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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|"Lafrenze, don’t forget. You are the last guardian of the door that protects this world from the dead that dwell in Hades. [[Virgin Power|You cannot ever break the barrier of purity.]]"|'''"The Witch and Lafrenze"''', ''[[Sound Horizon|Elysion]]''}}
Sometimes the [[
Much like a [[Virgin Power
Of course, this makes them the target of so many [[The
The life of a poor '''Barrier Maiden''' is pretty sucky to boot [[Superpowerful Genetics|(even more so than for a superhero's kid)]]. She's usually treated as a [[MacGuffin]] [[The
Expect the Barrier Maiden to be a [[White Magician Girl]], [[The Messiah]], [[Apocalypse Maiden]] or [[Pollyanna]]. Male examples are pretty uncommon, but [[Greek Mythology|Atlas]] at least is a good one, making this [[Older Than Feudalism]]. See also [[MacGuffin Girl]] and [[Holy Child]]. Not to be confused with the [[Barrier Warrior]], but they may occasionally overlap. Also not to be confused with a [[Unusual Euphemism|Maiden Barrier]], which can also make dating awkward.
{{examples|Examples}}▼
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* {{spoiler|Lucille Lilliant}} from ''[[After War Gundam X
* Also Maria Armonia from ''[[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
** And later, {{spoiler|Shakti Kareen...Maria's long-lost daughter, [[Lamarck Was Right|with exactly the same abilities]].}}
* {{spoiler|Yurin L'Ciel}} from ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam
* The anime ''[[
* Ulrike and Ondine from ''[[Kyo Kara Maoh
* In ''[[
* {{spoiler|Asuna}} in ''[[
* Modern-day high-tech example: Chise from ''[[
* [[The Ojou|Saori Kido]] aka Athena from ''[[
** Also, Shun's [[Training
* In ''[[
* In ''[[
* Reversed in ''[[
* Kotori Monou from ''[[X
* Kurogane's mother from ''[[
* {{spoiler|Kushina Uzumaki}} from ''[[
** A sort-of unofficial example is {{spoiler|Anko Mitarashi. After defeating her in battle, Kabuto spares her...only to keep her prisoner and barely alive, to slowly absorb Anko's chakra so he can get all of Orochimaru's power, coming from her Cursed Seal}}. [[Nightmare Fuel|Aaaaaaargh!.]]
** Both [[The Chosen One|chosen children]] [[The Messiah|Naruto]] and [[Dark Messiah|Nagato]] could be considered male examples of this.
* The jewels inside the [[Magical Girl|magical girls]] of ''[[
* {{spoiler|The titular character}} in the manga version of ''[[
* [[It Was His Sled|A certain character]] in ''[[
* In ''[[
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* An issue of the ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]], Season Eight'' comic features a young woman performing this task for a demonic house and not feeling at all well thereby. The character was based on a mentally ill fan, who evidently liked it.
* ''[[Fantastic Five]]'', a what-if future continuity of the ''[[Fantastic Four]]'', sets Sue Richards up as one in a quite literal sense. It's used as a surprise twist: {{spoiler|A massive rift in space-time was just about to tear a few dimensions wide open. Sue was critically injured trying to close it. So, as her final request, Sue's comatose body is suspended in a massive generating machine, on a space platform in interdimensional space, so her force field powers can keep the rift from breaking loose and destroying the universe. Reed stays with her in a lonely vigil, continuing his work for the Five on Earth through remote-controlled proxy robots that the group claims are cyborgs.}}
* Access from ''[[DC vs. Marvel]]''. The only one who can travel freely between the two realities, he is the one that keeps them from merging into the [[Amalgam Universe]], and keeping the ''actual'' Amalgam Universe (in its pocket dimension) from being destroyed. This, unfortunately, means he cannot stay in one of them for long, and frequently has to deal with "leaks" where inhabitants from each universe end up in the one where they don't belong.
== [[Film]] ==▼
▲== Film ==
* The protagonist of ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076683/ The Sentinel]'' (''not'' the television show) {{spoiler|becomes one such at the end of the movie, guarding the literal Gates of Hell (she partially qualified by being a failed suicide)}}.
* Leeloo from ''[[The Fifth Element]]'' is another example of this.
* The titular character from ''The Golden Child'' is a rare male example.
== [[Literature]] ==▼
* The Childlike Empress in ''[[The Neverending Story (
▲== Literature ==
* Ehlana, Queen of Elenia in the ''Elenium'' trilogy by [[David Eddings]], serves as a Barrier Maiden during the first 2 1/4 books. The ghost of a dead knight comments to the series protagonist that "the darkness hovers at the gate, and Ehlana is our only hope of light." The action of the series mostly focuses around recovering the mystic artifact that will keep the poisoned queen from dying, and thus prevent the world from succumbing to the grip of evil.
