Revealed, The Reason Behind The Ancient Rituals of a Virgin Sacrifice

Ancient Egyptians while throwing a virgin into the Nil river. (Public Domain)

Long time ago, when the hard things happened, it was believed to sacrifice a virgin to the gods was the best solution, to restore prosperity and stability.
Virgin girls are sacrificed in various ways. Some are thrown into the sea, buried alive, or fed to wild animals.
At least that is a practice that is believed to have been done by some cultures in the past.
In addition to prosperity, virgin sacrifice rituals can be performed for a number of reasons, ranging from winning wars, appeasing angry gods, or protecting a building.
According to research conducted so far, the practice appears to be widely recognized. The reason, many cultures that show traces of virgin sacrifice in mythology and text of their beliefs.
Quoted from Ancient Origins, in a legend written by the ancient Greek poet, Homer, Iphigeneia was forced to be sacrificed by his father Agamemnon to appease Artemis. It was done so that the goddess would allow the Greeks to do the Trojan War.In other Greek mythology, the sacrifice of a virgin begins with the story of Queen Cassiopeia, the beautiful wife of King Cepheus. One day, he boasted that his daughter, Andromeda, was far more beautiful than the 50 Nereids, Nereus and Doris's daughters.This made the Poseiden angry. The reason, the ruler of the sea was married to Amphrite, Nereids oldest.The sea monster Poseidon, Cetus, then destroyed the city where Andromeda lived. His efforts in making chaos did not stop until the city was a mess.The only way to stop Cetus is to sacrifice Andromeda to him. King Cepheus then obeyed Poseidon and chained his daughter to a rock, making it a sacrifice, in order to save the area where he lived.

Buried Alive at the Building Foundation

Meanwhile a journal from the 15th century, Yasiitomi-ki, mentions the existence of a practice called 'Hitobashira' or the human pillar. In that practice, the virgins were buried alive at the bottom or near the building. It is believed to protect the building from disaster or enemy attacks.But according to Pliny the Elder, human sacrifice in Ancient Rome was abolished by a senator's decision in 97 BC. Although at that time the practice of human sacrifice was rare, the decision was a symbolic act.Meanwhile in the culture of South Asia, Vedic Purushamedha or human sacrifice, is a pure symbolic act in the earliest records.This is followed by a period of embarrassment for violence. The reason, that period coincides with the rise of Buddhism and Jainism that emphasizes ahimsa or nonviolent action.The period corresponds to the composition of the Chandogya Upanishad (8-6 B.C.) which lists nonviolence as a virtue.

Categories: History