[livius]

Historically it was used so that a man could have a wife for a short while when travelling long distances.

Historically, I think a "wife while travelling" was called a prostitute...but Mad Mo even found a way to cheat women in the world's oldest profession.

[Dr. Sivana]

Historically, I think a "wife while travelling" was called a prostitute...but Mad Mo even found a way to cheat women in the world's oldest profession.

The way I read it, it seems more like a "Try before you buy" shackup arrangement. The main difference is that this is done under the color of religion.