Virginity is dangerous, infamous, although desirable
The hymen is a remarkable minute part of the female body (pictures). Only the females of humans, primates of the great ape family, and some kinds of antelope are equipped with the hymen. The purpose of a hymen is not clearly stated. According to one viewpoint, a hymen protects internal organs of the female reproductive system. Others believe it keeps girls from having sex when they are far too young for a sexual relationship.
Virgins were thought to be special creatures a long time ago. They were even thought to be endowed with magic powers. Do you happen to remember the story of the virgin who tamed the unicorn? Well, the ancient veil of mystery has long turned to dust. Today’s down-to-earth description says that the hymen is just a membrane that partly covers the opening of the vagina. So why do the issues concerning virginity still kindle the interest of some people?
Virginity is spotless
This point of view may have originated in the Middle Ages when sexual relationships were seen as something obscene and shameful. The church could have banned sex altogether if there had been an alternative way of procreation. As a result, virginity became a symbol of purity and innocence (those who disagree side with the Devil and therefore should be “corrected” by the Inquisition).
Times changed yet the concept of virginity remained intact i.e. virginity should be extolled while the lack of it is subject to condemnation. A girl who is not a virgin lacks purity; she is a dirty and depraved creature. Who dare marry her in the first place? Firstly, who on earth will be interested in buying a “reject”? Secondly, how can a man be sure that a child born by his non-virgin bride is his own flesh and blood? It may as well be the offspring of some other guy she had before…
Incidentally, rumor has it that a bride who turns out to be nonvirginal may be stoned in some Muslim countries these days. And what about the beautiful custom of displaying the bed sheets once the marriage has been consummated?
Virginity is dangerous
It seems that our ancestors had lots of imagination. According to historical records, thousands centuries from now some priestesses in the temple of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of love and war, were in charge of a sacred rite of defloration performed with a phallus-shaped baton. Mothers deflowered their daughters in public places in Peru a few centuries later. Well, the deflowering rite was often a men’s job. The description of the rite looks very much like a report on some gang rape. The most “romantic” variety of the rite involved a girl who would be taken to the forest for defloration by a local hermit dressed in animal skins. The deflowerer also wore a pair of horns attached to his head.
At the turn of 20th century, the father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud shed some light on all that cruelty to girls in days of old. Freud wrote that defloration had been interpreted as transition to an adult life. The transition was to be performed by no other but the spirit of a tribal ancestor. The spirit may get angry if a virgin is deflowered by somebody else.
On the other hand, the virgin was not seen as a chaste and pure girl back then. The folks treated her like some very dangerous creature, a kind of time-bomb. The attitude had to do with the belief in the Great Foremother, the progenitrix of all women.
The Foremother was quite an ill-tempered character, wild and uncontrolled. Besides, she had a nasty habit of killing all the men that got in her way. Every virgin was believed to have a bit of the Foremother hiding deep inside her psyche. The dangerous flaw could only put to rights by defloration or the taming of the Foremother. Therefore, an act of defloration was thought to be a mortal danger to any man, especially to a virgin’s future husband. At this point a bridegroom was supposed to make use of his more experienced friends who were ready and willing to help him out. The friends would perform a kind of exorcism on the bride to make her “safe” for further use.
Virginity is desirable
Defloration means “a plucking of flowers” in Latin. Plucking as many flowers as possible is every man’s dream or so they say.
Males in ancient China were under the impression that any disease could be cured by sex with a virgin. Virgins were very popular with patrons of the British brothels in the 19th century. The brothel owners were reported to have traveled to and fro all over the isles in search of virgins. Some present-day sex buffs also say that a man can take special pleasure in deflowering. The art of faking virginity really picked up among the prostitutes since being a virgin sold very well. Ladies of the evening concealed small pieces of sponge soaked with blood in their vaginas to produce a sufficient amount of blood during intercourse.
A fish bubble filled with blood could do the trick too. The above method is still widely used by Thai prostitutes for the purpose of faking virginity. The pellets filled with pigeon’s blood mixed with an anticoagulant are one of the latest entries in a fake virginity kit. The handy pellets are available in many sex shops in Thailand.
