According to the relevant chapters of the Saṃhitãs of the Yajurveda, the ancient Indian Aśvamedha or Horse Sacrifice culminates in the death by suffocation of the stallion playing the major role in this rite, after which the chief queen of the king lies down together with the dead horse and, under the cover of a blanket, inserts its penis into her vagina. During this time, the other queens and members of the court stand around and recite verses of a nature which to us today appear highly obscene, and probably appeared so to people in those times too.