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Balkan sworn virgins (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 21 hours ago by Plum@lemmy.world to c/wikipedia@lemmy.world

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[–] Sergio@slrpnk.net 5 points 3 hours ago

Balkan sworn virgins ... are people who are assigned female at birth and who take a vow of chastity and live as men

...

the sworn virgin's "true sex will never again, on pain of death, be alluded to either in [his] presence or out of it."[17]

...

It was the only way a woman could inherit her family's wealth, which was particularly important in a society in which blood feuds (gjakmarrja) resulted in the deaths of many male Albanians, leaving many families without male heirs. ... Moreover, a child may have been desired to "carry on" an existing feud, according to Marina Warner. The sworn virgin became "a warrior in disguise to defend [his] family like a man."[17]

...

In 2008, there were between forty and several hundred sworn virgins left in Albania, and a few in neighboring countries, most over fifty years old,[7] with an estimated twelve left in 2022.

Movie idea: "Last of the Sworn Virgins"