In male-dominant (patriarchal) societies, women were (and still are) often seen as “private properties” of men. Therefore, in such societies, preservation of female virginity before marriage was considered a guarantee of a man’s exclusive control over his woman. Furthermore, men wanted to be certain of their natural paternity over their wives’ future offspring. This required strict surveillance of young maidens by their fathers, to prevent any possible pre-nuptial sexual relationship. In times and places in which birth control techniques were primitive or unavailable, maintaining virginity was the safest (or the only) method to ensure that a young woman would not get pregnant before getting married. Eventually, chastity became a symbol of a woman’s self-restraint for the benefit of her future man, and, in many societies, it was viewed as sacred. Even today, in modern world, a man enjoys deflowering a maid as a very special gift, with the sense of being the chosen one, the “one and only”.

In ancient primitive civilizations, virgins were thought to have special, or even magical powers (like attracting unicorns!), and sacrificing a maid was often part of religious ceremonies. Later on, the loss of innocence and virginity by Adam and Eve, after eating the fruit of knowledge, was interpreted by many as the cause of humans’ fall from the grace of God and their banishment from Paradise, depicted in the Genesis Book of the Old Testament. In antiquity, virgin women were often conferred religious or prophetic functions, such as Pythia of Delphi, the Vestals and the Sybills in Rome, and the virgins in Icelandic lore. However, female chastity became a central religious matter only with the European spreading of Christianity and of the cult of Virgin Mary.

The Greek word for “virgin” is “parthenos”. It was generally used when referring to a young maid, ripe for marriage, and still living with her father. However, the Greeks saw female virginity not simply as a refusal, but as an “affirmative action”. It was much more than just sexual abstinence; it was the way for a woman to boost herself, to remain free of any male influence, and to establish direct connection with the gods. The Greeks believed that, during sexual intercourse, the man was essentially the active giver, whereas the woman was just a passive receiver. They also believed that sexual contact meant not only a transfer of seminal fluid, but also the passage of the very spirit of the man into the woman’s body and mind. The origin of this conviction is found in the myth of the oracle Pythia of Delphi. Pythia was a virgin priestess, whose gift of prophecy was considered to be the expression of divine inspiration from the god Apollo himself. The words of Apollo were thought to enter Pythia through her genitals (by means of a divine smoke emanating from the Earth), and then flow outside her body through her lips, as sacred prophecies. Hence, to ensure that Pythia spoke only the words of Apollo, she needed to stay pure and unpolluted by any other male influence, which meant that she had to remain strictly chaste. In ancient Greek views, maintaining virginity was essential for preserving self-identity, and this principle was true for Pythia, as well as for any woman or goddess.

Virgin goddesses, like Hestia, Artemis, and Athena, were invulnerable to the call of Dionysus, the god of wine, lust and lechery, and resistant to the seduction promoted by Aphrodite. For the ancient Greeks, these three goddesses were the symbols of female power and independence. Strangely enough, Hera, the wife of Zeus and mother of several children, was also considered a virgin, as she constantly renewed her virginity by bathing in a magic spring.

Artemis (corresponding to the Roman deity Diana), daughter of Zeus and Leto and sister of Apollo, was one of the most popular and admired goddesses in Greek mythology. She was the divinity of hunting, sometimes also identified with Selene (the Moon). She was a lonesome and tameless young maid, constantly wandering through forests with her ferocious dogs, and killing wild beasts with her bow and arrows made by Hephaestus. She was beautiful and majestic, but with a hint of masculinity, being viewed by people as the female version of her twin brother, Apollo. An excellent fighter, Artemis participated with Apollo in several warrior actions, but she also loved playing and dancing with her companion nymphs. As a child, Artemis asked her father, the mighty Zeus, to grant her with permanent virginity. She always remained pure and she also defended the chastity of all maidens. In a symbolic vision, virginity was associated with hunting like an attempt to compensate cruel deeds by purity and self-restrain. In the tragedy of Euripides, “Hippolytus”, Artemis declared her hate for Aphrodite. Men who fell in love with Artemis (like Orion) or accidentally saw her nude (Actaeon) were killed. The goddess also punished lechery (Callisto) and rape (Tartarus). On the other hand, Artemis was a protector of legitimate love and sex, helped women during childbirth, and had the knowledge of rightly feeding and healing sick children. Thus, Artemis embodies the paradoxical combination of virginity and motherhood.

Hestia (similar to Vesta in Roman mythology), the elder sister of Zeus, was highly venerated among all gods. She was the goddess of the hearth and the keeper of the sacred Olympian fire. A perfect virgin, Hestia refused marriage proposals from Poseidon and Apollo. She never left Olympus and was granted by Zeus with the honor of leading all sacrifice rituals. Her name, Hestia, actually meant “fire”. Every fireplace on Earth was considered as an altar in the honor of the goddess, who was the protector of all families and cities. Hestia was rarely portrayed in works of art or myths, but instead she was almost exclusively represented by her symbol: the sacred flame. Hestia signifies the warmth and tranquility of family life. The hearth was even said to be a metaphor for women’s life-giving powers and for the female genitalia. The Greeks commonly made an offering to Hestia before or after any meal. In Rome, the Vestal Virgins, followers of Vesta, were a group of highly trustworthy women, appointed to maintain the fire and to guard important city documents. Considering the roles of Vesta and of the Vestales, we can understand the Romans’, as well as the Greek’s view of chastity not just as sexual abstinence, but also as a symbol of self-discipline and commitment. The name of Hestia is thought to be at the origin of words like “is” (in English) and “esta” (in Spanish); therefore Hestia may be regarded as the very “essence of things”, as Plato said.

Athena (or Minerva, her Latin equivalent) was the goddess of political wisdom and war strategy. She was the protector of the city of Athens, but also of Sparta and other Greek cities, which brought her the surname of “Athena Polias” (“Athena of the City”). Athena was born from the head of Zeus himself, as an already mature and warrior-like woman. The myth of Athena’s birth is not only a symbol of her utmost power and wisdom, but it also points out her distinctive and privileged relation with her father. Athena was often considered as second only to Zeus among all Olympian gods. She was an incorruptible virgin (“Athena Parthenos”), a woman with a mystical beauty, and with a masculine-like psyche. Austerity, devotion, honesty, and determination were her dominant qualities, in complete opposition with Ares, the reckless and cruel god of war. In works of art, Athena was depicted with a breastplate, a shield, and a helmet, and sometimes with an owl (the symbol of wisdom) on her shoulder. The goddess offered her support to many mythological heroes, like Heracles, Jason, Perseus, and Odysseus. For the Greeks, Athena was the antique equivalent of Virgin Mary, a woman with divine power, which men could approach as a trustful companion and a precious guide, a female friend, without any sexual implication. In Athena’s case (as well as in the cases of Artemis and Hestia), virginity was viewed as the mark of a female’s self-discipline and commitment.

The ancient Greek concepts about female chastity, represented by the three virgin goddesses, had a great influence upon the later development of Mother Mary as a central figure of Christianity, and through Her, upon the Christian vision of virginity as a symbol of female strength, independence, willpower, high moral qualities, and devotion to noble causes. Furthermore, although the perception of virginity has dramatically altered in recent times, this influence is still relevant even today, in our modern, non-religious thinking.

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