▲* The Childlike Empress in ''[[The Neverending Story (Literature)|The Neverending Story]]'' was a [[Fisher King]] for the land and her illness is thought to be what's causing The Nothing that's destroying Fantasia, but her sickness is actually due to her needing a new name. (Fantasia is failing because {{spoiler|very few humans are visiting these days}}. The two problems are related and can be solved in a similar manner.)
** Unusual in that it's not any magical power she has that makes saving her critical, but that allowing the next in line (her cousin and suspected [[Brother
▲* Ehlana, Queen of Elenia in the ''Elenium'' trilogy by [[David Eddings]], serves as a Barrier Maiden during the first 2 1/4 books. The ghost of a dead knight comments to the series protagonist that "the darkness hovers at the gate, and Ehlana is our only hope of light." The action of the series mostly focuses around recovering the mystic artifact that will keep the poisoned queen from dying, and thus prevent the world from succumbing to the grip of evil.
▲** Unusual in that it's not any magical power she has that makes saving her critical, but that allowing the next in line (her cousin and suspected [[Brother Sister Incest|half-brother]]) to take the throne would give the villains enough cash to buy leadership of the church and turn it into a [[Church of Evil]].
* In ''The Elfstones of Shannara'', one of the main characters is a Barrier Maiden. {{spoiler|A bit subverted, in that a magical tree is keeping shut a rift to the Demonic Underworld, and it begins to die. The female lead, Amberle, is the chosen one, but we only find out in the climax that this doesn't mean she heals the tree - she ''becomes'' the tree. Which is a bit sad when you're a 12-year-old kid.}}
* While the Archive from ''[[The Dresden Files]]'' doesn't actually prevent the destruction of the world by her existence, she ''is'' a repository of all mankind's knowledge and knows everything that is ever written down. Particularly in ''Small Favor'', she's treated as quite possibly the single most [[Person of Mass Destruction|badass]]
* Jade Pearl, of ''[[Bridge of Birds]]'', is a rather atypical
* A rather darker example of the trope: in ''[[The Vampire Chronicles]]'', the first vampire, Akasha, is in suspended animation and closely guarded in an underground vault by her vampire servants, since, while she herself is virtually indestructible, if she is harmed, all the vampires dependent on her would be destroyed. In ancient times, a usurper places her in the sunlight: while she only receives a tan, vampires around the globe burst into flame.
* There is a clear example in Tolkien's ''[[The Silmarillion]]'': Melian the Maia uses her powers to guard and defend Doriath with a protection called the Girdle of Melian.
** Galadriel does the same with Lothlorien in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. It should be noted that it was Melian who taught Galadriel her stuff.
* [[Manipulative Bitch|Senna]] from ''[[Everworld]]'' serves as some sort of weird cross between this and [[Apocalypse Maiden]]. She's basically a living portal between Everworld and "the Old World" (ours), and several forces in Everworld want her for various reasons. An added twist: in a world full of [[God of Evil|murderous deities]] and a god-eating [[Eldritch Abomination]], ''she'' intends to become the [[Big Bad]] herself.
** It helps that she's raised [[Cult|an army of cultists]] around herself in the Old World, and intends to bring them to Everworld, where she will use their 20th century tech to overcome the gods.<ref>
* The Eternals from ''[[
* Princess Jenna from ''[[
* Dawn of ''[[
▲== [[Live Action TV]] ==
▲* Dawn of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' is {{spoiler|the Key that holds closed the barriers between dimensions}}. Season Five centers around a [[Sealed Evil in A Can]] trying to leave Earth by using Dawn. Not only that, but near the end the heroes get into a discussion of what to do if the worst happens, and we get to watch {{spoiler|Giles and Buffy argue over whether killing Dawn is an acceptable last-resort option...with Buffy finally stating flat out that if ''any'' of her friends try to harm Dawn, she'll kill them. Turns out she actually feels Dawn is part of ''her'', and closer to her than Willow, Xander, or ''anybody''...and she ain't doing the Angel-skewering thing again, not even to save the world.}}
* Lunagel (Rin) from ''[[Mahou Sentai Magiranger]]'' is the gatekeeper whose body and life keeps the evil monsters imprisoned in Infershia. Clare serves as her US counterpart in ''[[Power Rangers Mystic Force]]'', though unlike previous gatekeepers, she nonsensically gets to stay alive when the gate is inevitably broken.
** A bit different in both versions. In ''Magiranger'', her life force maintains the seal, so if she is killed, the gate will open. (The wheel thing above her head while she was captive, there in both versions, was to break the protection spell that normally makes this impossible.) In ''Mystic Force'', the title of Gatekeeper is passed down, but fully sealing the gate killed Clare's mother, so it's said that opening it will kill Clare. The wheel thing was designed to tap that power. (She should ''still'' have died, though, and there wasn't even a [[Hand Wave]]. Rin, on the other hand, is in the clear, as it's not operating the gate that would kill her, but the other way around.)
