Virgin Sacrifice/Playing With

Basic Trope: A virgin, usually a woman, is required to be the subject of a Human Sacrifice
 * Straight: Sarah, a virgin, is kidnapped by the evil Cult of D'yatghra to be used as a sacrifice to their evil God.
 * Exaggerated: Sarah has been groomed since birth by her parents to be a sacrifice; this includes steering her away from temptation and making sure no one... interferes with her virginity, by the simple expedience of ensuring that she never comes close enough to anyone to even touch them.
 * In order to stand the best chance of ensuring that their sacrifice is a virgin, the cult sacrifices newborn babies.
 * Justified: Virgins have power.
 * Alternately, the demon/dragon/volcano god/vampire/whatever is fearful of exposure to STDs in its victims/mates/lunch, and wants to play it safe.
 * Inverted: A woman who is not a virgin is required to be a human sacrifice.
 * A virgin is required to commit a human sacrifice
 * Subverted: Unfortunately, the evil cult didn't do a very good job of checking Sarah's virgin status, since she ain't one.
 * The potential sacrifice points out she lost her virginity at her prom in the hopes that they'll leave her alone. The cult leaders explain their god prefers a girl with some mileage on her.
 * The cult requires the blood of a virgin... but not all of it. Killing her would just be gratuitous, and would cause more trouble.
 * Double Subverted: Sarah claims not to be a virgin. She is lying.
 * Parodied: A virgin sacrifice is needed. Unfortunately, the cult can't actually find a virgin, so they have to make do with Sarah, who isn't one. Sarah doesn't appreciate the insinuations and snide comments that she's been around the block a few times.
 * A male virgin is required, with all the mocking of the sacrificial victim you'd expect.
 * Deconstructed: A virgin isn't really needed; it's just generations of rather sexually repressed tradition making its presence felt.
 * Alternatively, women break their hymens deliberately in order to assure their own safety.
 * Reconstructed: Although a virgin might not necessarily be required, virgins nevertheless do possess certain inherent qualities which improve the sacrifice's chances of success.
 * Zig Zagged: ???
 * Averted: A virgin isn't specifically required for the sacrifice.
 * Enforced: The writer is harking back to old myths and cultural practices.
 * Lampshaded: "You know, if I'd known that saving myself for that special someone was going to get my heart ripped out and fed to some evil demon, I'd have probably decided not to wait."
 * Invoked: The cult raises Sarah to be the perfect sacrifice by ensuring that she is a virgin from birth.
 * Defied: As soon as Sarah learns that she's the intended sacrifice, she has sex with the first willing guy or girl that she can find.
 * Discussed: "You know, it's getting really hard to find virgins for our sacrifices these days..."
 * Conversed: "How come it's always a virgin who's getting sacrificed in these stories? Do virgins have magic powers or something?"

Back to Virgin Sacrifice