We should say something here about the mystique of the hymen and virginity. Throughout history, many societies have held the unbroken hymen as a symbol of virginity and chastity (the English common name for the hymen is the ‘maidenhead’ – a telling term). The hymen was believed to be a tough, protective barrier to a young woman’s sacred and mysterious internal reproductive organs, which had to be ‘torn’ or ‘overcome’ (this was called ‘deflowering’) during her first experience of sexual intercourse, something that most societies expected should happen only in the bridal bed. Deflowering of a virgin was thought always to hurt terribly and bleed copiously.
In some societies wedding guests waited outside the bridal chamber for the cry of pain and then thronged in to inspect the sheets for the blood that signified the bride’s premarital chastity. Parents of the bride, eager that this part of the ceremony should provoke no question about their daughter’s chaste reputation, often provided the bride with a small bottle of animal or bird blood, just in case.
It is now known that an untorn hymen is not an infallible sign of virginity. The opening in the hymen may be big enough or may stretch enough to allow entry of the penis without tearing. Most doctors and midwives have seen at least one first pregnancy in a woman with an unbroken hymen. On the other hand, a torn hymen is not always evidence that a woman has had sexual intercourse. Some women are born with a hymen so incomplete that it appears torn, or it may be broken by injury or during medical procedures.
Not all societies have cherished the virgin bride. Some required that girls were deflowered (often in childhood or at puberty) before union with the husband. This was often performed by a priest in a religious ceremony where the young woman ‘offered her maidenhead to the gods’. Other societies gave the job to the head of the tribe or to men specially employed for the purpose, or to women elders using an artificial phallus. In the days of serfdom, the lord of the manor deflowered all brides married on his estate. In other cultures virgins were viewed with contempt and considered unworthy for marriage, on the grounds that there must be something lacking in a woman whom no one had desired so far.
There is a wealth of legend and superstition about virginity. Virgins were believed to hold mystic, magic powers that could influence the gods, the elements, other animals, crops, health – just about everything. They were used as a defence against evil. Virgins were in great demand as priestesses or to take part in religious and other rituals intended to bring good fortune to society. They were often sacrificed to the gods and other forces to avoid bad luck, and were punished terribly (usually by burning or burying alive) if they lost their chastity. Fairy tales abound with the notion of a virgin – always beautiful and often a princess – being given to an abominable and terrifying monster, who then was either slain by or turned into Prince Charming. And then everyone lived happily ever after.
*5/31/5*