* {{spoiler|Princess Astra}} in the ''[[
** The Keeper of Traken from [[Doctor Who/Recap/S18/E06 The Keeper of Traken|the serial of the same name]] is quite possibly the inspiration for the ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'' example. The Keeper has great
* In ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' we get {{spoiler|Lilith, the devil's right-hand man -- er, woman, I mean, demon --
* The Imagin of ''[[Kamen Rider Den-O]]'' want to make their [[Alternate Timeline]] a reality by destroying the existing timeline. They travel to the past, laying destruction there, but the existence of Singularity Points (the Kamen Riders) prevent any permanent changes. The [[Big Bad]] then figures out that a special Singularity Point, called the "Junction Point", is the one keeping the timeline stable, and that the Imagins' victory will only be ensured by destroying the Junction Point.
== [[Oral Tradition|Oral Tradition, Folklore, Myths and Legends]] ==
* For crimes against the Olympians, Atlas, one of the Titans from Greek myth, had to carry the heavens (not the Earth itself, but the sky above it) for all eternity. He was ultimately turned to stone by Perseus for being a [[Jerkass]] to him on his way back; whether or not [[And I Must Scream|he was still aware]] is up for debate. But then [[Continuity Snarl|Perseus was one of Hercules's ancestors]].
* An example from the Christian martyrology: the unnamed Princess from Saint George of Cappadocia's legend,{{context}} as well as her Japanese counterpart, Princess Kushinada from the Orochi myths.{{context}}<!-- How are either of these examples of this trope? And how are they related? -->
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==▼
* Ashling from ''[[Magic:
▲== Tabletop Games ==
▲* Ashling from ''[[Magic the Gathering|Lorwyn]]'' was supposed to be one of these, {{spoiler|bringing the flamekin's fire through the transition to Shadowmoor. She didn't go along with the idea.}}
* ''[[Exalted]]'':
{{quote|
....and before her came all the peoples of Creation, and knelt.
They set aside their petty squabbles in her name.
They acclaimed her with many shouts.
They prayed for her safety, and her weal.
Not one of them struck free her chains.
"To know the world..."
"...is to own it," she said.
== [[Video Games]] ==
Line 103 ⟶ 96:
* Bastila Shan in [[Knights of the Old Republic]], though this is due to her incredible skill with [[Informed Ability|battle meditation]] and her {{spoiler|telepathic link with a former Dark Lord of the Sith}}, so she is much more of an [[Action Girl]] than most Barrier Maidens.
* In the ''[[Seiken Densetsu]]'', aka ''[[Mana]]'', game series, {{spoiler|The [[World Tree]]}} is ''not'' the same Mana Goddess that created the world as legend says, but is {{spoiler|a person of some variety who became the new Mana Goddess/Tree the last time the world needed a new one}}. This is played to particularly devastating effect in ''[[Sword of Mana]]'', the remake of the first game, in which {{spoiler|the female protagonist plays this role}}. It's particularly devastating in {{spoiler|Sumo's}} route since {{spoiler|she's also the [[Love Interest]] of the main character there}}.
* In the ''[[
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda:
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
* Likewise, ''[[Dragon Quest VIII]]'' featured seven descendants of the ancient seven sages who sealed Rhapthorne in the Godbird Sceptre, and who Rhapthorne had to kill (using others as pawns) to restore his corporeal form. The fate of these descendants [[You Can't Thwart Stage One|is obvious]].
* In [[Skyrim]] the Thalmor have made worshipping Talos illegal. Why? {{spoiler|according to the lore, Talos is one of these, and if nobody worships him, along with the Heart of Lorkhan gone and the Dragonfires extinguished, Tamriel itself will cease existing.}}
* Princess Peach in the original ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
** The Barrier Maiden thing was abandoned for a while, with Bowser's Motives changing from pure conquest to trying to win Peach's affection. However, more recent games have restored her Barrier Maiden status, though in a different form each time.
*** In ''Yoshi's Island DS'', Baby Peach is one of the Seven Star Children who are born with great power. Bowser attempts to steal the children to take over the universe (this would include Kidnapping himself, which would result in a few time related issues...) Peach is actually one of the children who ''escapes'' capture, and assists Yoshi and Baby Mario in saving the others.
*** In ''[[Mario
*** In ''[[
* ''[[Fatal Frame]].'' It's eventually revealed that Barrier Maidens were used to ritually seal the Hell Mouth under the house. {{spoiler|You find out that [[Late to
** ''Fatal Frame 2'': The
* Colette from ''[[
** Richea Spodune of ''[[
* Furiae in ''[[Drakengard]]''.
