History Main / ExoticExtendedMarriage

** ''Literature/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress'' features extended marriage as a common part of life on the moon, in large part because of a shortage of women. The protagonist, Mannie, is part of what he calls a "chain marriage".

* Gail Dalton's ''OneRoseTrilogy'' has a society where the size of a marriage ranges from a ''minimum'' of four to a maximum of twelve.

* The Nietzscheans of ''Series/{{Andromeda}}'', a genetically engineered HumanSubspecies who believe in SocialDarwinism, practice polygyny. A male can marry as many females as his displays of genetic fitness attract, alpha males often have ten or more.

* In the [[{{Rule34}} adult]] "Human In [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Equestria]]" work ''Fanfic/{{Xenophilia}}'' and its clean side story ''The Xenophile's Guide to Equestria'', monogamy is considered selfish and somewhat disgraceful, and the typical romantic group starts around four people. While most groups only share flowers, rings, and/or vows rather than getting officially married, even politically important marriages still mean a single person marrying a group.

** [[JustifiedTrope Justified.]] Polygamy is common because [[GenderRarityValue there are more females than males in a 4-to-1 ratio.]] This is because 70% of male pregnancies end with the embryo dying or losing the Y chromosome and becoming a female.

* In ''LightNovel/AsobiNiIkuYo'', [[spoiler:the Catians]] have no issues with a male choosing multiple mates. This becomes relevant to the plot when [[spoiler:Kio's house]] is converted into the official [[spoiler:Catian embassy, leaving Kio [[MarryThemAll free to marry]] all three of the girls in love with him]].

* In the [[{{Rule34}} adult]] "Human In [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Equestria]]" work ''Xenophilia'' and its clean side story ''The Xenophile's Guide to Equestria'', monogamy is considered selfish and somewhat disgraceful, and the typical romantic group starts around four people. While most groups only share flowers, rings, and/or vows rather than getting officially married, even politically important marriages still mean a single person marrying a group.

* One of the [[LesYay two]] common solutions to the perceived [[GenderRarityValue gender disparity]] in WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic. In the [[{{Rule34}} adult]] [[FandomSpecificPlot Human In Equestria]] work ''Xenophilia'' and its clean side story ''The Xenophile's Guide to Equestria'', monogamy is considered selfish and somewhat disgraceful, and the typical romantic group starts around four people. While most groups only share flowers, rings, and/or vows rather than getting officially married, even politically important marriages still mean a single person marrying a group. Romantic groups also usually don't just stop at four, and [[BiTheWay within a mixed-gender group it's fairly common for same-gender male and female relationships to occur]]. The authors also recognize that there's a [[CerebusRollercoaster lot of complexity that comes with such relationships]], whether it be simple allocation of time and energy, or the natural tendency to pick favorites.

** The planet Grayson (where Honor has dual-citizenship) allows extended marriages.

* In the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, the planet Grayson (where Honor has dual-citizenship) allows extended marriages.

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* One of the [[LesYay two]] common solutions to the perceived [[GenderRarityValue gender disparity]] in MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic. In the [[{{Rule34}} adult]] [[FandomSpecificPlot Human In Equestria]] work ''Xenophilia'' and its clean side story ''The Xenophile's Guide to Equestria'', monogamy is considered selfish and somewhat disgraceful, and the typical romantic group starts around four people. While most groups only share flowers, rings, and/or vows rather than getting officially married, even politically important marriages still mean a single person marrying a group. Romantic groups also usually don't just stop at four, and [[BiTheWay within a mixed-gender group it's fairly common for same-gender male and female relationships to occur]]. The authors also recognize that there's a [[CerebusRollercoaster lot of complexity that comes with such relationships]], whether it be simple allocation of time and energy, or the natural tendency to pick favorites.

* One of the [[LesYay two]] common solutions to the perceived [[GenderRarityValue gender disparity]] in MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic. In the [[Rule34 adult]] [[FandomSpecificPlot Human In Equestria]] work ''Xenophilia'' and its clean side story ''The Xenophile's Guide to Equestria'', monogamy is considered selfish and somewhat disgraceful, and the typical romantic group starts around four people. While most groups only share flowers, rings, and/or vows rather than getting officially married, even politically important marriages still mean a single person marrying a group. Romantic groups also usually don't just stop at four, and [[BiTheWay within a mixed-gender group it's fairly common for same-gender male and female relationships to occur]]. The authors also recognize that there's a [[CerebusRollercoaster lot of complexity that comes with such relationships]], whether it be simple allocation of time and energy, or the natural tendency to pick favorites.

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** Dragon magazine #116 article "The Ecology of the Minotaur". Minotaurs are polygamous, with minotaur bulls having up to 7 females in their harems.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. In the Dragon magazine #103 article "The Centaur Papers", centaurs were said to be polygamous. The wealthier a male centaur was, the more wives he had.

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* In the StarWarsExpandedUniverse, it is revealed that the Cereans (the species to which Ki-Adi-Mundi belongs) have a sex ratio unbelievably lopsided towards females, and that's why they are polygamous. Even Jedi like Ki-Adi are allowed and advised to practice polygamy, since every unmarried or not married enough male is a demographical hazard to the entire race.

* In the StarWarsExpandedUniverse, it is revealed that the Cereans (the species to which Ki-Adi-Mundi belongs) have a sex ratio unbelievably lopsided towards females, and that's why they are polygamous. Even Jedi like Ki-Adi are allowed and advised to practice polygamy, since every unmarried male is a demographical hazard to the entire race.

* In the StarWarsExpandedUniverse, it is revealed that the Cereans (the species to which Ki-Adi-Mundi belongs) have a sex ratio unbelievably lopsided towards females, and that's why they are polygamous. Even Jedi like Ki-Adi are allowed and advised to practice polygamy, since every unmarried male is a demographical hazard the the entire race.

* In ''CatPlanetCuties'', [[spoiler:the Catians]] have no issues with a male choosing multiple mates. This becomes relevant to the plot when [[spoiler:Kio's house]] is converted into the official [[spoiler:Catian embassy, leaving Kio [[MarryThemAll free to marry]] all three of the girls in love with him]].

Historically, the most common form of extended marriage was one man with multiple wives. The technical term for this is "polygyny", and it has appeared in a wide variety of cultures. For this reason, adventure stories set in an exotic corner of the Earth are most likely to feature polygny. To some extent, this can be TruthInTelevision; more of the world allows or at least accepts polygamy than many westerners realize.

* In DavidBrin's ''Literature/{{Uplift}}'' series, uplifted chimps are often involved in group marriages, and the species known as the Gubru forms marriages in threes, and don't become sexually differentiated until after marriage, when one member of the threesome will become dominant and the sole female, while the other two become male.

* In the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series, set in the distant past before the rise of civilization, most matings are one man & one woman, but sometiems a man will mate with two women, or a woman with two men. Whatever works for them.