Virginity

thumb|Youth (1893) by French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau. The colour white has traditionally been associated with ritual purity, innocence, and virginity in Western cultures.

priestesses of goddess Vesta in Ancient Rome

parable taught by Jesus of Nazareth according to the Christian Gospel of Matthew

original song written and composed by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly; first recorded by Madonna

practice and process of determining whether a female person is a virgin

thumb|right|300px|East frieze of the Parthenon from the so-called Ergastinai ( "weavers") section, possibly depicting the kanephoroi handing the kanoun to the male figure on the extreme left. Louvre, MR825.

cleansing myth

thirty-first chapter of Numbers in the Hebrew and Christian Bible

thumb|250px|right|Acllas in the manuscript of Guamán Poma of 1615. Aclla (), also called Chosen Women, Virgins of the Sun, and Wives of the Inca, were sequestered women in the Inca Empire. They were virgins, chosen at about age 10. They performed several services. They were given in marriage to men who had distinguished themselves in service to the empire; they produced luxury items, weaving fine cloth, preparing ritual food, and brewing the chicha (beer) drunk at religious festivals; and some, the most "perfect," were selected as human sacrifices for religious rites. Others lived out their li

auction where a person seeks to sell their virginity

painting by Sebastiano del Piombo

painting by Salvador Dalí