* {{spoiler|The protagonist}} of ''[[Persona 3]]'' is one of these, holding back {{spoiler|[[Eldritch Abomination|Nyx]], the [[Anthropomorphic Personification]] of Death - interesting justification for [[We Cannot Go
** {{spoiler|He was not only just holding back Nyx, but also Erebus, who is the [[Anthropomorphic Personification]] of humanity's anguish and wishes for death. If Erebus and Nyx made contact, then the world would end. The protagonist becomes a wall (sealed in stone and stuck to it, no less), destined to stand between the two cosmic horrors forever, or at least until humanity as a whole is changed and stops subconsciously wishing for death. This could mean that he's there to stay but his former companions resolve to do what they can to change the world. Considering three of them could live indefinitely - Aigis being a robot, and Elizabeth being...whatever Elizabeth is - it could be possible in the long run.}}
** The PSP portable version adds {{spoiler|a female protagonist. Despite how she and the male MC aren't exactly the same characterization-wise, she fulfills the same role in-story -- and it includes becoming the local
* Another spin of the Kushinada myth is used in ''[[The King of Fighters
** Another character from the same series, Kyo and Yuki's friend Athena Asamiya, is a rare case where the
* Also in this category, in ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', is {{spoiler|Anveena Teague, who is the embodiment of the remaining energies of the mystical Sunwell. Eventually, she sacrifices herself in order to help the players defeat Kil'Jaeden, and perhaps restore the Sunwell.}}
* Summoners in ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' would qualify {{spoiler|except for Yuna, of course, who breaks the cycle.}}
** A villainous version also appears in ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' in Yunalesca. {{spoiler|She tells the heroes (and every group that had made it that far for the past thousand years) that not only must the Summoner sacrifice herself to save the world, but one of her guardians. Then, in order to leave Zanarkand, fight Sin, and save the world for real, she must be killed.}}
* Shana, from ''[[Legend of Dragoon]]'', is an evil example. At first, you think of her just as ''[[The Chick]]'' and ''[[The Medic]]'', but then you discover she is the Moon Child, the only being able of resurrecting the [[Dragon
* Misha, one of the three potential love interests in ''[[Ar
* Rare male example: Martin Septim in ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]: Oblivion'', like the other Emperors before him, is the only person who can carry out the ritual that seals the barrier against Oblivion. {{spoiler|At the end, Martin [[Heroic Sacrifice|sacrifices himself]], sealing the barrier forever.}}
* Sakuya from ''[[
* Kukuru from [[Arc the Lad
* ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]'' has a particularly cruel version, with {{spoiler|the warrior Matilda}}, as she's being used by the ''monsters'' as a Barrier Maiden sealing away {{spoiler|their hostages}}. Making matters worse is that she's a [[Broken Bird]] due to her past: {{spoiler|her brother tried attacking the monsters' stronghold, but the other villagers chickened out, leaving him to fight until his death waiting for the promised backup that never arrives}}.
* In the [[Girls Love]] [[Visual Novel]] ''[[Akai Ito]]'', this is the job of whoever is taking the role of Ohashira. The first Ohashira was Otsune, and in the present day it's Yumei. The Ohashira essentially [[Heroic Sacrifice|become a ghost]] [[Sealed Evil in
* ''Nostalgia'' has one in Fiona. {{spoiler|She is the only one who can touch the tablet fragments, thus preventing the bad guys from collecting them without her. She also has to die to seal the [[Big Bad]] away.}}
* It was in ''[[
* In ''[[
* Hazuki Kazama from [[Samurai Shodown]], a girl who used her powerful sealing techniques to tame and seal two inmensely strong spirits, Enja and Suija, in the swords of her two older brothers, Kazuki and Sougetsu. Too bad that Amakusa heard about Hazuki's abilities and took a hold of her for the worst...
* A gaint dragon {{spoiler|,who is Ryu's mother}}, in ''[[Breath of Fire 2]]'' is seen blocking the door that leads to the final dungeon to keep the [[Big Bad]] from coming out. {{spoiler|In a normal ending, Ryu replaces her since she dies.}}
* Snowman from ''[[Homestuck (Webcomic)|Homestuck]]'' is an ''evil'' Barrier Maiden--no one will kill her because they know if they do the whole universe will end, and she takes advantage of this to torment [[Villain Protagonist|Spades Slick]] without fear of retribution.▼
== [[Web Comics]] ==
▲* Snowman from ''[[
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* Varla from ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (
* {{spoiler|Will Vandom}} and the other Guardians from [[WITCH (
* In ''[[South Park: Bigger, Longer
* [[The Multiverse]] in ''[[Turtles Forever]]'' is tied to the existence of {{spoiler|the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Characters As Device]]
[[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]
▲[[Category:Trope]]
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