the nucleus of the problems symbolically represented and to some degree resolved through the ceremonies.
Róheim points out the interesting fact that in primitive tribes there are elaborate pubertal initiation rites with little ritual emphasis on marriage, while in Europe the reverse is true. Apparently in primitive tribes the crisis of life is in the relation of the new generation to the elders, while in European villages the main transition is that of the bride from virginity to womanhood. It is the virginal behavior of the bride before defloration that activates the castration anxiety of the male.
The paper is written in the author's usual rich, heavily laden style, with staccato paragraphs. The numerous examples from folklore attest to his scholarly labor in their collection and evaluation.